1 - "Is a specific dog or cat still available?" - We use a software system to track all of our animals and throughout the day it automatically updates our website and Petfinder with the current status of all of the dogs & cats in our care. Because of this, visiting our website (https://www.thepixelfund.org/adopt) is the best way to see who is currently available. Dogs and cats are broken down by the state in which they are available for adoption. Some of the dogs & cats listed on the Florida & Georgia pages may eventually come to Maine but they are not scheduled for transport at this time if they are listed on one of the southern state availability lists. (Also, some of the dogs listed on the Maine page may still be in foster care in Georgia but we have determined that they will most likely come to Maine soon.) **Please note, we are constantly processing applications & it is possible that an application for the same dog or cat you are interested in is already being reviewed. Please understand that this is a very fluid business. Statuses are changing all the time. Not all dogs or cats are eligible for adoption in all areas. We recommend applying as soon as you see a dog or cat you are interested in. And if you are actively looking, you can apply without mentioning a specific dog or cat & we will do the background checks so you are ready to go when you find the right pet.
2 - "I've applied, now what?" - You will receive a confirmation email that we received your application. Our volunteers then begin the required checks: home visit, landlord verification (if you rent), and vet check (if you have animals). We will contact you by email first if we have any questions. Please make sure you check your spam folder for messages. You can also add our email address to your contact list. Here's a good resource if you do not know how to mark an email as a safe sender: https://knowledgebase.constantcontact.com/articles/KnowledgeBase/5873-adding-email-addresses-to-a-safe-sender-list?lang=en_US.
3 - "What is your adoption process?" - Fill out our online application (or paper app at an event). We will review and verify info with veterinarian and landlord, if applicable. We will set-up an in-person or virtual home visit with you. We will then work with you to determine whether the dog or cat you are interested in is a good fit for your home, family, and lifestyle. If so, we would arrange a "meet and greet" with the animal to make the final decision on whether it is a good match or not. Once a match is approved by all parties, a contract is signed, adoption fee paid, and you take your new furry family member home. (If you are not matched with the first animal you are interested in, we will work with you to find a good fit.)
4 - "How long does it take?" - We will normally start working on the application verification step within 48 hours of receipt of your application. The first screening step can be wrapped up in less than an hour if your vet & landlord are reached immediately or it can take several days if they do not respond. You can speed the process up by making sure they know we will be contacting them & telling them they are authorized to verify your information with us. You can also scan a copy of your most recent vet visit and email it to us with the subject line "Vet info - First Name Last Name's Application." That helps us as well (but is not necessary). If you’d like to send the vet info ahead of time, please email it to [email protected].
5 - “What is a vet check?” - We will contact your vet about the animals currently in your care. We believe that this is a good indicator of the kind of care that you will provide to the animal you adopt from us. We require that all animals in the home be spayed or neutered unless you can provide a valid medical reason why they are not. In general, we require animals in the home to be current on core vaccines, and all must be current on rabies. We understand that there is an emerging veterinary discussion on the need for vaccines (or the intervals at which they are given). We can discuss this with you on a case by case basis if needed.
6 - "Who do I contact?" - We are run by volunteers. In order to operate a full business this way, we each specialize in different areas. So, the people answering Facebook posts & messages are different than the people processing your application. Same goes for the general phone line or the [email protected] or [email protected] address. So, if you want general information and can not find it on our website, using the general email address or messaging our page is good. If you are looking for specific information on your application (or are already approved and want to meet a specific animal), it is best to contact the volunteer who emailed you (or called you) about your application status.
7 - "What are your adoption fees?" - They vary by species and location. Our goal is to have our adoption fee cover a "normal" adoption process which includes pulling the animal, spay/neuter surgery, bring them up-to-date on vaccinations, transport (when needed) and other basic care like worming, heartworm preventative, and flea/tick preventatives. We apply for grants and do fundraising to cover our larger medical, training, and rehabilitation needs. Adoption fees are listed on our website at www.thepixelfund.org/adopt.html (bottom of this page broken down by state and age of the animal).
8 - "I called your general phone number and no one answered." - Our phone number is a voicemail line. We have volunteers who monitor it and respond to messages or forward them to the appropriate volunteer. If you call, please leave a message with your full name, number, the name of the person you are trying to reach (if you know a name), and a brief description of what you are calling about, and we'll have the appropriate person get back to you as soon as we can.
9 - "How come it is hard to get in touch with you?" - Sometimes we are hard to reach - we wish it wasn’t the case but running a large non-profit organization without paying any employees is tricky sometimes. We know how much you want the cat or dog you've found on our website and we want to help you! We ask that you please keep in mind that at any given moment, we can easily have over 100 dogs & cats in foster care. Many (most) of the volunteers who answer your emails, Facebook messages, and voicemails also provide 24/7 care for some of these animals (they foster and volunteer). Many of them work jobs & have families, too. Yet somehow they make time to help us run this organization. We know it is frustrating to wait, but we ask that you take into consideration that this is something our volunteers choose to do with their “spare” time. This is a cause we believe in and we are committed to finding you a dog or cat who is a great match for your family. In 2017 we helped 1168 dogs & cats find their families, in 2018 we helped 1046 find their way home, & we will help over a thousand dogs & cats again this year. We just ask that you remember that we do not have any paid employees and yet we accomplish amazing things. That said, if you feel that maybe your email got overlooked or you have waited an appropriate amount of time for an answer and have not heard from us, please let us know!! Mistakes do happen and we are happy to help you. AND if you have some free time and would like to help us, please consider fostering or volunteering. The more people we have helping out behind the scenes, the better off we all are.
10. “Can I see more pictures of the dog or cat I’m interested in?” One quick way to see other pictures is to visit our website (www.thepixelfund.org) and look at the available dogs & cats. Once on the available dogs (or cats) page, you can click on any image and additional images will be displayed if we have them available in our software.
