Matching fur babies with their forever homes
At Friendicoes, we’re firmly against the purchase of pedigree dogs and cats that promotes and sustains the unethical, inhumane and illegal breeding industry across the country. Instead, to encourage the adoption of abandoned pets and rescued dogs and cats, we have established a one acre adoption farm where rescued dogs await their forever homes.
An unfortunate number of abandoned pets and Indies make their way to us, for reasons stemming from irresponsible pet ownership, the fact that puppy mills throw out sick dogs and those past being productive, and lastly due to the fact pedigrees are bought as status symbols and can often lose value in the eyes of the owner who replaces them in a trice.
Our adoption team works tirelessly to find the best possible homes for each of these fur babies. However, adoption rates from the shelter are still saddeningly low, at just 150 per year.
Adoptions of abandoned pets are made trickier because they come to us without any medical or behavioural history. Some are simply deposited outside the shelter, some are brought in as patients and no one comes to pick them up again, some are thrown from moving cars, and some are left to wander the dangerous and busy streets.
Our shelter also rescues and receives many Indie puppies and stray cats who are lost, orphaned or injured – and we believe each belongs in a loving family with a place to call home. For those who would like to foster rather than adopt Friendicoes encourages this and volunteers can register to foster animals thereby giving them a better chance of finding a good home.
While our adoption count remains low, a strict screening process ensures that our adoption success rate stands at 95%.
Looking to adopt? Understand our adoption process better:
- Our adoption team interacts, observes and understands the dogs and cats at the shelter before they are put up for adoption
- If an animal falls sick while under our care, we try to find foster homes to recover (or forever homes if they’re willing to take on and look after the animal)
- If we feel an animal needs special behaviour correction, we take the help of a professional canine or feline behaviourist before adoption
- We always try to find the right matches among the pets and the prospective homes
- Interested families are put through a house check/house visit, the primary purpose of which is an address verification and an interactive session with the whole family to assess whether they are ready for a pet and orient them if required. We firmly believe a pet should be a family commitment as the entire family’s support is necessary for the pet’s welfare
- Once an adoption goes through, the adoption team stays in touch with the family to counsel them and assists with any hiccups for a smooth transition and successful adoption
- House checks/house visits post-adoption to ensure the pet is well looked after is also part of the adoption process
- Lastly, a mandatory rule of the Friendicoes Adoption programme is the spaying/neutering of adopted pets. Friendicoes offers sterilisation of pets adopted from us at a very nominal rate. In the case of puppies, sterilisation is to be done post 6 months of age.
While you might feel like your decision to adopt isn’t all that significant, trust us, you’re making a world of a difference to the life of that lucky animal and he / she will reward you with love and loyalty like no other!
