Adoption Center

Everything you need to know about Adopting from Tara's House.....

Our online Adoption Center is your resource for adopting a pet from Tara's House. The following describes our requirements for adoption, process to adopt and expectations once you bring your adopted dog home.

Additionally, our fees and adoption application can be found here. Our adoption process is professional and competitive, but rarely takes more than 2 - 3 weeks. We do not adopt pets out on a trail basis, all adopters must tender the adoption contract and adoption donation fee when adoption is finalized.

Please note we ONLY adopt to homes in the greater Washington, DC/Baltimore Metro Areas, that includes those counties in Maryland and Virginia - and Harrisburg, PA. If you are uncertain if you are in our adoption area, please send your name and address to us using our Contact Form for verification.

Operational Information

Tara's House is a 'virtual' animal rescue, meaning we do not have a brick and mortar shelter available for public visitation, or that houses our dogs. We are based in Columbia, MD and Silver Spring, MD with volunteers located throughout Maryland. Instead, we are a network of volunteers who allow our rescued dogs to live with us in foster care until they are adopted. We harness the full power of the Internet to adopt dogs by using email for correspondences (we do not accept phone calls or return general inquiry phone calls), and accept only online adoption applications. We do, however, hold monthly adoption shows, the location of which is advertised in our calendar and upcoming events page. Operating as a virtual shelter allows us to run lean operations and put a higher percentage of adoption fees and received donations toward the care of the dogs we pull from high-kill shelters.

What does this mean for you? Well, it means we will primarily correspond with you via emails to answer your questions and take you through the adoption process. You will need to submit your Adoption Application online. Please do not expect or request phone calls for general inquiries or questions; we will call applications accepted by our Adoption Committee for a telephone interview, but all other communications will be email-based. We thank you for understanding our operations and helping us to run a lean organization so we can save more dogs and make them available for adoption in the Washington, DC/Baltimore Metro Areas.

If you are uncertain what breed or mix of dog would be best for your family just ask us for assistance. We can assist you in selecting the right pet for you and your family. Additionally, we are also available to assist you after adoption if any issues or problems (i.e. training, house-breaking, etc) you may have during the adjustment period. Please note, that during our application process, you will be required to commit to a 30-day minimal adjustment period. Please send these inquiries to info@tarashouse.net.

Requirements for Adopting from Tara's House

With ANY adopted rescue dog, a 6-week time commitment is necessary for adjustment; both yours and the dogs. Some will adjust more quickly, while others take longer. These are dogs that have been living in a shelter for some time and have 'forgotten' their previous training, if they had any at all. Even though we try to transition them from shelter life to home life, we cannot fully house-train or give them obedience training while they are with us. If you do not have the time and patience to devote to working through adjustment issues with your adopted pet, please do not submit an adoption application. The beauty of adopting a rescued pet is watching their personality emerge as they feel comfortable and become part of your family!

All adopters must agree to the following commitments after adopting a Tara's House dog, if you are unwilling to do so, please do not apply for one of our pets:

Enrollment in a basic, professional obedience training class
Schedule an exam with your veterinarian within 14-days after date of adoption. You must have your dog tested for intestinal parasites and begin monthly heartworm and flea and tick prevention, in addition to a physical exam and any boosters required.
Fax proof of both to 866.491.7345.

Tara's House pets will be placed with adults to be kept as companion animals. They are to be accepted as family members, receiving proper nutrition, medical care, exercise and attention. Continuous outdoor confinement is not acceptable. Certain of our dogs will not be placed with young children. We will make every attempt to note this information in the pet's profile on our pet list.

A fenced yard is ideal for all dogs. It will be a requirement for certain of our dogs. If required, we will note this information on the pet's profile. Dogs should never be left unattended in a yard, fenced or not. Chaining is not acceptable. Dogs will not be placed in homes where they will be allowed to run at large. We encourage crate training for all of our adopted pets.

Tara's House will not allow our dogs to be adopted as gifts. Our adopted dogs shall not be given away or sold to another individual or organization. They must be returned to Tara's House if the adopter can no longer keep and properly care for the animal.

