Black Dog, Second Chance

Thank you so much for choosing to adopt from Black Dog, Second Chance! We really care about our animals and are happy that you decided to adopt a dog or cat needing a home rather than buying from a pet store or puppy mill.

Adopting a dog or cat is a huge commitment that is life-long for the animal. All of our dogs and cats are considered members of the family and have feelings and rights. Please review and research the breed/animal you are considering prior to adoption to make sure the breed/animal is suitable for your home, family, lifestyle, and activity levels.

**Please note that sometimes we get multiple applications for one dog. Unfortunately, there must always be a disappointed family. =( We try to process applications on a first come- basis. If the first applicant happens to be the most wonderful match for that particular dog, then we go no further. We are sooo sorry that some people walk away disappointed, but we really wish we had multiples of the wonderful dogs in our rescue. There are so many dogs in shelters being euthanized daily, and we can get more wonderful dogs in our rescue, perhaps there will be another soul mate waiting for you out there. Thanks for understanding if you are one of the unfortunate families who are disappointed, to no fault of our own. =(

Adoption process is as follows: (please note that we only adopt within 45 minutes from the Buffalo, NY area, due to our mandatory home visit policy)

1. Find one of our rescue dogs or cats that you absolutely must meet.

2. Complete our online adoption application, we will review it and respond within a few days.

3. Anxiously wait at the edge of your seat for a volunteer/foster parent to contact you for a brief interview via email or phone.

4. We will check your vet references, (renters we WILL check with your landlord) and set up a mandatory home visit, where you will meet the new love of your life. (Meeting a dog or cat requires an approved application)

5. All household members, including current pets, are required to attend the adoption home visit

6. Fall in love

7. Schedule a time to pick up your new best friend.

8. Complete the adoption agreement, promising to take care of your new pet, keept its vaccinations and heartworm preventative current, and return the pet to us if you choose not to keep it.

9. We will hand over the adoption folder, with all the original vet records, including an easy to read form which itemizes each vetting that was done to your new pet, that you can take with you to your free first vet visit!
10. Give us the non-refundable adoption donation, and live the rest of your life in complete happiness with your new friend!

---

Adoption Fees: please note that this is all-inclusive. You will not need to pay for any additional vetting for your new friend once you adopt him/her. (except for kittens/puppies which may require an extra set of vaccinations) Our dogs and cats have all been quarantined and are being fostered with loving families. =)

All of our dogs come with an adoption folder FULL of useful information and fliers; all of their original vetting paperwork, including an easy to read form which itemized each vetting that was done to your new friend; a baggie full of your current pet's food to aid in the transition of his/her diet; a goodie bag of toys/treats, and a brand new collar and leash. All of our dogs are bathed prior to being sent to their new homes.

 

Medium-Large Adult dogs are $150-175 which include spay/neutering, rabies and vaccinations, worming, heart worm test (when relevent), flea meds, microchip in some cases, and a free first vet visit to a participating vet of your choice; and an optional month of shelter care insurance for just $1; a baggie full of toys/treats and some food to aid in the transition of his/her new diet, and a brand new collar and leash. All dogs are bathed prior to being sent to their new homes!

Small dogs under 25 pounds or so are $200 which include spay/neutering, rabies and vaccinations, worming, heartworm test, flea meds, microchip in some cases, and a free first vet visit to a participating vet of your choice; and an optional month of shelter care insurance for just $1; a baggie full of toys/treats and some food to aid in the transition of his/her new diet, and a brand new collar and leash. All dogs are bathed prior to being sent to their new homes!!

Puppies under 6 months of age are $150-$250 and include current puppy vaccinations, worming, flea meds, spay/neuter/rabies, and a microchip in some cases, and an optional month of shelter care insurance for just $1; a baggie full of toys/treats and some food to aid in the transition of his/her new diet, and a brand new collar and leash. All dogs are bathed prior to being sent to their new homes. If you are adopting a puppy under 12 weeks old, the pup will be spayed/neutered/rabies AT OUR VET (will be done as early as 12 weeks of age unless special provisions are made between the rescue and the adopter). Puppies will come with a free first vet visit to a participating vet of your choice, at which time it is the adopter's responsibility to get their puppy's additional puppy vaccinations at their own cost, as well as the second round of worming, if necessary;

Purebred dogs are $250 and up, (depending on the breed and age) which include spay/neutering, rabies and vaccinations, worming, heartworm test, flea meds, microchip in some cases, and a free first vet visit to a participating vet of your choice; and an optional month of shelter care insurance for just $1; a baggie full of toys/treats and some food to aid in the transition of his/her new diet, and a brand new collar and leash. All dogs are bathed prior to being sent to their new homes!

Senior dogs are $0-100, which include spay/neutering (unless they are ancient), rabies and vaccinations, worming, heartworm test (when relevant), flea meds, microhip in some cases, and a free first vet visit to a participating vet of your choice; and an optional month of shelter care insurance for just $1; a baggie full of toys/treats and some food to aid in the transition of his/her new diet, and a brand new collar and leash. All dogs are bathed prior to being sent to their new homes!

