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Adoption Information

Find out how to adopt a Golden

Thank you for your interest in adopting a Golden Retriever from the Golden Retriever Rescue Club of Charlotte.  If you are interested in adopting a Golden Retriever from GRRCC, the first step is to read, meet and agree to our Adoption Eligibility Requirements below.

First preference is given to applicants within the greater Charlotte-Mecklenburg area, although exceptions can be made for previous adopters, special needs dogs and in certain other situations. We conduct home visits on all applicants and doing this in areas far removed from our Charlotte base is difficult. Please consider this prior to filling out an application.

Second, please read our Adoption Process so you will have an expectation of the timeline and all that goes into finding the right home for a rescued Golden Retriever.

Lastly, review the Adoption Fees. Our fees are based on age of the Golden you may be interested in adopting.  Additionally, there is a $25 non-refundable fee to submit an Adoption Application.  There is no fee for a Foster application.

We trust you understand our policies and hope we will be able to assist you in adopting a Golden through our process.  We look forward to receiving your adoption application.

Adoption Eligibility Requirements

Please read the eligibility requirements

Thank you for your interest in adopting a Golden Retriever from the Golden Retriever Rescue Club of Charlotte. If you are interested in adopting a Golden Retriever from GRRCC, please make sure you read the adoption eligibility requirements on the right carefully. 

We trust you understand our policies and hope we will be able to assist you in adopting a Golden through our process. We look forward to receiving your adoption application.

First preference is given to applicants within the greater Charlotte-Mecklenburg area, although exceptions can be made for previous adopters, special needs dogs and in certain other situations. We conduct home visits on all applicants and doing this in areas far removed from our Charlotte base is difficult.

Adoption Process

If you can comply with our eligibility requirements, the next steps in our process are:

Fill out our online application completely  Please answer all the questions as thoroughly as you can, as this will help us to determine which dog will be a good fit for your home.  There is a $25 non-refundable application fee.  There is no fee for a Foster application.

Background Vet Check  We will contact your vet to make certain that animals you currently own, or have owned in the past, are or have been appropriately cared for, including being:  • spayed or neutered   |   • kept up to date on vaccines    |   • kept on heartworm preventative (dogs only)  |   • yearly physical  |   • proof of heartworm preventative. Please call to your vet to allow us permission to have this discussion with them.

Telephonic Interview  Once we have both your complete application and the required information from your veterinarian, we will call you to conduct a phone interview. It may take 10 days to 2 weeks for us to contact you, so please be patient as we are an all-volunteer organization and we receive and process upwards of 500 applications per year.

Home Visit  The final step in the approval process is a home visit. When practical, one of our volunteers will visit your home to meet all members of your family, pets included. Please note that we are simply looking to “get to know you,” and to be able to see where the dog will be living, not to critique your housekeeping skills!

We make every effort to match out adoptive families with their “perfect” dog. It is easy to see a photo of a dog on our website and “fall in love”, but please be aware that new dogs are constantly entering our care as others are being adopted when they are ready for their forever homes. Therefore, the dog that you see on the website today may actually be unavailable to you, if he or she has recently been met by an approved applicant and a match has been made. We keep the “available dogs” section of our website as current as possible, but there is no guarantee that the dog that interests you will be available to you. It is best to fill out an application and go through the approval process before you choose a dog, as the approval process can take up to 3-6 weeks, depending on how busy we are at any given time, as well as your availability and location.

Please read the biographies on the available dogs carefully. If the bio states, for example, that a certain dog needs a structural fence and another dog for play and company, then we will not place that dog in a home with an invisible fence and no other dog. We do our best to place our dogs in home environments in which they will succeed. Each dog has his or her own personality and needs, and not every home will be a good match for every dog.

Once your home visit has been completed and you are approved to adopt, we will put you in touch with the foster parent(s) of the dog that interests you. If, after a phone conversation with the foster parent(s), it seems that the dog will be a good match for your home, you will then meet the dog. In most cases, we ask that you travel to the foster home to meet the dog. Because the dog will have become comfortable in his or her foster home, you will best be able to see his or her personality there, as opposed to in a strange environment.

