Adoption Information

	Interested in Adopting a Basset? NTBHR adopts bassets to individuals living within the North Texas area. If you live outside of North Texas, please refer to Helping Hands Basset Rescue, in the Austin area, Basset Buddies Rescue of Texas in the Houston area. Since most of our Bassets come from area pounds and shelters, they often times suffer from separation anxiety. For this reason, our Bassets are not usually suited to apartment style living. Basset hounds frequently howl when the owner leaves for work, and so apartment living is not the ideal situation for our dogs. We prefer for our dogs to be placed in a home with a well fenced yard. For more information about the breed and to find out if a Basset Hound is right for you, please read About Bassets Find out why adoption is better than getting a puppy- Top 10 Reasons to Adopt Find out about rehoming issues - Common Rehoming Issues Find out about house breaking - House Training Your Dog Find out about crate training - Crate Training Your Dog Find out about introducting your dog to your cat - Cat to Dog Introductions GOT KIDS????? Here are a couple articles you need to read before getting any dog Children & Dogs Important Information for Parents Interested in Adopting a puppy? Please read "Raising a Normal Healthy Puppy" before applying. How does the adoption process work? The first step in the adoption process is for you to fill out an online adoption application. You should receive a confirmation email within 2-3 days that we have received your application (if not please fill out the application again). An adoption coordinator will contact you to discuss what type of basset would work best in your home. We work very hard to match the right dog with the right forever home. A successful adoption depends on both the selection of the right Basset for your household and the understanding of the Basset's caretaking needs. So that we may assist you with this selection, please answer the following questions as completely as possible. Our adoption process involves at least one phone interview, a veterinary check, and a home visit. If you are interested in in being considered to adopt a Basset Hound, please click here for our online application and more information. Adoption Application
	Where are we located? Honestly all over the DFW area! The Bassets are lovingly kept in individual foster homes until adopted, so therefore we do not have a facility to visit. The best place to see the available Bassets is right here!
	What are the Adoption Fees?
	Most of our basset hounds are retrieved from area animal shelters where they arrived as strays. They bring with them varying stages of neglect and medical needs. These conditions often include infections, open wounds, nutritional neglect, internal injuries, severe periodontal disease, internal and external parasites, and heartworm disease. At the time of adoption, all of our dogs have been spayed/ neutered/ vaccinated, and treated for any medical conditions that existed at the time of retrieval. Additionally, all of our dogs are currently being microchipped. This fee will be collected along with the adoption fee at the time of adoption. The actual medical cost of treating a rescued basset is not transferred to the adopter, but rather absorbed by NTBHR and paid for by generous gifts from our donors. We hold two major fundraising events each year to cover operating costs. In 2009, veterinary medical expenses averaged $700.00 per basset hound. We rescued 125 basset hounds in 2009.
	As of Aug 1st 2010 our adoption fees will be as follows:
	Bassets 6 Months to 2 yr old $250 + $15.00 microchip fee
	Bassets 2 yr. up to 8 yrs. old $200 +$15.00 microchip fee
	Bassets 8 yrs and older $150 +$15.00 microchip fee
	Puppies Under 6 Months - $350.00 + $15.00 microchip fee
	Age determination will be made by NTBHR. We will try to post all ages but please feel free inquire prior to adoption. NTBHR dogs are spay/neutered prior to adoption, up to date on shots and in most cases microchipped. If you think our adoption fees are too high please read this article click here for more information and look at the cost of owning a Basset on our About Bassets page.

	Submitted an application but did not get the dog you wanted? Please know that sometimes we can receive up to 10 applications for one dog and we are unable to contact everyone personally with our limited volunteer staff. If you are not contacted by us, feel free to reapply in 30 days - sometime the right dog was not available to fit your home. Homes with small children (under 4) are particularly difficult to place a rescued dog in as we can not guarantee temperament. We are an all-volunteer non-profit organization that runs strictly on volunteer work and donations. Our goal is to help place as many homeless basset hounds as possible. Please understand we are UNPAID volunteers that find time between work and family to help these great dogs. We receive about 40 applications a month. Your patience is appreciated. adoptions@bassetrescuedfw.org