First of all, thank you for adopting a rescue dog!! We hope you find a dog within our rescue that will be your new forever friend!  

El Paso County Canine Rescue is looking for caring, responsible people to adopt our dogs. To help ensure our dogs go to stable, loving homes, there are several guidelines that you should consider before you decide to adopt:

​

• You must be at least 18 years old

​

• You must be allowed to have dogs where you live, and be able to provide proof of lease, if needed.​

• You must be willing and able to provide $500-$1500 in training if the need arises.  Again, these are rescue dogs with unknown backgrounds, it is not unusual that these dogs experience some behavioral issues and difficulty integrating with new families/situations.

​

• Be aware that your new dog will need time to adjust to a new home with new rules, people, and/or new pets.  Your dog may even break house training until they completely adjust to their new surroundings.  Please allow for at least two weeks to allow for this adjustment before you decide that your new dog isn't a good fit. 

​

• Dogs must be able to have a safe place to potty and play, a fenced yard is recommended, but not required for adoption.  If you do not have a fenced yard, you must be willing and able to take your dog out on a leash to provide ample potty time and you must be able to provide your dog with a safe and appropriate place to play and exercise.

• Per Colorado State Law, all dogs adopted must be spayed or neutered prior to adoption unless there is a medical reason.

​

• All of the dogs that are rescued through our program will have their basic vetting needs completed prior to adoption as appropriate for their age and medical needs. Through our adoption proceeds, we attempt to compensate for the costs of the medical care and other necessities, such as food and supplies.

We are foster-based rescue which means that we have no central location for you to visit. We post our available dogs here and also on our Facebook page and Instagram.  We have adoption events every Saturday and we are able to arrange meet and greets during the week on a case-by-case basis.  If you see a dog that you are interested in adopting, you can submit an application online here or you can come to one of our adoption events and submit an application there.  Please keep in mind that we are a volunteer-based rescue, and many of our volunteers have other obligations.  We ask for your patience as we go through the adoption processes of reviewing your application and verifying your references.  Please be aware of the following when submitting your application:

​

• Ensure that your references are available to talk with us regarding your application.

• If you live in an apartment, please be prepared to provide a copy of your lease or landlord approval (in writing) prior to adoption. 

​

• If you live in an area with Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) we will not approve an adoption for a dog with primarily bully characteristics.  As we do not provide DNA testing to determine dog breed prior to adoption, we rely on visual characteristics when determining appropriate placement of potential bully breeds.  We reserve the right to disapprove any adoption request to protect the dog and the potential adopter when the breed is in question.

​

• We do not provide DNA testing prior to adoption

​

• We make every effort to place our dogs in the best home possible. Our adoptions are completed on a first come first serve basis, but we reserve the right to refuse an adoption if we deem it inappropriate for a particular dog to be placed in your home. 

​