Adoption Information Guide

Thank you so much for your interest in adopting a pet from The Labelle Foundation in Los Angeles. By opening up your home to a pet, you’re not only helping to save lives, you’re providing the individual attention and love these dogs desperately need.

Once you have completed your adoption application online, our adoption coordinator will reach out to you IF YOU ARE APPROVED for the dog you applied for. We have so many qualified applications for each individual dog, but we can only accept one. Due to the demand for dogs, we are only contacting the accepted applicant for the dog that you applied for. Once you have paid the one time $15 fee, you can update your application through the adoption update form — free of cost. If you are approved you can expect to hear back from an adoption coordinator within two weeks.

Our dog adoption program is designed to help dogs from local California shelters get a second chance at finding a home. The adoption process moves pretty quickly once you have been approved to adopt a dog. We are located in Los Angeles and cannot ship dogs to be adopted. If you are from out of town, you will have to come to LA to pick up the dog.

Adopting from The Labelle Foundation

Adopting from The Labelle Foundation

The adoption fee from The Labelle Foundation is $700 for puppies and $500 for adult dogs unless otherwise stated. The adoption fee covers vaccines to date, spay/neuter and microchip. If you are adopting from out of state, you would need to cover expenses for coming to LA. Additionally, we only cover spay/neuter at our vets based in Los Angeles. Additional medical and remaining vaccines are not included in the adoption fee and will be the responsibility of the adopter.

What does the adoption process include?

The first step is an Adoption Application which can be found on our website. If approved, a home check will be required. If the home check and application are approved we will move on to meet and greets with the adopters and foster. Depending on the breed/dog you may need to do an interview with a member of our team. Upon adoption you will be asked to sign an Adoption Contract and pay the $700 non-refundable adoption fee.

Note: If you are planning to adopt from an adoption event you must have a pre-approved application and home check video!

What should I expect from a home check?

We look for a safe and positive environment for all our animals. Depending on the animal’s breed and age, our requirements will change. In general, we want to make sure the dog cannot escape and is not exposed to any dangerous chemicals or things like loose wires. If we happen to find a potential hazard, we may wait until the hazard is fixed prior to allowing the dog to move to its new home.

What should I expect from a meet and greet?

A meet and greet is a chance for you to meet the dog in person and see if there’s a connection. Meet and greets usually last between 30 min to an hour and are helpful if you have another animal for them to meet. Some people do adopt immediately upon meeting the dog and pay and fill out the contract at the meet and greet. Others do the meet and greet and schedule pick up for a different day.

How can I make sure my application is the best it can be?

Fill out your application as detailed and as thoroughly as you can. Please specify breed/size/age preferences you have even if you are applying for a specific dog. Make sure you are committed to adopting as to not waste your time or ours. Thoroughly explain why you want to adopt a dog NOW. What about you and your life would make a great home for the dog? Have you thought about how you will sustain providing the best care for the dog? Experience with dogs or previous ownership of a dog is an added plus but not required.

Discuss with family members/ other household members on how you will train the dog. Be on the same page about potty training, rewards and discipline and be prepared to share that in the application. Please thoroughly think about the situations in which you might have to return your dog, what would you be willing to tolerate and work on and what is a deal breaker for you?

Research the vet you will bring your dog to and why. Research the diet you will put your pet on and why. Understanding the quality of life you can provide your dog is important. Decide how you will handle behavioral issues and obedience training. Are you qualified to handle it on your own or will you be sending the pup to training?

The more detailed and prepared you are for the application the better! We love to see people who have thought through owning a dog and know how they will handle multiple different situations as they arise!

Where can I see all the adoptable dogs?

Our Instagram @thelabellefoundation is the best way to see the available dogs we have. We update posts as the dogs are adopted. Our website also has select featured dogs available for adoption. We also include all adoptable dogs in our ‘adoptable dogs’ highlight on Instagram.

How will I know if my application is approved?

We work hard to contact approved adopters for the dog they applied for within 2 weeks of their application. At this time we cannot contact denied applicants. Unfortunately, due to a huge influx of demand, we are unable to get back to every person as we are working 24/7 to save dogs. We are continuing to work to create systems to contact everyone who applies but we are unable to at this point.

Our advice is to apply as “open” and then use the “application update form” as dogs arise that you are interested in.

How do I use the ‘application update form’?

After completing the $15 application fee and application form, you can then apply for additional dogs using our application update form. We have new dogs come available for adoption and we understand there are multiple dogs you might be interested in. You can complete this form to let us know that you are interested in that specific dog, without having to complete a full adoption form again.

Unless you are specifically interested in an adult/senior dog, it is best to indicate a specific dog name using the adoption update form. This allows us to know that you are still interested in adopting from The Labelle Foundation for this new dog. We find that people put ‘open’ but when we offer a dog to them, they are not interested. We understand people have preferences for their new furry friend and this is our process to understand those. Each dog has their own unique personality, traits and looks – every time we post a dog for adoption we make sure to include what we learned from them in foster to help adopters make an informed decision if this is the right dog for them.

I applied multiple times and I’m not hearing back, what can I do?

We understand that applying for a dog and getting your hopes up is an emotionally draining process, especially if you feel like you are being lost in the pool of applicants. Due to the sheer demand for dogs (we are receiving around 50 QUALIFIED applicants per puppy), we cannot make everyone happy. Our motto is patience and kindness is the key to finding your forever pet. If you have applied 3 times and waited out the 2 week period and have not heard back please send us an email letting us know.

That being said, try applying for a dog with less applicants or a dog that is not a puppy. We have amazing adoptable dogs that are around 1 to 2 years old who only receive one or no applications because they are not a puppy. We also rescue on average 20 dogs per week. Sadly, dogs being in shelters is a never ending struggle and we will continue to be saving them. Patience is the best attribute in dog rescue!

Adoption through the Foster process

We know it’s easy to fall in love with foster pups! First time fosters are NOT allowed to adopt. Fostering is about saving a life and giving back to the rescue community. If you have any interest in adopting please let your foster coordinator know within 72 hours. Fosters must go through our standard application process. We want to ensure we find the best home for our dogs. Please fill out an adoption application below and send your foster coordinator a home video. https://labellefoundation.org/adoption-form/  Please do NOT find an adopter for your pup, adoption responsibilities belong to the Labelle Foundation. Family members and friends must apply and be approved like any other applicant.

Necessary Supplies

Prepping your home for an dog

  • Make sure all family members and housemates are on the same page about how the dog will be raised
  • Gather supplies.
  • Prepare the things your dog will need in advance.
  • Establish house rules.
  • Plan the arrival.
  • Prepare for housetraining.
  • Decide which vet you will use.
  • Ensure all pets are healthy.