Adoption

Adoption is an important step in the life of a family and an animal. By adopting you will be saving a life and will have a faithful forever companion.

But before you adopt, consider these questions:

  • Are you prepared to provide your pet with the education, companionship, attention and affection it needs?
  • ⁠Are you prepared to deal with any “messes” at home (especially if you adopt a very young animal)?
  • Are you able to provide your pet with regular veterinary care (vaccinations, internal and external deworming…)?
  • Are you prepared to provide appropriate treatment if your pet needs surgery or has a serious health problem?
  • Do you have enough outdoor space or are you willing to walk your dog several times a day?
  • What will you do with your pet when you want to go on vacation or have to leave?

At Cadela Carlota we follow a specific adoption protocol to ensure that the animal - dog or cat - finds the right family and home.

Requirements for adoption:

  • Be of legal age, proven by an identification document;
  • Sign the adoption contract, with this document you commit to fulfilling a series of obligations as an adopter, such as: providing the dog with the necessary veterinary care, reporting any loss or death, committing not to abandon it or, if you are unable to care for it, contacting the association to return it;
  • Regarding the adoption cost, it is intended to cover part of the veterinary costs: microchip, vaccinations and sterilizations.

Adoption process:

  1. Visit the shelter to meet the animal and speak to the volunteer in charge of adoptions.
    •⁠ ⁠we recommend that, before the animal is taken home, the adopter visits and interacts with it several times until they are familiar with it.

  2. ⁠Arranging and carrying out a home visit.
    If everything is in accordance with our procedures, the following documents are filled in and signed:
    •⁠ ⁠adoption document with all the details of the adopter and the animal;
    •⁠ ⁠the adopter will keep the original and the association a copy;
    •⁠ ⁠microchip registration transfer record - this microchip registration transfer record will be kept by the association so that the microchip can be transferred within the established timeframe.

Adoption protocol for adult animals:

All our animals - dogs or cats - are given up for adoption with their vaccinations up to date, rabies vaccine (in the case of dogs), microchip registered in the name of Cadela Carlota’s and sterilization carried out.

At the time of adoption we ask for the following adoption fees: - Dogs 100,00€ - Cats 40,00€

Adoption protocol for puppies and kittens:

The procedures are the same as for the adoption of adult animals, with puppies and kittens being given up for adoption with the guarantee that Cadela Carlota will complete the following procedures:

•⁠ ⁠the first vaccinations - rabies vaccine (in the case of dogs);
•⁠ ⁠the microchip registered in the name of the association;
•⁠ ⁠sterilization (done after 4 months in the case of cats and 6 months in the case of dogs).

The adopter agrees to take the dog/cat to the shelter, so that the association’s vet can carry out the vaccinations within the established timeframes.
The adopter agrees to take the animal to a clinic in Lagos for sterilization when it is old enough to do so.

The microchip registration will only be changed to the adopter’s name once the animal has been sterilized and has spent three months adapting to the home.

The adoption is then monitored by our volunteers, who will be able to make a second visit to the home, if necessary, and/or periodically request information, photographs and videos of the adopted animal from the family, in order to help with the adaptation process and ensure that everything goes smoothly.

IMPORTANT: if the animal is given up (for whatever reason and at any time), it must always be returned to Cadela Carlota.

Note: the procedures for adoptions by families living outside Portugal or the Algarve will be adjusted accordingly.