Cat adoption fees are $50-75 which includes their FelV/FIV combo testing, vaccinations, rabies, and spay/neuter, flea meds, and worming, and an optional month of shelter care insurance for just $1!. (Some cats we are currently waiving the adoption fee for, if placed in a loving home)

Kitten adoption fees are $90 which includes their FelV/FIV combo testing, current kitten vaccination, worming, flea meds, spay/neuter and rabies (if old enough), and an optional month of shelter care insurance for just $1! Kittens will come with a free first vet visit coupon, at which time it is the adopter's responsibility to get their kitten's additional kitten vaccinations at their own cost, as well as the second round of worming, if necessary and the rabies if not already done.

***Puppy Mill dog adoption fees are $250 minimum for adults and $350 and ABOVE for a puppy 18 months or younger or small Yorkie or other breed, on occassion the adoption donation will need to be higher due to medical costs of gaining the dog's freedom! (this fee covers the spay/neuter; shots, brucellosis test, heartworm test, worming, dental cleaning if necessary) Please read at the bottom of this page about Puppy Mill dogs and their special needs for adoption.

---

Are your adoption fees negotiable?

Our adoption fees are similar to other reputable rescues, and in some cases even less. Most of our dogs have well over the adoption fee put into them for vetting and we must rely on dipping into our own pockets to pay for necessary costs involved in saving them. We have to pay for food, medical care and necessary things such crates, blankets and leashes. So the average adoption fees are actually a LOSS for our rescue. Additionally, we often take in dogs that most other rescues will pass over- For example, did you see Kuma? She has Demodectic mange. Other rescues passed her over, we often take in dogs like her. We just adopted out Chance, a black lab with mange, we took him in, treated him for three months until he was cleared, then found him a forever home. His vet bills were expensive- well over $500 just to treat the mange, then we got him neutered, heartworm tested, flea treated him and fed him all those months he was with us. And, contrary to popular belief, we DO NOT get a discount on vet bills. We pay the same at the vet, just like you do. All our dogs come with the original vet papers when they are adopted, so you can see for yourself that we receive no special treatment when it comes to vet bills.

Our adoption fees are reflective of our compassion and care for all of our animals.

All the dogs in our rescue are spayed/neutered, fully vaccinated, rabies, heartworm tested negative (if old enough), most are wormed twice, flea treated, microchipped on some dogs, come with a free first vet visit, a dog training video. We also include, (and you'll often see in the profiles of some of our dogs) on an as-needed basis for the neediest dogs, dog obedience classes, puppy socializing classes, and dog agility class. We also include the leash and collar.

Unfortunately, our adoption fees are not negotiable. We do occassionally reduce the adoption fees for elderly dogs or dogs with chronic illnesses.

Thank you for wanting to rescue!

****Puppy Mill Dogs have special fees/adoption requirements****

Occassionally we will get in dogs that have been seized from Puppy Mills. These dogs are special dogs and require special care and a special home. They cannot be adopted to just anyone.

• Before you confirm your interest in adopting a puppy mill dog, we would like to tell you a little bit about what it's like to live with a puppy mill dog. We want to save them all, but please do not act on the spur of the moment. Think it through, this is a lifetime decision- much like having children!
• These dogs are NOT housebroken- THEY WILL PEE IN YOUR HOUSE. Please make sure your entire family is 100% in agreement with bringing another dog into your home- and that they also understand the many problems that can occur. These dogs can be difficult to potty train.
• They tend to be frightened of sudden noises, and sometimes even the touch of a hand. Some dogs will never be a normal dog due to the neglect and treatment they received in the mill. These dogs also tend to run or bolt if given any opportunity to do so and can be very hard to catch because they are afraid.
• It takes time to build the trust that the mills stripped from the dogs during the time they were in the mill. They can go from being very scared to being totally dependent upon you, in such a short time. They may attach themselves to one person in the home and become their protector and not want to allow anyone near that person. They may not want to be seperated from you. They can become very stressed if they are boarded. They remember their life in the mill and they feel as though they have been placed right back into that situation when they are boarded and put in a cage, groomer cages can be a problem, too.
• You have to be willing to take time out of your current lifestyle to help this poor unfortunate soul who depends solely on you. These dogs have many needs and they have been through hell living in a small cage, not getting enough to eat, not knowing understanding, love, patience, or the gentle touch of a hand. Some have spent their entire lives living in a cage with their feet never touching the ground. They do not know what grass feels like beneath their feet. They have never been walked on a leash before.
• These dogs generally require ongoing vet expenses.
• They tend to require dentals more frequently due to their years of neglect of dental care. They require some, if not all, of their teeth to be removed if they are older. They may develop joint problems, after they are adopted, that were not known prior to adoptions because of their years of inactivity confined in cages.

 

 

Please note: We crosspost for a lot of other rescues/people. Some of the dogs you see on our site may not be in our rescue. Please email if you have a question about a specific dog.