21 Years
Read our adoption policies below along with our policies regarding children living in your home if applicable.
Please make sure you qualify before writing us for an application to adopt or foster a golden retriever.
Read about fostering-to-adopt below and why it makes sense for you and our rescue.
During the adoption process, make sure to check your spam email folder for correspondence from us as our replies to you will sometimes end up there.
Did you qualify for adoption after reading our adoption policies? Great! Write us for an adoption application. Please use the same email to contact us throughout the adoption process.
After you submit your application, one of our volunteers will be contacting you in the near future. During this time we’ll be busy reviewing your application and doing what we call a “vet check” with your veterinary clinic regarding the care of your current/previous dogs and cats in your home. Please contact your vets to give your permission for us to contact them.
After your application is approved, volunteers from our home visit team will visit your home to make sure you have a safe environment for a golden retriever.
As dogs move through our rescue rather quickly, it is possible you may not receive the dog you initially requested. If this happens, we will help you find a golden retriever that will best fit your family.
After your successful home visit, you will begin our foster-to-adopt process described below or you can sign your contract to adopt a golden retriever if there is no other dog in your household.
You must be willing to drive to the Toledo OH area to meet potential new family members.
The entire adoption process can take from 2 to 8 weeks. If at any time you are no longer interested in adopting, please let us know immediately so that we can use our resources appropriately. We are all volunteers with full time jobs and –no one is paid, so please be patient with us.
Professionally installed invisible fences are allowed with a select few dogs without a high prey drive.
Golden Retrievers from puppy mills must have a physical fenced yard.
Golden Retriever Rescue Resource, Inc. is a dog first organization. We pride ourselves on making sure that each dog is put with the best possible applicant for his or her needs. With that being said, sometimes we have to take a look at the big picture and avoid putting dogs in circumstances where there may be even a small chance that an incident could occur that would cause the dog to have to be removed from their adoptive home. We’ve had so many incidences occur that we had to reevaluate our placement of dogs with children.
The biggest reason for this rule is the background of our dogs. The majority of these rescued dogs come from puppy mills who have no background with people, or are coming from shelters where we have no behavioral or training background information. Some dogs are owner surrendered to our organization for various reasons such as illness, death of owner, the family didn’t have time for the dog or financial.
However, a very common reason for surrender is because of conflict with a child. For families with children, our foremost concern is for the safety of the children in the adoptive home, but our objective is the FOREVER HOME status of the dogs. We’ve had countless surrendered animals due to dogs biting children: whether it is the child or the dog at fault is unknown, and full disclosure is not always given to us at the time of surrender.
We have also taken in dogs that have ingested children toys causing life risking obstruction surgery. We were just notified that one of our dogs we had adopted out died during this process. Many dogs have been strays and hunting for food so they guard their food when the children are near or will take food right out of a child’s hand, hurting the child in the process. The energy level and size of a Golden can also be a problem with a small child just learning to walk. Other issues we see are pulling ears, tails, riding the dog, etc., which will also provoke a bite.
We understand that most people want their children to grow up with a dog. Although we are rescuers, we also see the big picture and recommend that people with small children go to a reputable breeder for a golden retriever. We also recommend that the puppy is properly socialized and taken to obedience class.
Golden Retrievers have a reputation for being a great family dog, but like any other dog, if you do not spend the time and energy to train the dog, most likely behavioral problems will arise. We do not want to send families away or suggest that they do not rescue a golden from us. We also understand that there are families who teach their children the appropriate way to handle a dog and this will be questioned during your application and home visit process.
We ask to have no families apply to adopt who have children under 10 years old. If we feel a dog would be well placed with a family with younger children, we will list this on their individual website page.
We appreciate you taking the time to read this and understanding our point of view.
Fostering with the intent to adopt is a way to make sure the dog is a great fit for your family prior to signing your adoption contract.
This greatly helps our rescue, the dog and you. It eliminates high boarding costs, the dog has less upheaval in transitions from one home to the next and you get a little time to fall in love. This process usually lasts 3 to 4 weeks, which then you'll sign your contact and pay for the dog. We ask that you pay for your dog as a donation on line indicating the dogs name.
Fostering to adopt is a serious try-out and should be taken as such.