Adoption FAQs | Pacific Pug Rescue

Most of our adoptions are in OR, WA, ID, CA & B.C. However, as long as we are able to arrange a home visit in your area and you, your family and current dogs are able to travel to Portland for the meet and greet, you can be considered for adoption. If you travel by airplane the pug must be transported either under the seat or a ticket must be purchased for the pug to ride in the passenger compartment. Pugs cannot be flown in a cargo area. WE DO NOT TRANSPORT OUR PUGS!
If you require a certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI), you will be required to pay the $75 fee to obtain the certificate.

If you have adopted a pug from us in the last two years and wish to adopt again, please fill out this simplified application.

No, we do not allow trial adoptions. The transition to a new home is always a difficult time for a pet. We feel that our screening process and the careful matching of pug personalities with the family is sufficient to determine if the adoption will work. We pride ourselves on making great matches! With that said, you are required to return the pug to us if for whatever reason the adoption does not work out

Our veterinarian examines every pug that comes into the rescue. We spend an average of $1,865 on every pug that comes in. All vaccinations are done and spaying and neutering if necessary. If it is determined by the vet that dental services are required they are also performed. Each pug has a full blood panel, urine and stool sampling. If the pug is not micro chipped one is placed. Any other medical issues such as removal of tumors, biopsies, treatment of ear infections etc. are also treated. Although some of the pugs that come into rescue do not need all these treatments, there are others that require even more extensive treatment. If you have ever owned an animal you are certainly aware of the costs associated with these services. In order for the rescue to continue to work, our adoption donations and fund raising efforts must cover these costs.

No we do not accept payment plans. The entire adoption donation is due when you pick up your new friend.

Rarely. We are a rescue and it is not very common for pugs under the age of 1 to be in the rescue. However, it does happen on occasion. If you want to rescue a pug puppy, please be prepared for a long wait.

Our pugs live in foster homes throughout the Portland/Vancouver area. We are not a shelter and we feel that pugs do best in a home environment, being loved and cared for by our wonderful team of foster parents. As a result, we don't schedule meet and greets until a potential match has been made. We occasionally will be at public events with foster dogs around the area but we do not adopt directly from these events because we require a home visit, meet and greet, and 24 hour waiting period prior to adoption placement.

We do a home visit once we have matched you with a pug. If you are local, one of our volunteers (most often the foster parent of the pug) will bring the pug to your home for a meet and greet and home visit. We require all members of the household to be present, including the pets. During this visit, the volunteer will tour your home and yard to ensure it is a safe environment for a pug. If you are not local, we may have a volunteer in your area that will do a home visit for us. If not, we will do a virtual home visit via Skype. All out of area adopters are required to travel to Portland for an official meet and greet.

We will notify you within 48 hours that we have received your application. The application process will go very smoothly if you take the time to answer every question. The time it takes to process the application is shortened by the effort you place in completing the application. Unanswered questions or incomplete information will result in a delay. It is your responsibility to notify your references and your vet that they will receive a request for a reference. PLEASE BE PATIENT! We are all volunteers who also have full time jobs, families and dogs of our own. Please do not call our phone number requesting information about your application. Any inquiries can be directed to adoptions@pacificpugrescue.org. We make every effort to respond to you in a timely fashion.

If you are very specific about the type of pug you are willing to adopt, please be prepared to wait. For example if you will only accept a black female under the age of 3 that is healthy and housetrained you will have to wait many many months. Since we accept any pug regardless of age or infirmity, we have no control over the variety or characteristics of the pugs we have available. The more flexible you are, the more quickly we can work together to make a match that is suitable for your home. We process many more applications than we have pugs available. We wish we could have a pug for everyone that wants one, but that is simply not the case. Please understand that our primary obligation is to the pugs entrusted in our care. While we realize our screening process may seem extensive and may occasionally (and unfortunately) eliminate some good homes, it is a process that has been developed through years of experience and we stand firmly behind it. The average wait to adopt a young healthy pug has been averaging about 6 months give or take. Being flexible can drastically cut your wait time.

There are many factors that come into play when choosing a home for a adoptable pug. Our first priority is always the pug! The foster parents will give us feedback on their opinion for the best home, we also use the past history of the pug. We will always choose applicants off the preapproved wait list if there is a compatible match. If there are multiple good matches for a pug, the person who has been waiting the longest to adopt will be selected. We do not “play favorites” or give special treatment to anyone. We pride ourselves on being fair, and non-discriminatory.