In order to be eligible to adopt from Golden Retriever Rescue Club of Charlotte (GRRCC), applicants must:

  • Minimum Age Requirements

    Be at least 21 years of age and living independently

  • Experience

    Demonstratehe ability and commitment to provide proper care, exercise and training for the lifetime of a large dog

  • Trust

    Abide by the terms of the GRRCC adoption contract

  • Fence Requirements

    Have a fenced-in yard large enough to safely exercise the dog. Applicants such as apartment or condo dwellers who do not have yards may apply for an exemption from this requirement unless it is specifically stated in the dog’s biography that a fence is mandatory.

    To satisfy GRRCC’s requirement the fence must:

    • Be constructed of wood (stockade, picket), metal (iron, chain link), PVC, or wooden/metal posts with heavy gauge wire
    • Be a minimum height of 4 feet; 5 feet or higher is preferred
    • Have lockable gates (if applicable)
    • Fenced areas directly accessible from the home are preferred

    At the discretion of the GRRCC adoption team, appropriate senior (age eight and older) or special needs Goldens may be placed in unfenced homes. We rarely place dogs in homes with underground or ‘invisible fences’ and never in homes with ‘radio fences’.  If an invisible fence is to be considered, it must be professionally purchased and installed and have battery back-up.

  • Availability

    If applying to adopt a dog under the age of 3-4 years old, there must be an adult home at times during the day so the dog is not left alone more than 3-4 hours total on an average day

  • Responsibility

    Agree that the dog will never be left in the yard when no one is home, regardless of the type of fencing or shelter provided.  Agree the dog will be given back to GRRCC for any reason if the dog cannot be kept in adopters home.

  • Family Life

    Generally, we do not place a dog in a home with a child under the age of 3-4 years old. Exceptions can be entertained if we have a known background on a dog and know that he/she is proven to be good with children

Adoption Application

Are you ready to complete our Adoption Application?  Great!  Please ensure that you’ve read, and agree to, our Adoption Eligibility Requirements as stated above.  You’ll be asked this in the first question on the Application.  There is a $25 non-refundable application fee for Adoption applications.  There is no fee for a Foster application.

To Our Applicants:

Please be aware that there are fewer Golden Retrievers (and Golden Retriever mixes) coming into our program now than in past years. This holds true for most of the Golden Retriever rescues in the southeast. Whenever possible and when in the best interest of our dogs, we place our dogs with previous GRRCC adopters and/or with applicants in the greater Charlotte area. Additionally, at any given time we have a list of pre-approved applicants waiting to adopt from us. Therefore, the wait for a GRRCC dog could be a significantly longer one than in the past. We appreciate your understanding and support, and we remain committed to helping those Golden Retrievers that become available to us.

Sincerely,
GRRCC Adoption Team

Puppies and Youngsters to 2 years

$ 350
  • 8 Weeks to up to 2 Years old
  • Spaying or Neutering
  • All Current Vaccinations
  • Flea/Tick Treatment
  • Microchip
  • Any necessary medical procedures
  • Honorary Membership (current year)

Adult Dogs (2 – 8 years)

$ 300
  • Goldens 2 years + 1day - 8 years old
  • Spaying or Neutering
  • All Current Vaccinations
  • Flea/Tick Treatment
  • Microchip
  • Any necessary medical procedures
  • Honorary Membership (current year)

Adult Dogs (8 – 10 years)

$ 100
  • Goldens 8 years+1 day - 10 years old
  • Spaying or Neutering
  • All Current Vaccinations
  • Flea/Tick Treatment
  • Microchip
  • Any necessary medical procedures
  • Honorary Membership (current year)

Senior Dogs (10 years +)

$ Donation
  • Goldens over the age of 10
  • A donation in lieu of an adoption fee is greatly appreciated
  • Spaying or Neutering
  • All Current Vaccinations
  • Flea/Tick Treatment
  • Microchip
  • Any necessary medical procedures
  • Honorary Membership (current year)