Adoption FAQs

ADOPTION FAQ’s

What does the status next to a dog’s name mean on their posting on the website or Facebook mean? 

  1. HOME VISIT PENDING  – This means that we have already reviewed applications for this dog and have scheduled home visits with the top applicants.  Most likely this dog will be adopted to one of these families.
  2. ON ADOPTION TRIAL – This means that we have chosen an adopter for this dog, but for specific reasons (i.e. it’s a very shy/fearful dog, or were not sure they will get along with the other dog in the home) we have chosen to do a trial adoption first.  Once we determine it is the right forever home, we finalize the adoption, which is usually the case.
  3. ADOPTION PENDING – This means we have found this dog’s forever home, but have not had the opportunity yet to finalize the adoption.  Our small COSIR volunteer staff has to balance rescue work with their jobs, family and travel.  That combined with our adopter’s busy lives, means it can take us a while to get an adoption scheduled.
  4. FOSTER TO ADOPT – This means that this dog was specifically placed in a foster home, carefully selected from our adoption waiting list, because we believe it is the perfect home and they will adopt the dog once they are sure it’s the right fit.  If it turns out not to be a good fit and the foster decides not to adopt the dog, the status will be removed and the dog will be available for adoption.
  5. AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION – If you only see the dog’s name, but no status is listed, this means the dog is currently available for adoption.  For any available dog, we first look to our adoption waiting list to see if there is an applicant on file that would be a good fit.  We also accept new applications for this dog, and will consider new applicants should we not find a fit on our waiting list.

What if the dog I am applying for is already in the process of being adopted? 

Your application will be placed on our adoption waiting list.  You will want to continue to monitor our website or Facebook page, so you can let us know if you would like to be considered for a newly available dog.

My application is on the waiting list, will COSIR call me when they find the perfect dog for me?

The short answer is, we try our best! Unfortunately, we have a very small volunteer staff and a high volume of applicants on our waiting list.  We do our best to pull all possible matches off the waiting list and review their applications, but we recommend you keep checking our website and reach out to us to if you see a dog you think is a good fit so we are sure to pull your application too!

Is there a waiting list to adopt a Shiba?  

Yes.  We are a very small rescue with usually no more than 10 dogs in rescue at a time. Shiba’s have become very popular in the last few years, and therefore, we simply don’t have enough dogs to keep up with the demand.  We typically have a waiting list of about 30-40 applicants at any given time.  We always look to our waiting list first when trying to find a home for one of our dogs, so we recommend submitting your application even if there is not a dog currently available that is a fit for you.

How do I get on the waiting list to adopt a Shiba?

Complete an adoption application and email it to adopt@coloradoshibainurescue.org to be placed on our waiting list.  If you apply for a specific dog, but were not selected as their forever home, your application will automatically be added to the wait list for consideration for future dogs.

Can I foster a Shiba while I am waiting to adopt?  

Yes, the COSIR staff often looks to the adoption waiting list when we have a particular dog that needs to be brought into rescue, and we don’t already have a foster home to place them in.  When we do this, we look for an applicant that we believe would make a good forever home too, in hopes that they will end up adopting the dog.  We love a good “foster fail” 😉

I don’t live in Colorado.  Does COSIR do out-of-state adoptions?

We will consider adopting out-of-state, depending on the dog.  Anyone who wishes to adopt from out-of-state must be willing to meet the requirements of the COSIR out-of-state adoption policy.

There may be a Shiba rescue closer to you.  Please see our list of Other Shiba Rescues to find a list of Shiba rescues across the US and Canada.

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