Adopt a dog from the shelter

Adopting a dog is an incredibly rewarding experience. Adopting a dog is not only an opportunity for you to welcome a new member into your family but also to save a life of a dog that has been abandoned and or abused and to offer it a second chance for a happy life.

“Adopt a dog and you will save two lives,
not only the life of the one you adopt
but also of the one that can take its place in the shelter”

What to keep in mind if you want to adopt a dog:

We would like to invite you to APAD to get to know us. Here is our adoption process, step by step:

The adoption process, step by step:

1. Fill in the pre-adoption questionnaire. This is the first step and helps us understand your situation so we can find the dog that best suits you.
2. Wait for our response. We will review the questionnaire and get in touch with you by email.
3. Make an appointment. Visits take place by appointment only, every morning between 10:30 and 13:00, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays also in the afternoon from 17:00 to 19:00. Please let us know by email which day and time would suit you.
4. Visit and interview. A colleague responsible for adoptions will introduce you to the dog, and an interview based on the questionnaire will be held to assess whether the dog-person match is suitable. APAD may also arrange a home visit.

This invitation is to get to know us and the dog, but it does not yet confirm an adoption. If, after the pre-adoption process, the match is confirmed as suitable, the adoption can go ahead.

Normally, once the decision to adopt has been made, we recommend a trial period first, to see how the dog settles into its new environment. For puppies, we do not carry out this trial period, since their character is not yet fully developed and their development depends largely on the upbringing they receive.

For any questions, we remain at your disposal.

Pre-adoption questionnaire

Adoption requirements

• You have to be at least 25 years old and you will have to identify yourself with a piece of identity (DNI, NIE, NIF, Passport)
• You have to present a proof of address showing that you are the owner of the dog´s future residence, e.g. utility bill. If you rent you need to check if there is a clause in your rental agreement that specifies if you can or can´t have dogs.
• The family that adopts on or more of our dogs will have to sign A.P.A.D.´s adoption contract. In this contract you commit yourself to:

1. Look after the dog in the most optimal way and to provide it with quality food, exercise, education, time, shelter, space, etc. Give your dog all the veterinary care it needs.
2. Not use it for reproduction or breeding
3. Inform A.P.A.D. about all changes related to the dog (change of contact details, if the dog is lost or had died, etc.)
4. Take the dog back to the shelter if you can´t take care of it anymore and not to abandon it.
   Accept the follow up of the dog in his new house.

Adoption fees

A.P.A.D. is a non-profit dog shelter; we depend on private donations to be able to give the best possible care to our dogs. The adoption fee of € 250 for a male and € 280 for a female is a contribution towards all the veterinary costs for the dog whilst in our care this includes all the required vaccinations, treatment for common parasites (internal and external), the microchip and its dog passport and all other veterinary costs including spay/neuter surgery. Since January 2020 a blood test is also included to detect the most common disease in this area: Leishmaniosis.

Other relevant things to know when you adopt

• A.P.A.D. reserves the right to refuse to give a dog in adoption when the adopter fails to meet the requirements
• A.P.A.D. can ask to visit the residence where the dog will be living in order to evaluate the suitability of its future home
• A follow up will be done to evaluate if the adopted dog adapts well in its new home and to evaluate if the terms of the adoption contract are met.
• Before an abandoned dog can be put up for adoption we will have to wait for the legal 20 days in case it´s legal owner has lost it and is looking for it.

Supplementary Information to the adoption process  

• All our dogs receive adequate veterinary care. We will give you all the information we have about the health of a dog before the adoption.
• An adopted dog leaves A.P.A.D. with a microchip for identification, the required vaccinations, treatment for internal and external parasites, it´s passport and spayed/neutered. We will also provide the adopter with its passport
• The adopter needs to sign the adoption contract and accept the conditions in the contract among which the follow up of the dog in your residence
• Please note that this fee is not for the dog itself, the dog is free. We have to ask this fee because the Spanish law of shelters requires that every dog that leaves into adoption needs to comply with the requirements in this law, including microchip, the required vaccinations, treatment for common parasites, neutered, etc. the costs will be further explained in the adoption contract. The fees collected will be used directly for the provision of veterinary care and food for our dogs

Other options
If you do not have the possibility to adopt a dog, you can also help our dogs in various other ways by

Being a foster home for vulnerable dogs (like senior dogs, injured or sick dogs, very young puppies and traumatized dogs) that are urgently looking for a home that can provide them with the special care they need
Financial and non-financial contributions through membership and donations.
Sponsoring one or more of our in shelter dogs.
Becoming a volunteer helping our dogs in A.P.A.D.
Becoming a member of A.P.A.D.

Any help you can give will help us to provide our dogs with the best possible care!