Frequently Asked Questions

The best way to reach Pet Rescue is by emailing us at nypetrescue@gmail.com

Our dogs are either in foster homes or are kenneled at: 7 Harrison Avenue, Harrison, NY.
Our adult cats are primarily housed at 7 Harrison Avenue, Harrison, NY and some are in foster. Most of our kittens are in foster homes. 

We hold adoption events almost every weekend. Please see our “events” page calendar for Meet and Greets for dogs, and Adoption/Open House events for cats and kittens.

Appointments can often be made with the foster home. Please submit an application if you would like to meet a specific dog or cat. Please do not email us about meeting a pet if you have not submitted the application. Most of our foster homes are in Westchester County, NY, or southern CT.

All adoption donations are tax deductible. For dogs, the minimum donation is $450. Some of the purebred or "designer" dogs (non-shedding) tend to be at the higher end of the range of $500-$1,000. The minimum donation for most of our cats is $125 and for kittens, $175. The donation for purebreds, such as Siamese, Persian, Himalayan and other "exotic" cats, including those of mixed breed that show the dominant characteristics of a purebred, may range from $100-$200 or more. There is a spay/neuter deposit required for puppies ($200) and kittens of ($60). This is New York State law. The spay/neuter deposit is returned after the pet is spayed/neutered. Our preferred method of payment for adoptions is by credit card.

Our cats and dogs are examined by a veterinarian, spayed/neutered (when age appropriate), provided with appropriate vaccines and medications and micro-chipped. There are transport fees involved with bringing dogs from kill shelters and dogs often undergo training. Cats often need to time to adjust to living with other cats and people. Your adoption donation helps cover expenses such as these for these cats and dogs.

All cats/dogs on our site are available for adoption. There may, however, be other applications for that cat/dog. "Pending adoption" means that, in all likelihood, this dog/cat will be adopted within 48 hours. All dogs/cats on our site are available, and as you complete the application you will be asked to select dogs/cats of interest. When a dog/cat is removed from the site, he or she is no longer available for adoption. Please be sure you are looking under the "adopt" tab, not the "successes" tab.

The first step is to complete the application. If you have not completed the application, please do so. Please do not email us prior to filling out the application as it slows the process down, and all information we have about the dog or cat is in the description. As we learn more about the dog/cat we will update the description. Once the application is reviewed, and if it is a good match for the dog or cat, we will contact you about meeting the dog/cat. For dogs, your entire family and any current dogs must be present when you meet the dog. For cats, your entire family should be present to adopt the animal.

Our Application Review Volunteers will check the application to see if it is a match for the dog(s) or cat(s) for which you applied. If we need additional information, we will contact you. If it looks like your home will be a match, we will contact your references (references MUST be non-relatives. If you include a family member or in-law as a reference, we cannot proceed with the application.). Please be sure to alert your vet (if applicable) that you have applied to adopt and that it is OK for the vet to share basic information with us. If you do not alert your vet, it slows our process down. If you rent, please be sure to provide the phone number for your landlord.

If everything checks out, you will be contacted to meet the dog or cat at one of our events, our facility, at the foster home, or at a location determined between you and the foster home. Please bring your entire family including any other dogs (for dog adoptions) and a valid ID at time of your meeting.

Our review process may happen quickly (within two days) or may take up to two weeks. Please do not send repeated emails inquiring about the status of your application as it slows our process down.

Our website generates an auto response when the application is received and correctly completed. If you received the confirmation email, we received your application. Please check your spam folder for the confirmation before writing us. If you do not choose a dog of interest, you will not receive a confirmation. 

We do not "hold" dogs or cats for people. If you have travel plans or need to adopt a dog after a particular point in time, please check out our available dogs and cats when you return. Space in our foster homes is precious. If we hold cats/dogs, we are not able to save other pets from peril.

When we believe that a dog has a non-shed or low-shed coat, we list it in the description. If it is not indicated in the description, we believe the dog cat will shed, and you should presume the same. Most of our animals are mixed breed (if it is a purebred it is noted in the listing) and we cannot guarantee shedding status of mixed-breed animals.

We are unable to determine how large a puppy/kitten will grow. While we usually know the mother, we rarely, if ever, know the father. If size is an issue, we recommend that you adopt a full-grown dog, rather than a one-year old or younger dog.

We can only speculate on the breed of a dog based on general characteristics and traits. If it is a puppy born in our care, we know the mother.

All pets have age-appropriate shots, are micro-chipped, and are spayed/neutered before adoption. Very young puppies and kittens may not be altered at the time of adoption as they are too young for the surgery. Altering then becomes the responsibility of the adopter. We can supply information on low-cost spay/neuter options.

No. We ask that you complete the adoption process, with the understanding that if it does not work out for any reason, we will take back the dog. In fact, our adoption agreement requires that if, for any reason, the adoption does not work out, the dog or cat is returned to us.

No. We have this listed in a description based on the needs of the dog/cat. It would not be a safe/healthy situation for your children or the dog/cat.

No. Please see above.

For the most part, the dogs and cats are strays or owner surrenders. If he/she was a stray, we know nothing more than where he/she was found. If he/she was an owner surrender, rarely do we get a complete or truthful story from the owner. So, while we don't have their "stories," we are trying to figure out as much as we can. Our foster homes work very hard to learn as much as they can about the pdog/cat they are caring for and are always glad to share this information with potential adopters. Their goal is to determine what type of home a dog/cat needs to ensure he/she is a good match for the family.

You must live within 125 miles of Harrison, NY if you want to adopt a dog; 70 miles if you want to adopt a cat. We require that all our dogs
and cats be returned to us if things do not work out in the new home. Through years of adoptions and some unfortunate circumstances, we
learned that if we adopt to people far from our base, the pet is not returned to us. If you are outside our radius, please look at PetFinder.com – their search engine allows you to narrow your search by your zip code. PetFinder only works with rescue groups and shelters – there are no puppy mills on Petfinder. There is a dog or cat in need much closer to your home.

Before they are adopted, we try to put the majority of our dogs and cats/kittens in temporary homes. This way, we get to know the animals’ personality, likes, dislikes and general temperament. We rely on the judgment of our foster homes a great deal. Foster homes are not intended to be permanent homes; our foster homes are all volunteers, and we always need more foster homes. You can become a foster home by filling out a foster application. It's a great experience for the whole family.

We invest a great deal of emotional and financial resources into each dog and cat that we save. Our top priority is finding him/her a home where he/she will thrive and become a loving, happy member of a household. Placing him/her in a home that does not match his/her needs will not make the dog/cat or new owner happy. We respectfully ask that all potential adopters honor these decisions. We are always willing to work with potential adopters on finding the right match for your home. As our grandmas used to say, "There's a lid for every pot." We try our hardest to make sure the "lids and pots" all match. Work with us and be patient – we will find your lid.