Check With Your Local Rescue First
Although Basset Hound Rescue of Georgia, Inc. has successfully placed basset hounds out of the state of Georgia, we strongly encourage you to contact and apply through your local or closest basset hound rescue first. If applying to BHRG from out of state, we may refer you to a closer basset hound rescue to assist your requests.
Are you from a neighboring state? Please apply through one of these local basset hound rescues first.
Florida
North & South Carolina
Alabama
Tennessee
Kentucky
Have Patience
All of BHRG's foster homes and workers are unpaid volunteers with full-time jobs and family responsibilities. We do our best to respond to you as soon as possible.
Matching the right dog to your home and lifestyle can be a process that takes time. Whether you have kids, dogs, cats, or live alone, we want to find a hound for you that will fit into your family and lifestyle. The last thing one of these homeless bassets needs is to be rejected yet again. The matchmaking process is vital to ensure your happiness as well as the basset's.
If you live outside of metro-Atlanta, BHRG does require a pre-adoption home visit (see below). Sometimes it takes a day or two to get in touch with the BHRG volunteer in your area.
If it is necessary to transport your basset to you, this too can take time to arrange with the transportation volunteers.
We know you're excited about adopting a hound and we're excited that a homeless basset is in the process of finding a home. Adoptions are not done on a trial basis and there is no "grace period". Having patience during this process will help ensure that you and your new family member will be a match to last forever!
Talk About Dog Ownership With Your Kids
Do you have kids? Visit Working Mother - How to Prepare Your Child for Getting a Pet to help them learn about the responsibilty of adopting a new family member.
The Adoption Application
The first step in our adoption process is to receive a completed application from the interested adopters. An incomplete application will result in the delay of the adoption. We have provided several methods for you to complete the application.
- Apply Online
Fill out our Online Application. This form is sent to our Adoption Coordinator as soon as you hit "Submit". - Mail-in Application
- Print this PDF version of our Adoption Application.
- Complete the application and make a copy for yourself.
- Bring the completed application with you to one of our adoption events or mail it to BHRG's Adoption Coordinator at:
Basset Hound Rescue of Georgia, Inc.
c/o Lisa Weisenberger
675 Oxford Hall Drive
Lawrenceville, GA 30044
Upon acceptance of the completed application, a review of the information will be conducted. Any references given may be contacted to verify disclosures on any past or present animal the party was responsible for. In the event of a renting situation, the landlord will be contacted and required to submit verbal and written confirmation allowing the pet to live in the household.
A phone call will be made or an e-mail will be sent to the applicant to confirm the application has been received. Please be patient. You will be contacted as soon as possible. We are all volunteers with jobs and personal responsibilities, and we do our best to get in touch with you as soon as possible. BHRG reserves the right to approve or deny any candidate for adoption. We will notify the applicant upon final decision.
The Home Visit
If you are applying from outside the metro-Atlanta area, a PRE-adoption home visit is required. BHRG reserves the right to request a pre-adoption home visit of any applicant as deemed appropriate by a BHRG representative. NOTE: A post-adoption home visit is conducted for any adoption that did not include a pre-adoption home visit.
Home visits typically last 20-30 minutes, and BHRG requires a home visit with every adoption per the Adoption Agreement which is a legal and binding contract. Refusal of the home visit will result in BHRG taking steps necessary to reclaim the adopted basset.
At Adoption Time
If you choose to attend one of our Adoption Events, please bring a copy of your Adoption Application with you. We encourage applicants to attend an adoption event since it allows an opportunity to meet several of the dogs. However, sometimes the Adoption Coordinator will put the foster family in touch with the applicant prior to the adoption so that more details about a specific dog can be discussed. Once the basset is selected, the Adoption Coordinator will facilitate the adoption between the applicant and the foster home of the specifically agreed upon basset.
Once the applicant and a BHRG representative have selected a basset for adoption, there are several pieces of paperwork required to facilitate the adoption. At this time, an Adoption Agreement is completed and signed. This Agreement is a contractual obligation regarding the care of the adopted basset. A Disclosure Statement is also required which states that the adopting party understands the financial obligations associated with adopting a pet. A Spay/Neuter Agreement is required for all puppies who have not yet been altered. A tax-deductible donation (see below) is required upon adoption. Copies of all agreements will be included in the Adoption Folder at the time of the adoption.
The Adoption Donation
As of August 1, 2024, adoption donations are as follows:
- Puppies up to 16 weeks old (who have not yet been altered) require a $500 donation; however, per the spay/neuter agreement, $50 is refunded upon receipt of the vet signed portion of the agreement.
- Young bassets 17 weeks to 2 years require a $400 donation.
- Adult hounds 2 to 8 years of age require a $350 donation.
- Senior bassets 9 years of age and over require a $150 donation.
Why does BHRG need an adoption donation from the adopting family? The adoption donation reflects the adopter's ability to financially care for the adopted basset and contributes to covering expenses the basset incurred while in foster care. The following is a breakdown of some discounted vet expenses incurred by a typical basset in foster care. It does not include unusual surgeries needed - orthopedic surgeries, tumor removal, etc.
| Vet Office Visit | $60 | |
| Vaccinations | $100 | |
| Heartworm Test | $45 | |
| Spay/Neuter | $250 | |
| Heartworm Treatment | $300 | |
| Microchipping | $50 |
The expenses listed here do not reflect boarding costs ($10 per day), collars, tags, flea & tick prevention (Frontline Plus), heartworm prevention (Interceptor), worming medicine (Panacur), or any other medications that may be needed. As you can see, rarely does the adoption fee pay for all expenses a basset incurs which is why BHRG relies on fundraising activities and donations from the public.
Adoption donations are non-refundable. As hard as we try, sometimes a basset is returned to BHRG because the dog isn't a "good fit" for the family. In that case, our Adoption Coordinator will work with you to find the basset for you.
