Frequently Asked Questions
Adoption Process
What is the adoption process?
Foothills Animal Rescue practices conversation-based adoptions. Adoption consultations are now available for walk-ins daily from 10 am to 5 pm. Adoptions are conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. You will be greeted in the front lobby by a Foothills Animal Rescue representative, who will ask if there are any animals in particular you are looking for. You will then go and meet the animal you are interested in and discuss with the FAR representative about the animal, your lifestyle and get guidance on how to welcome that pet into your home.
We highly recommend that you bring your owned pets and anyone who lives in the home with you to the meet and greet, it is not required. You also always have the option to “foster to adopt” to bring the pet home and give it an adjustment period before making the final decision. When you do make the decision to adopt, you will meet back in the lobby and finalize paperwork and pay the adoption fee.
What is the adoption fee, and what does it include?
Adoption fees range from $0 – $300 depending on the animal and age. Please refer to the adoption page for the detailed information. All adoption fees include vaccinations, microchip and the spay/neuter procedure.
Has this animal undergone any behavioral testing?
All animals that come into our care undergo an intake examination, which includes a behavioral and a basic physical examination.
What is this pet's personality like?
Although staff and volunteers will tell you as much as we know about their personality at the shelter, behaviors can be very different at the shelter versus a home environment. Behaviors are not guaranteed and training is always recommended.
Can the shelter hold a pet for me?
Foothills Animal Rescue cannot hold a pet.
What is the return policy?
Foothills Animal Rescue will always try to take a pet back if the adoption does not work out, regardless of the time frame. All adoption returns have to be coordinated with staff and cannot guarantee the timing of the intake, due to limited capacity.
Surrendering a Pet
How do I surrender my pet? Will you rehome my pet?
Foothills Animal Rescue is a managed admissions shelter. If and when we have space available we will bring animals into our shetler for evaluation. Evaluations are not a guarantee for intake/rehoming.
All surrender applications will be reviewed within 7 business days. Responses and approvals are not guaranteed. Staff will contact you if we have the ability to schedule an intake evaluation.
Are there alternatives to surrendering my pet?
Yes, there are multiple options and resources available.
- Home to Home is an online platform that helps you rehome your pet/s directly.
- The Arizona Pet Project creates systemic change and provides resources, so no families are forced to balance their own basic needs of food, shelter, and safety and the needs of their companion animals, often the only meaningful connection they have.
What information do I need to provide?
You should be prepared to give details about your pet’s name, age, breed, and medical history. This helps staff provide the best care and find the right home.
Finding a Pet
I found a dog, what do I do?
Foothills Animal Rescue does not hold stray animals. Your first step when you find a stray dog is to check for a microchip. You can bring the dog to the shelter to get it scanned and help you look up the owner information. The second step is to report the found animal. Register the found pet with Petco Love Lost. The owner may be able to view potential matches using facial recognition technology to search their national database. You can also look at Petco Love Lost’s Stray Map Tool to see recently lost pets in your area.
- If the pet has a tag, you can use Docupet’s tag lookup tool to report the found pet.
- If you still cannot find the owner, you have to make an appointment with Maricopa Animal Care and Control.
Share on social media:
- 24PetConnect: All animals found are also reported on this database.
- Nextdoor: A community website/app where you can spread the word about your lost/found pet.
- Neighbors by Ring: An app where you can spread the word about your lost/found pet.
- Pet FBI: A free database for lost and found pets.
- Straydar on Facebook: A Facebook group dedicated to posting lost and found pets in Arizona.
- Craigslist
- @NoLostPetsMC: An automated X/Twitter account posting real-time tweets of found pets.
I found a cat, what do I do?
Cats are notoriously good at navigating back home. It is only recommended that you intervene when/if the cat is in distress. If the cat is in distress and you decide to intervene, you will follow the same procedure as mentioned above with the found dog.
- If the pet has a tag, you can use Docupet’s tag lookup tool to report the found pet.
- If you still cannot find the owner, you have to make an appointment with Maricopa Animal Care and Control.
Share on social media:
- 24PetConnect: All animals found are also reported on this database.
- Nextdoor: A community website/app where you can spread the word about your lost/found pet.
- Neighbors by Ring: An app where you can spread the word about your lost/found pet.
- Pet FBI: A free database for lost and found pets.
- Straydar on Facebook: A Facebook group dedicated to posting lost and found pets in Arizona.
- Craigslist
- @NoLostPetsMC: An automated X/Twitter account posting real-time tweets of found pets.
I found a litter of kittens, what do I do?
Best practice when finding a litter of kittens, first monitor them from a distance for several hours (4-12 Hours) to ensure the mother returns, as she is the best caregiver. If the mother doesn’t return, or if the kittens are in immediate danger. Safely put the kittens in a carrier. Contact Foothills Animal Rescue to see if we can help. Depending on the age of the kittens, capacity of the shelter, we may not be able to help, but will give you other options to explore.
I lost a pet, what do I do?
Register the lost pet with Petco Love Lost.
Share and search on the following:
- 24PetConnect: All animals found are also reported on this database.
- Nextdoor: A community website/app where you can spread the word about your lost/found pet.
- Neighbors by Ring: An app where you can spread the word about your lost/found pet.
- Pet FBI: A free database for lost and found pets.
- Straydar on Facebook: A Facebook group dedicated to posting lost and found pets in Arizona.
- Craigslist
- @NoLostPetsMC: An automated X/Twitter account posting real-time tweets of found pets.
Volunteering
What volunteer opportunities are available?
At Foothills Animal Rescue, our volunteer needs change throughout the year. We consistently are looking for volunteers for our resale stores and our cat care volunteers at our partner Petco Location (Tatum and Bell). Check the volunteer page.
Are there age requirements for volunteers?
Volunteers must be at least 18 years old.
Is training provided?
Orientation and training are required for all volunteers.
Can I do court-mandated community service?
Unfortunately, we do not.
About the Shelter and Donations
What are the shelter's hours of operation?
We have staff and volunteers at the shelter between 8am-6pm daily. Adoption hours are posted on our adoption page.
Is this a "no-kill" shelter?
“No-Kill” status is defined by a 90% or more save rate. Foothills Animal Rescue maintains well above that standard due to our managed admissions intake model.
What resources does the shelter offer?
Foothills Animal Rescue is primarily an adoption agency, we do not currently have other resources available.
How does the shelter use donations?
All cash donations are used for general operations. We invest heavily in our enrichment and medical programs.
Do you pick up donations?
No, we do not have the capacity to pick up donations. We kindly ask that you drop off all item donations to our resale stores (Daisy’s Rescued Goods) or send in donations to Foothills Animal Rescue 10197 E Bell Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85260
What kind of donations do you accept?
Foothills Animal Rescue appreciates your generous donations. Besides cash donations, we accept new and gently used items at our resale stores. All pet food donations are sorted. We must keep the diet consistent for the animals in our care and so we will keep any donated pet food that we use to feed our animals. All other pet food donations are passed onto other organizations.
Donations of securities, real estate and life insurance policies are also accepted.