How do I find out what animals are up for adoption?
You can see our animals currently looking for forever homes here. We suggest following us on Instagram because we often share announcements about new arrivals via social media before officially listing them for adoption. PLEASE NOTE: All of our dogs and cats are in foster homes, NOT at our office.
How do I meet a dog or cat that I saw online?
You have to complete an adoption application and be approved to adopt first, then we can move to the meetings phase. This is to respect our foster parents’ time. If you’re sure you want to adopt but don’t know which dog or cat yet, we recommend completing an adoption application now so that we can try to pre-approve you, which speeds up the process once you see an animal you think may be the one. Unfortunately, all of our events were suspended due to covid, and we’re now rebuilding our meet-and-greets program. Stay tuned! (You don’t need to submit an application just to attend an event.) Important note on adoption meetings: Because we’re a very small group, we have limited availability for meetings at our office. (Please be patient with us as we train more volunteers!) Office hours change each week, and we do not have Sunday hours. (If approved, your adoption coordinator will work with you to arrange visits.) We are stretched very thin and try to be as supportive and flexible as we can, but we ask that you please prioritize your adoption meetings the same way you would a doctor appointment. Welcoming in a new family member will require some scheduling sacrifices. We are so grateful for your understanding, patience, enthusiasm, and help as we all work together to rescue these innocent animals!
What’s the adoption process like?
Pretty straightforward. Here’s the step-by-step:
You fill out a dog adoption application or a cat adoption application. (A home check may be required.) You could wait until you fall for an animal you see on Instagram or our website, but we recommend getting a jump on the process. We have many pre-approved adopters watching as the new guys come in, and if their applications are a match, they usually end up getting first dibs on meetings.
Once your application is approved, we set you up with a time to meet the object of your desire as long as your application is a match and the animal is still available. First meeting is virtual (FaceTime), and if that goes well, we move on to in person. PLEASE NOTE: You should be ready to do your FaceTime meeting within 48 hours of being matched with a pup after approval, and you should be prepared to meet in person/adopt the pup within 48 hours of the FaceTime meeting.
If you decide to adopt, you finalize the adoption. That entails paying the fee, signing the adoption contract, receiving the medical records and dog license (if applicable), and our favorite part — the adoption photo! Then you head off into happily ever after with your new pet.
Why do you keep your animals in foster homes?
It is much healthier for an animal to be in a home than in a cage while it waits to be adopted, and we can learn much more about the dog or cat’s personality, needs, training level, etc. this way so that we can make as accurate a match as possible when it comes time to find a forever family. (Click here to find out about becoming a foster parent!)
How do I contact you?
First off, please read through our website before you contact us as most of the inquiries we receive are answered on pages like this. If you have questions about the status of your adoption application, please email apps@socialteesnyc.org. If you are fostering an animal and need assistance, please email your foster coordinator or foster@socialteesnyc.org. For media or donation questions, email samantha@socialteesnyc.org. All other issues, please email contact@socialteesnyc.org.
Where do your animals come from?
Most of our adoptable dogs and cats come from shelters where they are at risk of euthanasia primarily in New York City, Los Angeles, and Tennessee. Most of the animals we take in were originally found stray. “Stray” means that someone owned the animal and left it somewhere (like on the side of the road) when they decided they no longer wanted the animal. This kind of abandonment happens for a variety of reasons, the most common of which include: the animal was a bigger responsibility than they realized, new baby, moving to a place that doesn’t allow pets, no longer has time for the animal, allergies, lost their job.
Why do you rescue dogs from other areas if there are dogs in need in New York?
The euthanasia rates in the non-New York areas from which we rescue animals are much higher than the euthanasia rate here. Our out-of-state rescue does not displace rescue we are doing in New York, it is in addition to the New York dogs that we take in. We want to save as many lives as we can, so we move animals from areas where the euthanasia rate is very high to areas where the demand for those animals is much greater.
What kind of veterinary care do your adoptable dogs and cats come with?
The adoption fee for all dogs and cats includes spay/neuter surgery; up to date on core vaccines at the time of adoption; microchip; treated with defleaing, deworming, and demiting medication as necessary, and often more. The adoption fee sometimes also covers exceptional veterinary treatment that was required upon intake for senior and special needs animals, such as an eye removal or a limb amputation. If the animal adopted is too small at the time of adoption to have been altered or has been temporarily waived from surgery due to a medical condition at the time of adoption, we ensure all adopted animals are altered within six months of adoption. (This is included in the adoption fee.)
What is the adoption fee?
The standard adoption fee for dogs is $525. The fee for seniors (ages 8 and up) and special needs animals is $475. That’s not because they’re less valuable but because we’d like to thank the very wonderful people who choose to invest their emotions and financial resources in these animals. (Same goes for cats.) The standard adoption fee for cats is $200. For seniors (ages 8 and up) and special needs, the fee is $150.
I have an infant and a toddler, and we want to adopt a puppy. Cool?
Not really, sorry! We do not generally adopt out puppies or rambunctious dogs to homes with children age 6 or under. We are so sorry to crush your dreams and don’t doubt that you could provide a loving environment, but we must be extremely careful when placing each animal in a forever home both for the animal's wellbeing and for the safety of the adopting family members. A variety of highly regarded professional dog trainers with whom we’ve consulted all strongly advise against placing puppies or young rambunctious dogs in homes with children age 6 or under. In their opinion, placing these types of pups in homes with very young kids is generally a recipe for failure and heartbreak because both puppies and young children have limited motor skills, impulse control, and understanding of how to interact with each other, so children in these situations usually end up getting bitten, scratched, or otherwise accidentally hurt. Puppies go through months of wanting to nip and use their mouths during play time, which can be very frightening and painful for kids — and even for adults. All puppies regardless of the breed will require an immense amount of training, exercise, time, and attention, and while some families manage to make it work, most in our experience have either returned or rehomed their puppies within a few months of adoption. Our trainers recommend either waiting until your children are over 6 to adopt or considering a mellow adult alongside trainer guidance on setting boundaries for the dog and for children as well as how to safely monitor interactions between children and dogs.
