Once the dog arrives in UK foster care, a full assessment is carried out to establish what kind of home would suit the dog best.  This includes whether the dog would be happy living as an only dog, or would need to live with another resident dog on a full time basis.

It would also include whether the dog was outgoing, friendly and happy to meet people or shy and reserved.  It would assess whether the dog suffers with separation anxiety, and whether the dog was happy to be left for reasonable periods of time, or if the dog was anxious when left, and needed work in this area.

We would assess on whether the dog was playful with other dogs or toys, whether they enjoyed their walks, whether they were reactive when meeting other dogs etc.

Once the dog has completed the assessment, The Rescue will promote the dog as “Available for Adoption” on this website, and on our Facebook Page (Elcee’s Rescue Dogs For Adoption) giving full details of the kind of home each dog requires.

Applications would then be taken and reviewed alongside the profile to ensure the application meets the rehoming criteria for the dog.

Once this process has been completed, an applicant will be selected to meet the dog who the Rescue feels best meets the criteria, and this person will then be contacted by the Rescue to discuss their application further, with a view to meeting the dog.

If the meet and greet is successful, a deposit will be required to secure the dog.  A Home Check will then be requested by the Rescue.  This is usually carried out by an independent person that lives in the same area as the Applicant.

If the applicant lives locally to where the Rescue is based, a member of Elcee’s Team will carry out the Home Check.

A full assessment and video is taken of the garden during the home check. The assessor will be looking for any gaps or damaged areas in the boundary and that it is a suitable height for the relevant dog. This will be discussed with you at the time and any recommendations will be made in writing. (6 ft fencing with gravel boards would be ideal).
Locks should be on gates if they lead to outside of the safe secure area to avoid be intentionally left open.  There should no gaps at the bottom of the gate to ensure there are no escape routes.

Any large/deep ponds will need to be fenced off, covered with suitable strong netting, or, if no longer being used, filled in.

If work is required, the Rescue will discuss this fully with the applicant and a time scale agreed in which to complete any work to ensure the garden is fully secure.  The applicant will need to send photographs to the Rescue of the completed work and sometimes a follow up visit is required by the Home Checker to assess the completed work.

Once the Home Check is complete, the adoption will move to the final stage where further discussion will be held with the applicant.

The Microchip will be changed over to the applicant’s details once the balance of the adoption fee is paid and The Adoption Contract completed.

If you would like to be considered to adopt one of our dogs and are not sure about the process, please contact us with any questions and a member of the team will be in touch.

If you see a dog that you feel is suitable on our Dogs Available for Adoption page, then please complete and submit an application form and this will be reviewed in line with the processes outlined above.

Adoption Follow Up

If you do adopt a dog from Elcee’s Rescue, a member of our team will make contact with you 6-8 weeks later to have a chat about how the dog has settled in, if there have been any issues at all, how you found the adoption process and whether the Rescue could have done anything any better during the adoption process.

Rescue Back Up

We provide lifetime rescue back up for all of our dogs, so if the owner is not able to keep the dog for any reason, it must be returned to the Rescue and not rehomed or sold on to any other person.

We expect all adopters to be committed to the dog they are adopting, working through any initial teething issues they may experience, with support from the Rescue.

If issues are experienced, these can be discussed with the Rescue by contacting us and explaining fully what they are.   The Rescue will endeavour to assist with help and advice.

Please ensure the Rescue are aware of any significant issues before  ask to return the dog, as we may be able to help before it gets to that stage, and we may not have available space immediately to be able to take the dog back into rescue.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to keep the dog safe, well and cared for.  Elcee’s Rescue reserve the right to contact the owner to request a welfare visit if they believe the safely and wellbeing of the dog is not being met.

An Adoption Contract will signed by the applicant/owner at the time of adoption.  This forms a legal document and helps to ensure the dog is protected at all times for the remainder of the dogs life.