FAQ
General Questions
We do not have a physical shelter we keep our animals in. All our dogs and cats live in volunteer foster homes (See our Foster Home Network) so they can live in a real home environment while they wait to be adopted.
- Please read our "How to Adopt" page.
We rescue dogs and cats of all ages and breed type from animal shelters in Northern California when their time is up and they will be euthanized due to the lack of shelter space or they are scared or require medical attention. City shelters take in ALL animals as strays and surrenders, therefore, they run out of cage space. Most shelter dogs and cats only have 5-7 days before they are euthanized. FFR works closely with all these shelters and rescues the animals we can find foster homes for. Sadly, we are unable to save all the deserving souls due to lack of foster homes and money for high vet bills/boarding.
Yes, we are no-kill animal rescue organization. We do not euthanize animals just because they are not adopted. Once we rescue the dog or cat, we stand behind them for life until they are adopted or they become a sanctuary animal. We give them the time and love they deserve until they find their forever home.
We started FFR in November 1998.
We highly recommend and feel it is crucial for you, your entire family, and your new puppy or dog to attend dog training to ensure you learn how to train your dog while socializing them with other dogs/people. Classes are fun for everyone and you also spend time bonding with your dog so you can learn how to understand your dog's behavior. Some sporty dogs need a job, so consider looking into fun dog sports like agility, disc or fly ball. Puppies must attend puppy training classes between the ages of 12-18 weeks. See our Behavior/Training page for more information.
Nutrition is the key to good health. We recommend and only feed our dogs, holistic quality foods; kibble, can food, treats, raw food diet, meats and veggies. Organic is best. Variety is good! It will provide various nutrition and it's not so boring. Stay informed of latest news: DogFoodaAvisor.com
See the brands we like and feed to our own pets!
There are now many holistic brands and healthy supplements. Look for all-natural, human grade quality ingredients. Avoid chemicals, food coloring and preservatives. You can also read books, like: "Dog Dish Diet: Sensible Nutrition for Your Dog's Health". Purchase a autographed book and Dr. Greg will donate $5.00 to Furry Friends Rescue. Note in purchase field: Furry Friends Rescue
Adoption Questions
Yes, the donation for FFR Dogs & Cats are found on our How to Adopt page.
When we rescue these animals from animal shelters, each animal goes to our vet for a vet exam and all necessary basic care to ensure their health.
- Vet examination
- Dogs: Vaccination (DHPP, Bordatella, Rabies)
- Cat: Vaccination (FELV/FIV test, FVRCP vaccinations)
- Dogs: Collar, slip and leash.
- De-wormed
- Spay/neuter
- ID Micro-chip (Home Again)
- Wash and grooming
- Flea treatment
- Any other necessary vet care
Some special medical needs and emergency care cost FFR about $1000 to $6000 for their vet care (See our Miracle Club page for special cases). Normal vet cost per animal would be about $300 to $600 or more. The adoption fee we receive from the adopter only covers a small portion of vet bills. We ask our adopters to match whatever the cost is for each animal, if possible, so we can continue to cover vet bills and support expenses for other rescue dog and cats.
We have learned over the years that having the adoptee nearer to us is better should anything go awry with adoption. We also have the trainers and spay/neuter partners here that we know and trust. We do occasionally make exceptions though.
No, we do not adopt out our animals on the spot. Most of our dogs and cats have had a rough start in life and their foster homes are attached to them. We want to make sure we place them in a committed and loving family for life. So we go through a thorough adoption process to ensure the best match for both animal and family (never first come first serve basis). Thank you for your understanding.
Here's the basic adoption process;
- Fill out the adoption application (via online application or paper form at a showcase locations)
- If your application is a match to the animal you want to adopt, we will contact you via email or phone.
- Our adoption counselors will talk to you and your family. If you have a current dog or dogs, we have them meet our dog to make sure they are a good match. Cats of course will need to meet in your home and need gradual introductions.
- After the interview, we will set up a home visit to make sure your home environment is dog or cat safe.
- Upon approval of the home visit, we will complete the Adoption Contract. Congratulations!
- Read detailed information on how to adopt dogs and cats from FFR.
It depends on each case, but usually the adoption process will be completed within a few days to one week.
