Frequently Asked Questions

Unfortunately, we do not discuss our animals with people who do not have an approved application. As you can imagine, we get a lot of inquiries about our animals and we only respond to those who have an approved application to save our time and the potential adopters time. 

No, we do not allow meet and greets before an application is approved. 

Any animal at the rescue is adopted as, aside from the spay/neuter and rabies that may be done after adoption with an agreement. Any health problems or illness once adopted is the owners' responsibility, per the contract that was signed when they were adopted. Horn Creek Rescue, just like other rescues, is not liable for your animal once it leaves the ownership of the rescue. 

The short answer is no, we do not put animals on hold. In some cases, if the animal is waiting only a couple of days, we will, but we will not put an animal on hold longer than that. The stipulation to putting an animal on hold is having an APPROVED application. We do not want the cats to sit in their cages longer than they need to. 

Unfortunately, the rescue does not adopt to families with toddlers or infants for both the safety of the children and the animal. We recommend waiting until the children are at an age where they understand how to treat animals before deciding to adopt an animal. 

We are giving out vaccines and booster shots for cats at 12pm at the Puyallup PetSmart location every Saturday. If you cannot go to the Puyallup location for their booster shots, you will need to get vaccines through your own vet. 

Although we always hope that when you adopt from us your animal is the perfect match for you, we understand that sometimes this isn't the case. Unfortunately, if you surrender the animal back to the rescue, per the contract, you forfeit the adoption fee. 

No, we do not allow trial periods with dogs or even cats. We do not agree to foster to adopts as well. If you are interested in an animal, please only adopt if you are certain. 

We try as best we can to help those who can no longer take care of their pets. Our resources and space are limited, so we require a meeting to discuss why you are needing to surrender your pet. If we cannot take your pet, we can direct you to other places who can. 

Unfortunately, you signed multiple contracts stating the animal is your financial responsibility after the animal is released in your care. When you adopt, there is always the risk of medical issues developing after adoption that the rescue was not aware of. We do our best to check the wellness of our animals and keep them up to date on vaccines, but accidents and illnesses do happen, and the financial responsibility is yours. 

Yes, we do require dogs to have a fenced yard so they have the best life possible. If you are adopting a small dog (under 15 pounds), we may consider adopting without that requirement. 

No, we cannot accept payments for an adoption. The adoption fee needs to be paid in full before we can release the animal to you. The rescue will only accept payments with special permission from the owner of the rescue. 

*This option will no longer be available in the new year.* Yes, the rescue does administer select maintenance vaccines for up to a year after adoption. This does not include the rabies vaccine. The vaccines that are labeled as maintenance vaccines are: Bordatella, Flea, Tick, and Mite treatment (Revolution), 9-Way Vaccines for cats, Hookworm and Roundworm treatments, and Distemper/Parvo.  

Yes! We would love for you to foster one of our dogs. We require an application to make sure we give you a dog that suits your household. If you foster, we also require you to have a fenced yard and an approval from your landlord, if applicable. 

Unfortunately, there are limited opportunities to volunteer to work with the dogs at the rescue. We are a foster-based rescue, so we hold adoption events that are managed by the owner and a rescue coordinator, so we only need volunteers in the cat centers.