Every rescue has its own adoption process.
At Misfit Ranch, ours may look a little different than what you've experienced elsewhere—and that's intentional.
Our goal isn't simply to help dogs find homes.
It's to help them find the right homes.
Every step of our no-commitment adoption process is designed to ensure the best possible outcome for both our Misfits and the families who welcome them home. We believe successful adoptions happen when everyone has the opportunity to get to know one another, ask questions, and make thoughtful decisions without feeling rushed or pressured.
Our hope is that by taking the time to build the right match from the beginning, each adoption becomes exactly what it was meant to be...
A lifelong commitment built on trust, understanding, and love.
Our requirements for adoption are listed at the bottom of the page.
The Adoption Process
Choose a Misfit
The first step is to Meet Our Misfits to see if there's someone you're connecting with and would be interested in meeting. At the bottom of their page is a link to a form to request to meet them. The form contains the names of all of our Misfits that are available for meet and greets and you are able to select as many as you'd like to meet in your visit.
Phone Consult
You'll receive a phone call for a quick consult so we can introduce ourselves and give a brief history of the Misfit you're interested in and what their needs are. If there are any other Misfits that may be a good fit for what you're looking for, we'll share their story with you as well. If you'd like to move forward with meeting and of the Misfits, we'll schedule the meet and greet for a date/time that works for everyone. If you're requesting to meet multiple Misfits, introductions will be one at a time so you can meet them individually and discover their personalities.
Meet and Greet
We will bring the Misfits you'd like to meet to your home for your visit. If you have other dogs in the home, we will meet in a public (neutral) location first to introduce the dogs and then move on to the home if all goes well.
Visits are conducted in your home so that the Misfit can get a feel for your family and environment but also so you can see how they will exist in your space. This is an extremely important step that is missing with on-site adoptions and adoption events, which is why so many of them fail.
Your home visit is not about having the "perfect" home and we are not there to inspect it so if your dishes aren't done or your laundry isn't put away, don't stress. The visit is about the dog exploring your space and getting to know you and you being able to see how the dog will exist in your life and in your home.
Home Trial
If the meet and greet goes well and you'd like to move forward with the home trial, you'll receive a text to schedule the drop off date and time. Once there's an agreed upon date, you'll receive a link to sign the home-trial agreement. Your electronic signature will add your home trial to our calendar.
Home trials are scheduled for a two-week time frame. The Misfit will come with everything you need to care for them during their stay with you. This includes a bag of food, treats, bowls, a crate, a leash and toys or chews.
You are welcome to contact us at any time during your home trial with questions, concerns etc. We want to make the experience as stress free for everyone as possible. However, if the home trial isn't working out you can contact us at any time and we will come by to pick up the Misfit.
Adoption
When the two week home-trial is coming to an end, we'll reach out to see if you'd like to move forward with adoption or schedule for us to come pick up the Misfit. If the home trial is successful and you'd like to move forward with adoption, the link to the adoption agreement will be sent to your for your electronic signature.
We'll also schedule a date/time that we can swing by to deliver important documents, such as vaccine records, and to grab their adoption photo! Everything that came with your new family member for their home trial belongs to them and is yours to keep.
Adoption Fees
When a Misfit gets adopted, it opens up the space for another dog to be saved from euthanasia by the Misfit family. Rather than charge an adoption fee, we ask adoptive families to make a donation in any amount they are comfortable with for this purpose. This is exactly how the very first Misfit adoption took place many years ago, so we've opted to keep the tradition alive all this time as a community, pay-it-forward rescue movement.
Post- Adoption Services
The Misfit Ranch Team provides supportive services to our adoptive families for the life of our Misfits.
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complimentary training sessions for basics
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complimentary nutritional services
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complimentary bath and nail trim
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complimentary boarding for the first 6 months post-adoption
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$25 per night boarding after the first 6 months
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discounted boarding rates for packmates
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discounted nutritional services for packmates
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and more!
Do you meet the requirements to adopt from Misfit Ranch?
🎂 Must be 18 years of age or older.
❤️ Must love dogs.
🏡 Must have a home to provide shelter for your new family member.
🫀 Must be a good human.
🥓 Must be able to provide for your new family member (food, vet bills, etc.)
📝 Must be willing to learn about the needs of your new family member.
🎾 Must be willing to postpone chores for one more game of fetch.
🛋️ Must be comfortable sharing your couch... even when there's technically no room left.
Must acknowledge that no member of your residential household has been convicted of an animal welfare law violation such as neglect, cruelty, abandonment, etc.
🤗 Must have the intention of treating your new family member with loving care and affection and will ensure the dog’s safety and well-being.
🦴 Must accept that dog toys may eventually become part of your home décor.
📸 Must be prepared to have your camera roll become 90% dog photos.
❤️🩹 Must agree to never allow physical, mental and emotional abuse of your new family member.
🖊️ Must be willing to sign a contract stating that if you are no longer able to care for your new family member that they will be returned to Misfit Ranch.
🍿 Must be comfortable watching movies with a four-legged critic in your lap.
🌧️ Must understand that muddy paw prints are temporary, but memories last forever.
💤 Must consider a snoring Misfit, adorable.
🦮 Must be happy to let someone follow you into the bathroom for the rest of their life.
🧺 Must accept that black clothes and dog hair are simply, incompatible.
🎉 Must be ready to celebrate birthdays, gotcha days, and occasionally a Tuesday.
💨 Must be willing to laugh at zoomies.
🐾 Must be open to a life filled with adventures, cuddles, and unconditional love.
🥰 Must be looking for a family member—not just a pet.