We receive a great number of applications everyday. We do our best to answer as many and as fast as possible but we are an all-volunteer organization. If you are a match and the animal is available, we will get back to you within 72 hours (Timeframe could change depending on the number of applications submitted or when the dogs/cats has the label "New").
When you see "NEW" label on dogs/cats, it means they are newly rescued. New rescue dogs/cats needs about 2 weeks or more, to learn and get healthy at their volunteer foster home to see their personality and needs. So for these cases, we will contact possible matching applications when he/she is ready for adoption. We appreciate your understanding!
Please read Dog and Kids Safety (including Babies and Toddlers).
For safety and training reasons for both young kids and the puppy (who will grow to full size by 8 months) or dog, we do not adopt puppy or dogs to homes with children under 8 years old.
Puppies are very cute and harmless when they are small, but med-large breed pups will triple in their size in a few months. A teenager pup and adult dog's natural behavior (teething, corrections, guarding and mouthing in play) and activity needs may cause accidents or harmful to a young kids. Dogs use their mouth to correct other dogs and no harm due to their fur. But harmful nip injuries to us people and kids.
A puppy needs constant supervision, training, socials and daily exercise to learn and grow up to be a good citizen adult dog. 80% of puppies are returned as young adults (1 1/2 - 2 years old) when they were adopted to families with young children under 8 years old due to lack of training and time. All adult dogs need daily care, exercise, training, guidance and 100% supervision with all kids. Only adults should walk dogs and be in full control for safety.
70% of dog bite victims are children 2-7 years old. For these reasons, we recommend that families should wait until their kids are 8 years old or older. You may also consider adopting an adult dog that has lived with kids and very social with kids. Read Kids-Dog tips/Dangers.
More resources on this topic, please visit Dog and Kids Safety (including Babies and Toddlers) page.
The risk of predatory drift accidents is greatly increased when there is a significant size difference between the two dogs arguing. We decline when there is a 50% difference in dog sizes, purely for the safety of both dogs. Please read the article "Size Differences in Dogs (pdf, 74 kb)" by The San Francisco SPCA Behavior and Training Department. The risk goes higher still if the smaller dog is prone to panic and/or the larger dog has demonstrated any predatory propensities. Because of this risk, we use a "50% rule" adoption policy—the smaller of two dogs must be at least half the weight of the larger dog.
Please read article "Problems Associated With Adopting Two Puppies at the Same Time" to find out why it is not a good idea and we don't recommend it.
Animal shelters, both public and private, are faced with an incredible burden: What to do with the overpopulation of dogs and cats that they cannot find homes for? Approximately 3.7 million animals are euthanized at shelters each year, due to the sheer fact that there are not enough willing adopters. Having your pet spayed or neutered ensures that you will not be adding to this tremendous burden.
Neutering of male dogs and cats can prevent certain undesirable sexual behaviors, such as urine marking, humping, male aggression and the urge to roam. If you have more than one pet in your household, all the pets will generally get along better if they are neutered.
A long-term benefit of spaying and neutering is improved health for both cats and dogs. Spaying females prior to their first heat cycle nearly eliminates the risk of breast cancer and totally prevents uterine infections and uterine cancer. Neutering males prevents testicular cancer and enlargement of the prostate gland, and greatly reduces their risk for perianal tumors. (Source: American Humane Association)
You can also read "Top 10 Reasons to Spay & Neuter your pet".
Cat/Kitten Help Information and FAQ
FFR has no shelter nor office. Our volunteers home foster every animal we rescue from over-crowded animal shelters. We focus helping to save death row animals from many animal shelters in Northern California. All city shelters are over-loaded with abandoned dogs & cats that only have limited days. Our foster homes are always full with shelter rescues so we cannot accept public surrenders of cats or kittens.
If you find a stray dog or cat, keep in mind that the animal may be a lost pet, and someone could be frantically searching for him/her. Please contact your local shelter or SPCA to file a "Found Report" and have them scan for a ID Chip. You can find more information and find a list of Rescues & SPCA.
Frankie, Rescued 2017
Get a great photo and make flyers to post everywhere you can, use various social media and advertise. Make sure your cat is up to date with vaccinations & spay/neutered, charge a adoption fee, interview and do a home visit. This is to ensure your cat is truly safe for life and does not end up in a bad situation. You can find more information.
