Frequently Asked Questions

Because we’re a foster based rescue, we’re only able to send our dogs on transport if we have an adopter or committed foster for them prior to their departure. Unfortunately, we don’t have a shelter location to house our dogs so potential adopters aren’t able to meet them prior to their arrival. Our foster-to-adopt program is a great way to see if a dog is a good fit for you before you commit to adoption. 

Yes! We know it can be difficult to make an adoption decision when you haven't met the dog or puppy in person. We offer a foster-to-adopt option, in which we transport the dog to a city near you. You will pick the dog up when he or she arrives. You will have a week to decide if you want to finalize the adoption. If you decide not to adopt, we will post the dog for adoption. You will continue fostering the dog or puppy until they get adopted. We work hard to find good homes for them quickly.

We look for families who are willing to pick up directly from transport at predetermined cities across the Northeast, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Utah. Our dogs and puppies are located 4 hours south of Houston, TX. Your dog will have a two-part journey. The first part will be in our rescue van. We drive the dogs and puppies to meet a larger transport in Houston, Texas every two weeks. 

The second part of the journey starts in the Houston area. Once in the Houston area, your dog will travel on air conditioned, professional dog transport via converted bus or sprinter-type cargo van. Animal attendants are with the dogs at all times to take care of them and ensure a comfortable and safe journey for all passengers.. Depending on how far away you live from Texas, the journey takes as little as 12 hours or as long as 2.5 days. 

The transport companies we use are also dog rescues transporting their own adopted pets. They provide group chats or Facebook events, as well as tracking information to keep you informed as the transport gets closer to your city. You will be given an estimated time of arrival that will continue to be refined as the transport gets closer to your stop.

The transport rescue that our dogs typically travel with has stops in the following cities: 

• Waterford, CT
• Hartford, CT
• Bensalem, PA
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Chester, VA
• Poughkeepsie, NY
• Albany, NY
• Syracuse, NY
• Buffalo, NY
• Brattleboro, VT
• Nashville, TN
• Carrollton, KY
• Cincinnati, OH
• Indianapolis, IN
• Rockford, IL
• Madison, WI
• Minneapolis, MN
• Bellingham, WA
• Arlington, WA
• Vancouver, WA
• Kent, WA
• Ontario, OR
• Hermiston, OR
• Orem, UT 
• Twin Falls, ID

If you don't live within driving distance of one of these locations, we may be able to look into other options with another transport rescue we use. We're happy to talk through options with you.

Flying a dog is not typically a viable option because airlines require a non-stop flight to transport a dog. This type of flight is not very common, and the dogs in our program are in rural south Texas, about a 4-hour drive from Houston.

We look for adopters in other states because there just aren't enough homes for dogs here in Texas. In fact, Texas euthanized over 100,000 animals last year https://bestfriends.org/2025-goal. Many of those healthy, friendly and highly adoptable animals were killed due to lack of space. This breaks our hearts, so we try to save as many as we can. The best way for us to save these dogs is through out of state adoption, and we are grateful for our out of state adopters!   

We have a variable adoption fee schedule that is based on the age, estimated adult size of the dog, and the breed of dog. Please see the PetFinder ad for the dog or puppy's adoption fee. This variable adoption fee structure places higher adoption fees on certain dogs to help cover the costs of other dogs in our program that have more extensive and expensive medical needs before they are ready for adoption. 

• Spay or neuter surgery
• Vaccinated for rabies
• 2 DHPP vaccine doses. If the dog is not an adult, you'll need to complete the puppy vaccine series at your vet.
• Bordetella vaccine 
• Deworming
• Microchip with free registration
• Current on flea/tick and heart worm prevention. 
• If 6 months or older, heart worm test (HW-)
• A martingale collar.
• Transport from South Texas to a city near you.

Have a question or want to get in touch? We'd love to hear from you. Contact us today and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.