Adopt or Foster

Adopt or Foster- Frequently Asked Questions

Overview

Our mission includes rescuing all Scotties that have been lost, abandoned, or voluntarily surrendered by their owner. As soon as possible, a rescued Scottie is transferred to an approved foster home and the search for a permanent home begins.

We do not adopt our rescue Scotties outside the state of Florida.

Intake

When a Scottie comes into our rescue, several steps must be performed before the dog is available for adoption. We take full legal possession of the Scottie by obtaining a signed release for owner surrender or through placement partnerships of various shelters through partnerships with shelters and rescue groups across the state of Florida. The Scottie is then transferred to one of our approved dedicated volunteer foster homes for further evaluation and treatment, as needed.

While in foster care, all Scotties receive a full medical examination from a licensed veterinarian. Tests are performed to make sure they are free of parasites, heartworm and fleas. They are spayed/neutered, micro-chipped and vaccinations are updated as required. If necessary or indicated, further testing and treatment is provided. Our cost to care for a rescued Scottie averages around $700. This does not include the expenses covered by our Emergency Medical Fund provided for previous adopters and their Scotties.

Once ready for placement the search is begun for the perfect new home.

Fosters are the heart of our rescue. These volunteers evaluate the temperament and needs of the dog in their care to help us make the best choice we can for both the dog and the adopter. Keeping each individual dog's specific needs in mind, we work very hard to find the perfect and forever match from our pool of applicants.

Care

It is the intention of the rescue to obtain care for any rescue Scottie prior to placement in an adoptive home. This may include any or all of the following:

Veterinary examination and all inoculations will be administered.
Any deficiencies in medical care will be identified before the Scottie is placed.
STROF will ensure that all rescue Scotties are in good health at time of placement, when possible.
Spaying or neutering of all Scotties prior to adoption is mandatory unless age or medical condition delay surgery

STROF rescue pays for veterinary expenses for care prior to placement and helps support adopters who later encounter unexpected vet care needs for their adopted Scotties through a designated emergency fund.

The rescue provides full disclosure to the adoptive family of the Scottie’s known medical and behavioral histories.

Placement

Placement is at the discretion of the STROF and will be based upon the best match for the Scottie, following STROF procedures, outlined on the Adopt or Foster page. Prospective adopters must complete a detailed screening process. The goal is always to place the rescue Scottie in an optimal situation to ensure their lifelong health and happiness.

Please understand our adoptions are not done on a first come, first served basis. Our goal is to place our rescue Scottie in the most ideal home possible based on the dog's needs, personality, behavior, past history and health. Keep in mind that may be the foster home and they are given first option to adopt.

Due to advanced age or serious health issues, some dogs may be considered "unadoptable." For them, we provide "furever" foster/hospice care.

Should You Adopt? What is the Process?

This very important decision is one that is life-changing for both you... and for the rescue Scottie you may consider adopting.

Rescue Scotties may have previously been abandoned, mistreated, ignored, improperly trained, and/or

deprived of quality health care, food, and housing for a variety of reasons.

Adopting a rescue Scottie will require considerable investment of patience, personal and financial resources, and love and understanding to be successful. Foremost in our placement decision is always the best interest of the Scottie!

We do not adopt our rescue Scotties outside the state of Florida.

If you are interested in adopting a rescue Scottie, you must complete an extensive application, pass a home visit inspection, provide personal and veterinary references, and demonstrate ability to properly care for your new family member. An adoption donation fee is required to help offset the cost of veterinary and rehabilitative care previously provided. Our adoption fee is $450, but we work on a sliding scale for older dogs and dogs in need of continuing medical care.

All rescue dogs will be spayed or neutered before placement.

These are some of the factors that are taken into account when adoption applications are considered:

· Your reasons for wanting to adopt a Scottish Terrier.

· Previous experience with Scottish Terriers and other pets.

· Willingness to adopt an adult or elderly Scottie, a Scottie-mix, a bonded Scottie pair, or a Scottie with special needs. (Very few Scottie puppies become available for adoption.)

· Suitability of your living accommodations to meet the needs of a Scottie, which include: living indoors with their family out of the Florida heat and humidity, quality food and fresh water, daily exercise and human attention, frequent professional grooming, a fenced yard, and protection from ready access to pools or other large bodies of water. (Scotties do not swim well!)

