How to Adopt a Pet in Stillwater, OK

Stop in at 1710 South Main and fill out an adoption application. Be sure the entire family is there. This is a decision everyone should be involved with. The application is simple and short, only one page (front and back) and should only take a few minutes to fill out. Make sure you answer all the questions honestly. A staff member or volunteer will check to make sure you gave accurate information. Remember that filling out the application does not guarantee you will be able to adopt an animal.

Walk around the animal shelter. Look at each of the animals up for adoption. The shelter will have a wide variety of dogs, puppies, cats and kittens that are eagerly waiting to go home with someone who will love them and take care of them. Occasionally, other types of companion animals will be available for adoption but that is a rarity.

Keep in mind any restrictions you may have when looking for a new family member at the Humane Society of Stillwater. If you rent, be sure you know what type of pets your landlord will and will not allow you to have. Don't forget about allergies, time and space limitations that you may have as well as the cost of caring for a pet and how you will provide shelter for a pet. Keep in mind that you are making a commitment to a living, breathing and feeling creature. Your pet can't just be left in the backyard and thrown some kibble everyday.

Ask a staff member or volunteer if you have been approved for a pet and what kind of a pet you will be able to adopt. Because of the information you provided on your application, the Humane Society of Stillwater may limit the type of pet you can adopt. Go back and look again at the specific pets you are able to adopt. Depending on the pets available for adoption, you may have to make more than one visit to the Humane Society of Stillwater to find the pet for you and your family.

Ask lots of questions. The Humane Society of Stillwater wants to make the best match between humans and non-human family members and eager to answer any questions you may have. Ask about behavior problems, costs, training and anything else you can think of. The best question you can ask is if you asked everything there is to ask about this pet.

Take the advice of the staff member or volunteer helping you. If they feel this is not the right pet for you, they are probably right. Not only are they trained to pick up on subtle hints in the animals and families looking at the animals, they also spend a considerable amount of time with the pets and know them and their personalities. Please do everything within your power not to adopt a pet only to find that it wasn't a good match and have to return it to the animal shelter.

Take your new non-human family member home once you have been approved for adoption and find the right pet. If possible, stop at your veterinarian's office first for a quick once over. The Humane Society of Stillwater does it's best to only let healthy animals be adopted, but you will want to be sure you new companion is healthy. This will also give your veterinarian the chance to give you additional information about caring for this pet. This is also an excellent opportunity to start medical records for your vet's newest patient and let them get to know each other. You don't want yourpet to only visit the vet when something is wrong or when procedures must be done.