As a general rule, we describe our pets as NOT being house-broken for the simple fact that even if they are, when placed into new environments with new families -- accidents do and will happen! It generally takes very little time to house-break an adult dog, as they are so willing to please. Additionally, changes in their diet and general stress can cause adopted dogs to have loose, bloody and/or watery stool. This issues will resolve as they become settled, but if they continue for some time please consult your veterinarian.

Please note that other than at our monthly PetSmart Adoption Shows, only applicants approved to adopt by our Adoption Committee may meet our pets.

Our Lifetime Commitment

We make a LIFETIME COMMITMENT to our Tara's House pets. We will accept pets adopted from Tara's House back at any time, if they are not human or dog aggressive -- even YEARS later if for any reason the adoption is no longer working out. Refund Policy: If for any reason you choose not to keep the pet you adopted, you must notify Tara's House immediately. If you notify Tara's House and return the pet within 7 days of adoption, you may receive a replacement certificate for a comparable pet (if deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors after review of the return), valid for 90 days from date of return. If a certificate is given it may be redeemed only by you and it is not transferable. Adoption fees are not refundable under any circumstances, but are tax deductible.

Minimum Age to Adopt

Adopters must be at least 25 years of age. Identification is required to adopt any pet. All adults in the household must agree to the selection of the chosen pet and must participate in every step of our adoption process. Live-in parents, relatives, roommates, etc must especially be present at the time of the home evaluation.

If you Rent

Permission from the landlord is required of persons living in/on rental property. The landlord or rental agency will be contacted by one of our adoption committee members. Applicants must provide the name and contact information of the landlord or agency on the adoption application, or it will not be processed.

If you Already Own a Pet

If you presently own a pet or another pet will be living in your household, you must provide the veterinarian's name and contact information on the adoption application. We will not process applications that fail to provide this information. Your veterinarian will be contacted to verify your current pet's health record. Currently owned pets must be up-to-date on vaccinations and spayed or neutered.

Description of Our Adoption Process

1) Submit Online Adoption Application

Complete your adoption application online at www.tarashouse.net/adoptionapplication.html by filling in all required information, including your veterinarian information, landlord, etc. We know our application may seem lengthy, but our questions are necessary to evaluate you as a candidate for a Tara's House dog. If you do not currently have a vet, please indicate the vet you intend to use for your new dog. When all questions are answered, click submit to send to our Adoption Committee.

2) Initial Telephone Interview

Within 3 - 5 days after online submittal of your application a Tara's House representative will conduct your initial interview by telephone if our Adoption Committee decides to pursue your application. If your adoption application was submitted in person during a monthly adoption show, we will review your application and conduct the initial interview in person on the spot.
If you do not hear from a Tara's House representative within 5 days after submission, please assume we are not going to pursue your application. We apologize in advance for not being able to contact every applicant we do move through our process due to the number of applications we receive and are processing at any one time.

3) Reference Check

A Tara's House representative will call all references, especially your vet and landlord (if applicable), if we wish to proceed with your application after the initial review.

4) The Home Visit

If Tara's House finds all references give positive feedback and every other requirement has been met to this phase of our process, one of our Adoption Committee members will contact you to arrange a brief home visit. We will ask you to demonstrate a day in the life of your potential adopted dog and evaluate the environment and conditions for the dog.

5) Adoption Approval

After the home visit, our Adoption Committee convenes - usually virtually - to discuss your application and lessons learned as we worked through each phase of our process. From this collaborative review, our Adoption Committee will make the final decision on your application and inform you of their decision in short order.
We do not release any information collected from references, the home visit, or any other source used to make our decision on applicants.
If you are approved to adopt a Tara's House dog, you must sign and submit to Tara's House our legally binding adoption contract along with our adoption fee (payable by check made to 'Tara's House), as well as pick your new dog from the applicable foster home within three days following our notification that you have been approved, unless we have notified you that other arrangements to pick up the dog will be made. An example of our Adoption Contract can be downloaded here. You may also download our Adoption Checklist, which will help you prepare what to look for and do once your adopted pet is home. For more information see our 'After Your Tara's House Dog is Home' below.

