We want to ensure that we have sufficient information to make a great match between dog and human.  The only way that we can do that is to get as much information as possible prior to the adoption.

We are unable to add information to an Adopter Information Form once it has been submitted.  Please take the time to get all of the requested information prior to completing the form.  We cannot proceed with a form that is missing information.

There are two reasons why you may not have heard anything.  First, your application may have been missing information.  We cannot process an application that is missing information.  Every question is important, and information requested in the Adopter Info Form enables us to make a great match between dog and owner.  Second, we don't contact an applicant unless we have a dog that might match with them. 

All of our dogs are in foster homes.  It is not possible to drop into a foster home to visit a dog.

Meeting and greeting a dog usually takes place after an application has been submitted, references checked, and a home visit conducted.  At that time, we want all residents of the home (people and domestic pets) to meet the dog prior to adoption.

It can take two to four weeks.  We are all volunteers, and fit in rescue activities with our families, jobs, and our own dogs.  We do our rescue activities in our free time, and that means that there might be a wait as we are checking references and doing the home visit.  Thanks for being patient!

Many of our dogs see children as unruly animals that need to be herded.  Herding behavior can be frightening to children.  Some of our dogs were surrendered because they were not compatible with kids.  Others came to us from situations where we don't know how they respond to children.  To protect both people and dogs, we exercise caution in placing dogs into homes with children.

We do not move dogs long distances to an adopter.  Travel can be stressful on an animal, and we don't want to unnecessarily stress out a dog.  Also, any time a dog is moved, there is a chance for it accidentally getting away from the transporter.  We don't want a dog to go missing during a transport.

We use Formstack for our forms.  You can read about their security at www.formstack.com/features/security.  The only people who will see the information contained in the Adopter Info Form are volunteers who are directly involved in the adoption process.  Your personal information is never shared or sold.

Local shelters usually receive funding from the city or county where they are located.  In contrast, MARS is a private non-profit organization, and we do not receive any funds from governmental sources.  Many of our dogs come to us with treatable medical problems that are expensive to remedy.  Others need to be spayed or neutered.  Some need vaccines.  We've had dogs that required well over $2,000 of treatment to fix a medical problem.  The adoption fee does not begin to cover what goes into making our dogs adoptable.