· Presence of young children and/or other pets in your household.

· Your willingness to devote the necessary time, energy, and finances to provide a quality home for the Scottie.

· References—from your personal veterinarian and several friends—who can attest to your ability to provide for a rescue Scottie.

· Your agreement to sign, and abide by, the provisions of our Adoption agreement. (One key provision of that contract is that the new adoptive owner may not sell, donate, or otherwise dispose of the rescue Scottie unless it is returned to the rescue group if for any reason the adoptive placement is not successful.)

Is it worth it to go through this detailed adoption process? Absolutely, yes!

Just ask any Scottie who now has a safe, loving home ... or that Scottie's human family... for confirmation!

Beginning January 1, 2026 STROF will be implementing NEW ADOPTION AND FOSTERING PROCESSES.

These processes are designed after successful models used at several other rescues across the country, but more importantly, will streamline the now very time-consuming steps that our placement coordinator must go through to find the perfect homes for Scotties coming into our care.

After Scotties have come to STROF, and we get them to a point where we are confident they are ready to be adopted

and will thrive in new surroundings, we will post their photo and all current information on our Facebook page and our ShelterBoss website. At that point the adoption process will begin.

When a Scottie is posted as being available, that is the only time we will accept and review any adoption applications (available on our website), but the submitted application must be for only the dog being featured.

We will no longer accept random applications when there is no dog available to adopt. We will no longer keep adoption applications on file indefinitely.

An application submitted for one dog will not be considered for any future dogs coming to STROF basically because each dog is totally different and we want to ensure that you are getting a good match for your particular home and lifestyle. This new process makes matching up Scotties with a perfect new family much more timely, easier and effective.

We have had hundreds of applicants over the years (whose files we have been keeping for many years) and it is very

hard to keep up-to-date with them all, and what their home situation or adoption desires are currently.

It would sometimes take dozens of phone calls to just try to contact someone we felt might be interested in adopting

an available dog. And so many times the applicant's situation has changed and/or they just aren't interested.

So we must start the search all over again. We also get so many unsolicited applications, many of whom just want a dog,

sometimes not even a Scottie. Every application we receive requires us to follow up and talk to them and add information.

Our new process will take a lot of work and stress off our volunteers involved with intake because we will now know that

when someone applies for a dog they are applying for one that they are familiar with, history, quirks, medical conditions,

and all. Overall, this is the best thing for the Scotties in need.

You can complete and submit the adoption application online by clicking this link.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Files coming soon.

Would You Like to Foster or Volunteer to Help in Other Ways?

We are accepting FOSTER APPLICATIONS on an on-going basis for those interested in temporarily housing and caring

for a Scottie in need- and we currently have a great need for foster sites. These applications will not be used for anyone

hoping to foster-to-adopt, as in the past. That option will no longer be available. If a foster parent at some point decides

they want to adopt the Scottie in their care (which many do!), they will need to fill out the new adoption application

once the Scottie has been publicly made available.

If you are currently fostering for STROF or have been added to our foster list since 2024, you do not need to

re-apply to be considered for fostering. If you submitted a foster application prior to 2024 we highly suggest that you

complete a new foster application so that we have your most current information and desires on file. This will save our

volunteers an unbelievable amount of time. All new foster applications will be kept active unless you let us know that

your wishes have changed.

We are always in need of fosters across the entire State of Florida. So please consider this very rewarding way

to help us save lives. Follow us on Facebook for all the current information from STROF. We also have need for

volunteers who have a wide variety of skills and interests to assist with ongoing STROF projects other

than fostering a dog.

You can complete and submit the application to foster or volunteer with STROF online by clicking this link.

If you have any questions , please just reach out and ask.

Our email address is floridascottiesrescue@gmail.com and our phone number is 260-437-9399.

We look forward to hearing from you!

IF YOU WISH TO BE REMOVED FROM FURTHER CORRESPONDENCE FROM STROF or would like your name removed

from any of our volunteer lists, please simply respond to this email with the word REMOVE typed in the subject line,

or drop me a note explaining how your desire to help might have changed. We thank each and every one of you

for your support. We couldn't be doing what you do without your time and donations. You are the BEST!

Mike DeFreeuw .

President

Scottish Terrier Rescue of Florida

http://www.scottierescueflorida.org/

Files coming soon.

"Saving Scotties in the Sunshine State"