If you are considering surrendering your Westie, please contact us. A WRN volunteer will talk with you via phone to first determine whether we can help you keep your Westie. Only if you tell us you are absolutely sure you want to relinquish your Westie will we start the process to transfer ownership of your dog to WRN.
We know that giving up a beloved pet can be an extremely emotional decision and that you have many options regarding who should receive your dog. At a minimum, we ask that you give your dog to a loving, recognized pet placement organization to ensure the best possible transition for your Westie. Let us explain our process and why we are the best!
- Our Intake Coordinator will contact you and discuss your dog’s issues. Providing us with honest information will help us resolve your dog's issues. We will request a photo to ensure that the dog is in fact a Westie as we typically don't accept Westie mixes unless they are predominantly Westie in appearance (white coat, erect and pointed ears and tail approximate height and weight of a typical Westie; (see our description entitled "The Westie Breed"). We will send you relinquishment paperwork via email and ask for any veterinary paperwork you have.
- One of our volunteers will meet you to pick up your Westie along with the signed relinquishment paperwork and any Veterinary records. They will transport him or her to our Vet for a quick check-up or possibly directly to a loving foster home. The foster will arrange for the Veterinary care the WRN protocol specifies. Please note that there is no fee for surrendering your dog to WRN.
- The Westie will spend quality time in one of our screened and verified foster homes where we train and rehabilitate the dog while learning about what he or she both likes/dislikes and making sure they are as healthy as possible. When the Westie is ready the Foster Parent contacts our Adoption Coordinator to match the Westie with a loving home.
- While the Westie is in a foster home our Adoption Coordinator carefully screens our waiting list of potential adopters. We conduct a phone interview, send out a written Adoption Application, and check with personal and Veterinary references provided by the potential adopter. If the potential adopter meets our requirements a WRN volunteer will conduct a home visit to meet the family and any pets and ensure that the environment is safe. Potential adopters who pass the home visit are added to our waiting list. Some adopters have waited years to receive one of our Westies!
- The Adoption Coordinator and Foster Parents discuss potential adopters. Once they both agree on the best environment for the dog, the Foster Parents contact the potential “fur-ever” home to arrange a meet-and-greet session with the adopters, any resident dogs in the adopter’s home and the Westie. If our Foster volunteer declares it a match, the Westie and adopter will go home together. We've been doing this work for over 30 years and have successfully rehomed right at 1,000 Westies and counting.
- After 7 to 10 days a WRN volunteer will follow up with the Westie's new family to make sure everything is going well and give advice if necessary.