Please see our Feral Cat Resources page.
We do not have a physical shelter we keep our animals in. All our dogs and cats live in volunteer foster homes (See our Foster Home Network) so they can live in a real home environment while they wait to be adopted.
- Please read our "How to Adopt" page.
We rescue dogs and cats of all ages and breed type from animal shelters in Northern California when their time is up and they will be euthanized due to the lack of shelter space or they are scared or require medical attention. City shelters take in ALL animals as strays and surrenders, therefore, they run out of cage space. Most shelter dogs and cats only have 5-7 days before they are euthanized. FFR works closely with all these shelters and rescues the animals we can find foster homes for. Sadly, we are unable to save all the deserving souls due to lack of foster homes and money for high vet bills/boarding.
Yes, we are no-kill animal rescue organization. We do not euthanize animals just because they are not adopted. Once we rescue the dog or cat, we stand behind them for life until they are adopted or they become a sanctuary animal. We give them the time and love they deserve until they find their forever home.
We started FFR in November 1998.
We highly recommend and feel it is crucial for you, your entire family, and your new puppy or dog to attend dog training to ensure you learn how to train your dog while socializing them with other dogs/people. Classes are fun for everyone and you also spend time bonding with your dog so you can learn how to understand your dog's behavior. Some sporty dogs need a job, so consider looking into fun dog sports like agility, disc or fly ball. Puppies must attend puppy training classes between the ages of 12-18 weeks. See our Behavior/Training page for more information.
Nutrition is the key to good health. We recommend and only feed our dogs, holistic quality foods; kibble, can food, treats, raw food diet, meats and veggies. Organic is best. Variety is good! It will provide various nutrition and it's not so boring. Stay informed of latest news: DogFoodaAvisor.com
See the brands we like and feed to our own pets!
There are now many holistic brands and healthy supplements. Look for all-natural, human grade quality ingredients. Avoid chemicals, food coloring and preservatives. You can also read books, like: "Dog Dish Diet: Sensible Nutrition for Your Dog's Health". Purchase a autographed book and Dr. Greg will donate $5.00 to Furry Friends Rescue. Note in purchase field: Furry Friends Rescue
Yes, the donation for FFR Dogs & Cats are found on our How to Adopt page.
When we rescue these animals from animal shelters, each animal goes to our vet for a vet exam and all necessary basic care to ensure their health.
- Vet examination
- Dogs: Vaccination (DHPP, Bordatella, Rabies)
- Cat: Vaccination (FELV/FIV test, FVRCP vaccinations)
- Dogs: Collar, slip and leash.
- De-wormed
- Spay/neuter
- ID Micro-chip (Home Again)
- Wash and grooming
- Flea treatment
- Any other necessary vet care
Some special medical needs and emergency care cost FFR about $1000 to $6000 for their vet care (See our Miracle Club page for special cases). Normal vet cost per animal would be about $300 to $600 or more. The adoption fee we receive from the adopter only covers a small portion of vet bills. We ask our adopters to match whatever the cost is for each animal, if possible, so we can continue to cover vet bills and support expenses for other rescue dog and cats.
We have learned over the years that having the adoptee nearer to us is better should anything go awry with adoption. We also have the trainers and spay/neuter partners here that we know and trust. We do occasionally make exceptions though.
No, we do not adopt out our animals on the spot. Most of our dogs and cats have had a rough start in life and their foster homes are attached to them. We want to make sure we place them in a committed and loving family for life. So we go through a thorough adoption process to ensure the best match for both animal and family (never first come first serve basis). Thank you for your understanding.
Here's the basic adoption process;
- Fill out the adoption application (via online application or paper form at a showcase locations)
- If your application is a match to the animal you want to adopt, we will contact you via email or phone.
- Our adoption counselors will talk to you and your family. If you have a current dog or dogs, we have them meet our dog to make sure they are a good match. Cats of course will need to meet in your home and need gradual introductions.
- After the interview, we will set up a home visit to make sure your home environment is dog or cat safe.
- Upon approval of the home visit, we will complete the Adoption Contract. Congratulations!
- Read detailed information on how to adopt dogs and cats from FFR.
It depends on each case, but usually the adoption process will be completed within a few days to one week.