6) Multiple Applications For the Same Dog

If we have multiple applications submitted for the same dog, our adoption committee will make a decision based on the best home for the particular dog. We do not process applications or adopt our pets out on a 'first-come, first-served' basis.
If you are not chosen for a particular dog, please do not be offended or insulted. Our first priority is to find the absolute best home for our dogs, each of whom has unique characteristics and attributes. Tara's House will assist you in selecting another, or will suggest other dogs that will be best suited for your particular circumstances, if we have such a dog.
Tara's House conducts a thorough matching process per applicant to be certain the dog you indicate on your application is the best fit for your household. If we determine your desired dog is the best fit, we will suggest another dog or dogs that would be more appropriate.

7) Potential Fosters - please review the information on our Foster's page.

Adoption Fees

Our adoption fees are as follows:

$270 for puppies under 6 months;
$270 for dogs 6 months and older;
$270 for purebred dogs; and
$50 for kittens and cats.
Approved adopters for senior dogs (8 years +) will receive a 20% discount off our adoption fee ($216).

Adoption fees are not refundable under any circumstances, but are tax deductible and payable through PayPal or by check made payable to 'Tara's House'. If you contact Tara's House within 7 days after adoption, you may be eligible for a certificate to adopt another comparable Tara's House pet. Certificate eligibility will be based on the review of the return, adoption, adopter vet visit and any additional information presented at time of return by our Board of Directors. Adopters must tender adoption contract and fees when adoption is finalized; Tara's House does not adopt pets for 'trial' periods.

Pay your adoption fee online!

After Your Tara's House Dog is Home

When you adopt a pet from Tara's House you make a commitment to the veterinary care of your new family member for the rest of their lives. An appointment with your veterinarian to examine your new pet must be scheduled within the first 14-days following adoption. We do not knowingly adopt out sick pets. All of our dogs will be current on DHLPP, Rabies, and will be tested for heartworm, if age appropriate, and intestinal parasites prior to adoption. All pets of appropriate age will be spayed or neutered. Our dogs are also up to date on flea, tick and heartworm prevention before when you take them home. You must continue these monthly treatments as a condition of your adoption.

Because all of our pets come from shelters, many in rural areas, they often require multiple de-wormings for intestinal parasites. This is what a fecal examination detects. Tara's House provides one or two de-wormings while the dog is in our care, but most dogs will require three or four treatments to fully clear this systems. A fecal examination must be conducted during your vet's evaluation of your new adopted pet during the 14-day post adoption exam.

If you adopt a young puppy not old enough to be spayed or neutered during our care, you must agree to spay or neuter the pet as directed by your veterinarian and provide to Tara's House proof of the alteration within 30 days of the operation. Please fax this proof to 866.491.7345.

You must also enroll you and your pet in a professional, basic obedience training class. If you do not know where such classes are, please ask and we will be happy to provide some recommendations from adopters of Tara's House dogs.

We make a LIFETIME COMMITMENT to our Tara's House pets. We will take them back at any time - even YEARS later if for any reason the adoption is no longer working out. If for any reason you choose not to keep the pet you adopted, you must notify Tara's House immediately. If you notify Tara's House and return the pet within 7 days of adoption, you may receive a replacement certificate for a comparable pet, valid for 90 days from date of return. This certificate may be redeemed only by you and it is not transferable. Adoption fees are not refundable under any circumstances, but are tax deductible.

Applying to Adopt

If you are in agreement with our terms and meet our minimum requirements, please complete and submit an application online. Please note the submittal of our online application indicates agreement to our terms and conditions, as well as transmits consent for Tara's House to contact you to process your application. We only accept applications submitted through our website using our online application.

For your reference, we include a downloadable version of our application for informational purposes only. This application is not valid for submittal unless you are bring to and submit during our monthly adoption shows, please do not fax it to us. A schedule of shows can be found on our Upcoming Events.

Thank you for applying to adopt a Tara's House dog, if you have any questions please submit using our Contact form.

Once you are approved to adopt, you can submit your adoption fee online to expedite the finalization of your adoption of a Tara's House dog.