About Adoption

Thinking about adopting a pet? Great idea!
Here are a few reasons why pet adoption is THE loving option:

1. Saving Lives: Be a hero, adopt! By adopting a homeless pet, you are saving more than just one life. When you adopt from a rescue, you're making room for another dog or cat, it's just that simple.

2. Making a friend for life: Ask any of our adoptive parents, they'll all tell you that they can't imagine life without their adopted pet! When you open your home and your heart to an animal who needs help, they will show you their appreciation for the rest of their lives! Rescued animals who have had a difficult past, develop a special unbreakable bond with their owners.

3. Training and Socialization: Most of our animals live in foster homes. Which means, they are learning about or are have already mastered skills such as: housebreaking, basic obedience skills, socialization with strangers/children, socializatopm with other dogs and even cats. (of course this varies from animal to animal, and foster family to foster family, more information about our dogs can be found on their individual bio.)

4. Medical Care: We work with only the best! All of our animals receive the best veterinary care available in the Chicagoland area. Many of the animals we take in do have special medical needs - whether that's an ear infection, upper respiratory illness, expectant mother, broken leg, etc.. CCRF and the veterinarians that we utilize assess each animal individually to determine the care that each animal requires. AND we're NEVER hesitant to call in a specialist including cardiologists, neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, etc., if that is what is needed to help an animal, we'll do it.


Are you Ready?
Do you really, really want a dog? Do you want to wake up early on a cozy Sunday morning and take him out in the rain, sleet or snow? Are you ready to spend as much time with him as you can? Are you prepared for the lifestyle impact, the financial impact, and grooming considerations? Hmmmm....Are you up for cleaning up various messes? Getting up in the middle of the night with a sick pet? Whether it's a puppy, kitten, adult or senior animal you are considering adopting, the newness soon wears off, and then you're left with a loving companion for, hopefully, many years to come?

A few questions to answer before deciding to adopt:
1. Do you have time for a dog? How long will the animal be left alone? Are you willing to make scheduling changes and sacrifices in order to make this new relationship work?

2. What's in your future? Think 2, 5, 10, 12 years out! Planning on moving? Are you committed to finding a new place where Rover can go, too? New additions to your family? Whether that's a spouse, children or taking care of grandma, how will your future family accept your best friend and how do you plan to adjust?

3. Your new buddy is counting on you to meet his needs... ALL of his needs. That's a pretty weighty responsibility and it comes with a cost. Just how high a cost will depend on where you live, where you shop and how big your new canine buddy is. But consider food, toys, routine vaccinations, heartworm disease preventative and don't forget about emergency care!

Adoption FAQ's

Are all the animals living at the facility? No, not all of our animals live at the facility. All of our cats and kittens are in foster homes. To see if a specific dog lives at the facility, please read the animal individual bio on our website (click on the animal's picture). If an animal is not living at the facility, introductions will be arranged AFTER an adoption application has been accepted.

Can I stop by the facility to meet dogs that I'm interested in? Yes, you can during our normal adoption hours. The adoption tour is 5-10 minutes long. A staff member or adoption counselor will be able to briefly introduce you to the animals at the facility. Due to the HIGH number of potential adopters that do come to the facility, we have to limit the tour to 5 - 10 minutes so everyone gets a chance to meet dogs and our staff can continue to provide the animals with excellent care. Thanks in advance for understanding. Once an application has been submitted, we will schedule a visit for you and the animals you are interested in for a longer period of time.

Ready to Adopt?
CCRF does not do on-site adoptions. A home visit, animal introduction (if you currently have another pet), landlord/condo association and reference check all need to be completed before the adoption can become offical. We try our best to complete the adoption process with in 1 week.

CCRF Adoption Process:

1. Fill out an adoption application: Use the links below to be taken to the online application.
2. An adoption counselor will call or email you within 48 hours to review your application.

If you would like to check the status of your application after 24 hours, you can call or email info@chicagocaninerescue.com.

3. The adoption counselor will call your reference, landlord/condo association, and veterinarian (if applicable).

4. An adoption counselor will schedule a time for you, your family and any other pets to meet the pet(s) you've applied for.

5. A home visit is also necessary. If possible, the entire household should be present for the visit.

6. To make the adoption official, a signed adoption contract and a $200 fee for canines or a $100 fee for felines (expections may occur and are noted in the animals bio) will be collected before the animal is placed in your home. If an animal has not yet been spayed or neutered, there is an additional $50 spay/neuter deposit.At time of adoption, adopters should have a collar, leash and pet ID tag.

All previous medical records will be turned over to the new adopter.



Adoption Events: If you are scheduled to attend an adoption event to meet a dog, please bring your completed adoption application with you. A site manager will review your application with you. Please note: CCRF does not do on-site adoptions, so you will NOT leave the adoption event with an animal, unless you are pre-approved and have completed the above steps already.

The adoption process is almost always completed within one week of time you submitted your application. Time can vary depending on your location, the dogs location and availability.

Requirements: Our adopters must be at least 21 years of age, live in the Chicagoland Area, provide landlord or condo associations contact information to verify that you are allowed to have the pet you are applying for and willing to complete the interview and home check process.