We are officially a dog family! If you have seen our socials recently, you will have noticed that we recently welcomed Tegan, a beautiful 12-year-old Beagle, to our home. We went down the Dogs Trust adoption route, and I wanted to share our experience with others who have never adopted a dog before, so you know what to expect.

Adopting a Dog

Let’s start at the beginning. Olivia has been after a dog for such a long time. It has always been me that was on the fence over dog ownership. It means more commitment, not being able to drop things and go out and about whenever we want. But recently, Olivia became more insistent she wanted a dog. As her 16th birthday was coming up it seemed like the perfect time. So we compromised. We chose to look for a dog for adoption, one who was past the puppy years and needed a new loving home. One of our first ports of call was to head to Dogs Trust.

The Dogs Trust ethos is that they never put a healthy dog down, and we felt confident that should we be able to adopt a dog, they will have taken care of everything, and we could be convinced they would be a good fit for your lives. However, a Dogs Trust adoption isn’t always as simple as making an appointment.

We started looking for dogs to adopt around November and applied for around 5-8 dogs we met the criteria for.

How Long Does It Take To Adopt A Dog from Dogs Trust?

We noticed pretty early on that there is a high demand for certain dogs. When a dog is listed for adoption on the Dogs Trust website, they come with a list of criteria you need to meet before you apply. This makes sure both your life and the dog are a good fit for each other for more successful adoption.

We chose to look for a Dogs Trust adoption from the Merseyside location as it was closer to us, but there centres around the UK and Ireland. From here, we made sure to search for dogs suitable for living with secondary school-age children.

As new dogs arrive or find their forever home, they are added and removed not to cause disappointment or added applications. The initial process is all online now, and you need to fill in an application form with all of your details and why you would be suitable for the dog you wish to adopt.

Once you submit the form, you get a reply stating you will hear back within a set number of days, and if you don’t hear anything, you have been unsuccessful at this time. We also received emails at the end of our 6-day period informing us that we were unsuccessful this time.

When we applied for Tegan, I’m not going to lie; I wasn’t expecting to hear back as we have previously been unsuccessful for previous applications. However, we got a call back within a week and booked in for an initial visit the week after. We met Tegan on a Saturday and brought her home on a Sunday. Obviously, this will differ from dog to dog, and you may need more than a couple of visits to form a bond, but this will be clear in the listing for the dog you apply for.

What Do You Need For A Dogs Trust Adoption?

It all starts with the initial application form. As each application went in, we became detailed to provide as much information as required. My top tip is to include as much detail as possible about your life, routine, visitors, garden etc. Take the description of the dog and the requirements for rehoming as a guide and include as much as you can to support your suitability. Sadly you cannot turn up and expect to be shown around the dogs to choose one to adopt. Chances are, especially if you are looking at puppies, multiple applications will be assessed on a first-come, first-served basis. Dogs Trust will then contact the first person to be a good match.

If you are chosen, you will then have a telephone consultation to talk through everything the centre knows about the dog, their history and current behaviours and habits etc. If you are happy to go ahead, you can then discuss meeting the dog getting to know each other.

You will need to provide ID and proof that you are allowed a dog if you live in a rented property. You will also need to submit pictures of various areas of your home if requested; we had to prove our garden was safe and secure and for personal use only. Luckily we now have 6ft fencing all the way around, and there is no chance of escape.

Bringing Tegan Home

When I started our adoption journey for Tegan, the first thing I noticed was how much the staff wanted to get these dogs to a good home. Upon reading her bio, we felt Tegan was perfect for us, and we were thrilled to be chosen to meet her.

We arranged a date and time a few days apart, but we had to rearrange due to Olivia having covid. The staff were brilliant and were happy to accommodate us. We arrived in plenty of time at Dogs Trust Merseyside and followed the requirements to call ahead when we were in the car park so they could bring Tegan out to meet us.

We were introduced, and Tegan seemed initially happy to meet us, and we were told as much information on her as they had, and we were able to ask any questions about anything. As we haven’t had a dog before, I had them as a child but not since before I had Olivia; we asked as much as possible regarding eating habits, food preferences, exercise limits etc.

Then we could spend some time alone with Tegan on the grounds and walk her around for a bit. Within 15 minutes, she asked for belly rubs and was quite happy to let us be close to her. Olivia was thrilled as she was desperate for everything to go to plan. From here, we set out to buy everything we could need for her, ready to bring her home the next day.

Dogs Trust Adoption Fees

It is currently £205 to adopt a dog from Dogs Trust. If you are adopting a puppy, it is an extra £55 (£260 total) for puppy training which you are required to undertake. Included in the adoption you receive;

• All medical and vet records, along with a care guide for feeding.
• A week’s worth of food
• A months pet insurance with PetPlan
• A lead and collar
• Ongoing medical care that has already been initiated with Dog Trust, including vaccinations.

Every dog is vaccinated, microchipped and neutered too.

Our Experience with a Dogs Trust Adoption

Of course, I have no frame of reference to go by. This is our first Dogs Trust adoption; however, we had a really positive experience from start to finish and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend and support everything Dogs Trust, especially the Merseyside branch. But more importantly, we are thrilled to have Tegan join our family, and we hope she is just as happy to be here with us.