A volunteer will come to your home at your convenience to meet with you and all household members to discuss adoption. The volunteer will be looking to verify the information on your application. If you have a fenced yard, he or she will check the fence to see if it is secure. Anyone who lives in the house is required to be present. This visit will give you a chance to ask any questions you may have and to talk with the volunteer about what you can expect when you rescue a poodle.

No. We do not adopt on a first come first served basis. We evaluate each dog and each potential adopter on a case-by-case basis. We are looking for the best home for each dog regardless of when your application was received. Please remember that we are representing the dog and it is our responsibility to find the best home possible.

Toy Poodles (under 10 lbs), Mini Poodles (10 – 25 lbs) and Standard Poodles (40 lbs – 60 lbs). Most of our dogs are adult dogs. The average age of our rescue poodles is 5 years old and many of our dogs are 8 years or older. Sometimes we rescue poodle mixes. Please note that puppies rarely come into our program.

Poodle Rescue of New England requires that all animals are spayed or neutered. Unaltered animals run a higher risk of cancer and other health related illnesses. In addition, millions of dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters annually. Spaying and neutering are the only permanent, 100-percent effective method of birth control for dogs and cats, thereby reducing the number of homeless animals. Spaying and neutering are responsible pet ownership.

Sometimes. Poodle Rescue of New England prefers that all of our dogs have a securely fenced yard to play and run safely in. We will require a fenced yard if you live on a busy road or the dog you are interested in is “high energy”. However, if you do not have a fence but you have a plan for the proper exercise for a dog, we may still consider you for adoption. Poodle Rescue of New England will not place dogs in a home with an electric/underground fence. An electric fence is not a barrier fence.

Every dog that is adopted will be spayed or neutered. They will also be up-to-date on all shots and any necessary veterinary care will have been taken care of. Any known continuing health concerns will be disclosed prior to adoption. PRNE spends anywhere from $500 to $1,800+ for basic medical care. This does not include specialty visits (ophthalmology, neurology, cardiology, etc.). These visits can run into the thousands.

No. Poodle Rescue of New England is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization made up of people who love poodles. We have no central office or shelter facility.

Poodle Rescue of New England does not have a shelter. All of our dogs are in foster homes across New England. You must submit an application to be considered for adoption. Click here to read about our adoption process. You can see some of our available dogs on our website.

The adoption donation ranges from $300-$800. Donations for special needs and senior poodles may vary.

The Poodle Rescue of New England hotline is not for general inquiries. General inquiries should be made via e-mail. Please be sensitive to the fact that we are an all volunteer organization and a response may not be immediate. The hotline has two purposes:

If you are interested in adopting a poodle and are unable to apply online or to print the application from our website please leave your name and address on the hotline so we can send an application to you.

If you need to surrender a poodle to PRNE, please leave your name and phone number on the hotline, along with a brief description of the situation and we will get back to you within 48 hours to discuss our program.

In addition to not providing a safe and secure barrier between wild life, other dogs, individuals wishing to do harm, cars, etc., dogs wearing shock collars can suffer from physical pain and injury (ranging from burns to cardiac fibrillation) and psychological stress, including severe anxiety and displaced aggression. Individual animals vary in their temperaments and pain thresholds; a shock that seems mild to one dog may be severe to another. The anxiety and confusion caused by repeated shocks can lead to changes in the heart and respiration rate or gastrointestinal disorders. Electronic collars can also malfunction, either administering nonstop shocks or delivering no shocks at all. PRNE does NOT advocate the use of shock collars or electric/underground/invisible fencing (which is all initially trained by the use of shock/vibration and then noise). Our policy is firm as outlined on our website and application page.

PLEASE CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY! Contact either our hotline at 617-628-1425 or the foster volunteer who placed the poodle with you. Poodle Rescue of New England will ALWAYS take back any dog we have placed for ANY reason at ANY time. We understand that sometimes a match is not exactly right. There are numerous reasons why a particular poodle may not work out in a new home. Our Adoption Contract states that you must return the dog to Poodle Rescue of New England. View the rules under the sample adoption contract The dog cannot be given to someone else. It cannot be turned in at a shelter. If the dog is not working out it MUST come back to Poodle Rescue of New England. We will then put you back on our active adopter’s list and we will contact you when a poodle comes into our program that better suits your home and family.

Due to Poodle Rescue of New England’s emphasis on safety, we take great care when placing poodles into homes with children. Poodles who are strays, who have had no exposure to children or who were given up due to characteristics that are incompatible with children, will not be placed them into homes with children under 10. Some cases (very few) where we know for sure that a dog came from a home with children under 10 and was fine with them, we may make an exception. However, it’s on a case by case basis and is up to our discretion. Please be mindful when applying and if you have questions about a particular dog, please email first.

No. Our adoption donations are set to allow us to help as many dogs as possible. We frequently get dogs that require extensive veterinary work and sometimes surgery. This donation allows us to provide care to as many poodles as necessary.

No, the contract must be signed as is with no alterations. Our Adoption Contract is written in the best interest of the dog. We urge people interested in adopting to closely read the sample Adoption Contract. Please make sure you are comfortable with the terms and conditions of this contract prior to applying to adopt. The sample on the website is just that – a sample. We reserve the right to make changes at any time and to make alterations if needed for a particular dog and his/her situation. A personalized copy of the contract will be given to adopters at the time of adoption.