How long should I expect it to take for my adoption application to be processed?
It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks… to a few months. Hang in there! We receive hundreds of applications each week, and our volunteer application processing team is very small, so we are unable to reach out to every applicant or to get to every application. Hearing back from references like landlords is also a common holdup. If your application is approved, you will hear from us. If you have questions about the status of your application, you can politely and understandingly email apps@socialteesnyc.org. :) Please have patience when you’re waiting for a response! We receive hundreds of emails each day, and we try as hard as we can to get to all of them in a timely fashion. If you want to help us speed up this process, we’d love to have you join our application processing team! Submit a volunteer app here.
Do I have to fill out a separate adoption application for each dog I'm interested in?
Nope, one is fine unless it's been over a year since the last time you submitted an application. If you are already approved to adopt but the dog you were originally interested in was adopted, just email the Social Tees rep who originally approved you when you see another dog that you might want to meet.
I filled out the adoption application, but it doesn’t seem to submit properly. What do I do?
Try updating your browser and submitting the application again, or try using a different web browser.
I live in Vermont (or Indiana or California…), can I still apply to adopt a dog from you and do you ship animals?
You’re welcome to apply, but we rarely adopt out animals farther than New York and the surrounding states. We don’t ship animals to adopters, so if you apply to adopt an animal and you live out of our standard adoption zone, please be prepared to come to NYC to meet/adopt the animal right away if your application is approved. We do not keep animals on hold for travel arrangements. We require all adopters meet the animal before finalizing the adoption. You’ll also need to be ready to transport the pup home with you.
I want to adopt a dog that will be an Emotional Support Animal (ESA). What’s your policy on that?
We can't predict which animal might be able to serve an applicant requiring an ESA because each individual human's needs are different, and the dynamic between each human and animal can vary widely both short term and over time, so we ask that our ESA applicants foster before adopting to determine whether the match is a fit. If you are interested in joining our foster-to-adopt program, please read the info on this program here and submit an adoption application here. If your landlord doesn't otherwise allow pets, please plan to upload written confirmation from your landlord that they have approved your ESA request along with your application (or email it to apps@socialteesnyc.org). We’ll need that before we can finish up your application. For applicants whose landlords do not otherwise allow pets: Please note that while the Fair Housing Act requires landlords to allow tenants with ESA letters from licensed professionals to own a pet, landlords are also permitted to reject an ESA request or rescind acceptance if an animal is not well behaved, which is part of why it's so important to make sure we've found the right match. We wouldn't want the animal to lose its home or you to lose crucial support the animal provides. It's important to understand that an animal's behavior can change significantly over time, so we suggest having a training plan in place to help your evolving relationship with your pet stay on the right track.
I’ve been approved to adopt an animal. What should I have ready when I come to meet (and hopefully adopt!) him?
Please make sure your whole family is ready and able to attend the meeting. If you have a significant other, children, or dogs, all must be there to meet your prospective new pack member. If you are meeting at our office or an adoption event and might be finalizing the adoption and taking your pet home that day, please also bring a valid ID, the adoption fee, and a pet carrier and/or a leash and collar or harness if appropriate.
I’m adopting a puppy! When is it safe to let her out on the ground with other dogs?
It’s safe to let your new puppy on the ground and with other dogs as long as your puppy has had its final round of puppy vaccines, which usually happens between 12 and 16 weeks. If you’re adopting a puppy younger than this, you’ll definitely need to wait until your vet says you're good to go. If you’re adopting a puppy in this age bracket, whether the puppy has had its final round of vaccines will depend on how old the puppy was at the time of the first round of vaccines, which can very depending on how old the puppy was at the time of rescue. We will clarify for you exactly where the puppy stands with vaccines before or at the time of adoption. For puppies that have not yet had their final round of vaccines, you'll want to avoid letting them walk around on the ground in areas that are highly trafficked by other dogs, such as parks, dog runs, and pet stores. Puppy play dates are okay as long as the other dog is up to date on vaccines and not carrying anything contagious.
How old do you have to be to adopt?
You must be at least 25 years old in order to adopt from us. We do not doubt that you could provide a loving environment, but the number of animals that are given up or rehomed within the first few years after adoption is much higher among adopters who are under age 25 than among adopters who are over 25. Generally, this seems to be because there are more major life changes ahead the younger the applicant — new jobs, roommates, living situations, etc. Our number one priority is each animal's health and wellbeing, so we must be as careful as we can when trying to place animals in homes that will be stable longterm. We are very sorry to disappoint those of you who are younger than 25, but we do encourage you to foster for us in order to get your dog fix while helping save lives (as long as you are 21 or older).
I heard that you have reptiles up for adoption. Is that true?
Not currently. We used to but no longer have a reptile rescue program.
If the adoption doesn’t work out for some reason, can I return the animal to you?
Yes. According to the adoption contract you sign, you are legally obligated to inform us if you are no longer able to keep the pet you adopted for any reason at any point after adoption so that we can take him or her back into our system.