We receive a great number of applications everyday. We do our best to answer as many and as fast as possible but we are an all-volunteer organization. If you are a match and the animal is available, we will get back to you within 72 hours (Timeframe could change depending on the number of applications submitted or when the dogs/cats has the label "New").
When you see "NEW" label on dogs/cats, it means they are newly rescued. New rescue dogs/cats needs about 2 weeks or more, to learn and get healthy at their volunteer foster home to see their personality and needs. So for these cases, we will contact possible matching applications when he/she is ready for adoption. We appreciate your understanding!
Please read Dog and Kids Safety (including Babies and Toddlers).
For safety and training reasons for both young kids and the puppy (who will grow to full size by 8 months) or dog, we do not adopt puppy or dogs to homes with children under 8 years old.
Puppies are very cute and harmless when they are small, but med-large breed pups will triple in their size in a few months. A teenager pup and adult dog's natural behavior (teething, corrections, guarding and mouthing in play) and activity needs may cause accidents or harmful to a young kids. Dogs use their mouth to correct other dogs and no harm due to their fur. But harmful nip injuries to us people and kids.
A puppy needs constant supervision, training, socials and daily exercise to learn and grow up to be a good citizen adult dog. 80% of puppies are returned as young adults (1 1/2 - 2 years old) when they were adopted to families with young children under 8 years old due to lack of training and time. All adult dogs need daily care, exercise, training, guidance and 100% supervision with all kids. Only adults should walk dogs and be in full control for safety.
70% of dog bite victims are children 2-7 years old. For these reasons, we recommend that families should wait until their kids are 8 years old or older. You may also consider adopting an adult dog that has lived with kids and very social with kids. Read Kids-Dog tips/Dangers.
More resources on this topic, please visit Dog and Kids Safety (including Babies and Toddlers) page.
The risk of predatory drift accidents is greatly increased when there is a significant size difference between the two dogs arguing. We decline when there is a 50% difference in dog sizes, purely for the safety of both dogs. Please read the article "Size Differences in Dogs (pdf, 74 kb)" by The San Francisco SPCA Behavior and Training Department. The risk goes higher still if the smaller dog is prone to panic and/or the larger dog has demonstrated any predatory propensities. Because of this risk, we use a "50% rule" adoption policy—the smaller of two dogs must be at least half the weight of the larger dog.
Please read article "Problems Associated With Adopting Two Puppies at the Same Time" to find out why it is not a good idea and we don't recommend it.
Animal shelters, both public and private, are faced with an incredible burden: What to do with the overpopulation of dogs and cats that they cannot find homes for? Approximately 3.7 million animals are euthanized at shelters each year, due to the sheer fact that there are not enough willing adopters. Having your pet spayed or neutered ensures that you will not be adding to this tremendous burden.
Neutering of male dogs and cats can prevent certain undesirable sexual behaviors, such as urine marking, humping, male aggression and the urge to roam. If you have more than one pet in your household, all the pets will generally get along better if they are neutered.
A long-term benefit of spaying and neutering is improved health for both cats and dogs. Spaying females prior to their first heat cycle nearly eliminates the risk of breast cancer and totally prevents uterine infections and uterine cancer. Neutering males prevents testicular cancer and enlargement of the prostate gland, and greatly reduces their risk for perianal tumors. (Source: American Humane Association)
You can also read "Top 10 Reasons to Spay & Neuter your pet".
Cat/Kitten Help Information and FAQ
FFR has no shelter nor office. Our volunteers home foster every animal we rescue from over-crowded animal shelters. We focus helping to save death row animals from many animal shelters in Northern California. All city shelters are over-loaded with abandoned dogs & cats that only have limited days. Our foster homes are always full with shelter rescues so we cannot accept public surrenders of cats or kittens.
If you find a stray dog or cat, keep in mind that the animal may be a lost pet, and someone could be frantically searching for him/her. Please contact your local shelter or SPCA to file a "Found Report" and have them scan for a ID Chip. You can find more information and find a list of Rescues & SPCA.
Frankie, Rescued 2017
Get a great photo and make flyers to post everywhere you can, use various social media and advertise. Make sure your cat is up to date with vaccinations & spay/neutered, charge a adoption fee, interview and do a home visit. This is to ensure your cat is truly safe for life and does not end up in a bad situation. You can find more information.
Please see our Feral Cat Resources page.
