Pre-Adoption Counseling and Matchmaking Services

Pre-Adoption Counseling Session (no other dogs in residence):  Free initial phone consultation, $50 per single session to discuss your lifestyle and which dog might best fit your family.  We’ll discuss breeds, adult vs. puppy, purebred vs. mixed breed, designer breeds, gender considerations, and choosing a breeder or other source.  The session also includes information on dog care and what to expect when bringing your new dog home, along with what it means to be a responsible dog owner and all it entails.  Duration of session is typically two hours.

Pre-Adoption Counseling Session (other dogs in residence):  Free initial phone consultation, $75 per single session.  This is the same as the Pre-Adoption Counseling Session for households without other dogs already in residence, but includes observation and evaluation of the existing dogs to help determine a good match for them, too!  Duration of session is typically two to three hours.

Pre-Adoption Package:  Free initial phone consultation, $150 per package, $140 if choosing a shelter or rescue dog.   This package includes a Pre-Adoption Counseling Session to determine the type of dog that will best suit your family (including existing dogs and pets)and lifestyle, evaluation of dogs already in residence, and assessment and evaluation of two dogs or puppies (evaluating an entire litter to choose a puppy is considered one evaluation).  Evaluations for additional dogs under this package can be added for $25 each. 

The “Whole Pack” Package:  Free initial phone consultation, $400 per package, $375 if choosing a shelter or rescue dog.  The Whole Pack package includes all services listed above plus evaluation for up to ten potential adoptees as well as the “Welcome Home” Go Dog Go and Doggy Debut services (please see our Welcome Home package for full details).  Also includes breeder screening as well as aspects of the “Fetch!” search assistance package and liaison services between shelters, rescue groups and breeders.  (Please see our Fetch package for full details.)  As an added bonus, this package also includes Basic Obedience in a group setting!  (Please see our Basic Obedience Class for full details.)

Wow, Pre-Adoption Counseling and Matchmaking for dogs … seems like a lot of fuss – and expenditure -  just to pick out a dog or puppy.  Well, maybe it should be.  Think about it this way:  Your new dog may live with you and your family for the next ten to fifteen years!  You wouldn’t hire a babysitter for your children, an employee for your company or accept a roommate without careful screening, why would you bring a dog into your home without the same considerations?  What better investment could you make in the future happiness of your family and new dog?

Too often, Canid is called to help owners having problems with their dog that stem from the dog’s breed characteristics or individual personality traits, such as activity level, exercise requirements, herding instinct, territorial or aggressive tendencies, etc.  In other words, they’ve called asking that we help get their dog to stop doing what comes naturally due to its breed or individual personality.  In other cases, we’re called to help dogs with problems not identified or realized during the selection process.  While we can modify or redirect those behaviors, it often requires lifestyle changes and a greater effort on the part of the owner, and it’s much easier and certainly more cost effective, not to mention beneficial to you and fair to the dog, to choose wisely in the first place.  For example, if you live in a city apartment and work full time, and have your heart set on a Border Collie … we’ll need to talk about whether or not that’s actually a good choice given their need to exercise, run and herd (not to mention their off-the-chart intelligence), and decide if you’re realistically willing and/or able to meet those needs or if we should explore an alternate similar but more suitable breed instead.  Or perhaps you gazed into the eyes of the cowering pet store puppy and were hooked, not able to see past those begging eyes to recognize health issues or signals indicating a potential fear/aggression problem in her future.  When you think about it, Pre-Adoption and Matchmaking services are a minor investment over the long run to ensure both you and your dog enjoy a long, happy life together.

To help you choose the perfect dog, we’ll talk first about your lifestyle, target expenditure and the types of breeds or age groups your considering – what your ideal dream dog would be.  As we discuss different breeds and they’re characteristics, the role of temperament testing and evaluation, the advantages and disadvantages in puppies and adult adoptees, and mixed breed vs. purebred considerations, we’ll keep your dream dog in mind, along with your lifestyle, to make those dreams come true!  We’ll also cover socialization, containment, health and safety, spay/neuter, the role of training, nutrition, exercise, choosing a vet or groomer, and enrichment so you’ll be all ready when your new best friend arrives. 

A final, and possibly the most important consideration, when choosing a new dog and considering the benefit of Pre-Adoption and Matchmaking services:  At Canid, we want to emphasize that dogs are not disposable.  They require a lifetime commitment, a commitment you should explore and consider fully before adding a new dog or puppy to your home and family.  Have you ever bought a shirt or jacket that you just loved or had to have, and once you got it home, you wore it twice then decided it just didn’t fit and feel right, or discovered some feature you didn’t notice at the store that doesn’t work out for you, and now it’s languishing in your closet, untouched and forgotten?  (C’mon, ‘fess up, we all have one!)  It is simply unacceptable to take that same approach and attitude with a living, sentient being that is a dog.  For more information and to get you started, we encourage you to read “Choosing Your New Dog or Puppy”.

To get started, you’ll be asked to complete a brief questionnaire and return it along with a $25 non-refundable deposit, which will be deducted from your total fee due at the time of the first lesson.  On the day of the first session, you’ll also be asked to sign a services contract/release of liability and show proof of vaccination for any dogs already in residence.