Adoption FAQs

What are your adoption fees?

Our adoption fees vary per animal and are listed on the profile for each animal. Please just click on their picture/bio for more information.

Where are you located? 

Lucky 13 Rescue does not have a physical location.  All of our dogs live in loving foster homes throughout the Kansas City area. This allows fosters to get to know each dog personally, so we can find the very best home for them.

What are your hours?

As a foster based rescue, every person with Lucky 13 Rescue is a volunteer. Because we do not have a facility, we do not have “open” hours but can be contacted between 8am and 9pm. Because our volunteers also work full time jobs, please be patient when awaiting a return call. 

What is the best way to reach Lucky 13 Rescue?

The best way to reach us is to email at info@lucky13rescue.org or to Facebook Message us.  While we do have a phone number, we rely on a volunteer to answer the phone at certain hours.  Emails are answered quickly.  You can contact our adoption coordinator at adoptions@lucky13rescue.org.

Can I stop in to visit dogs and play with puppies?

No. We require an approved application to be on file before meeting our dogs/puppies. In addition, our dogs live in foster homes, so we must work around the foster parents’ schedule.

How do I apply to adopt?

Apply with the online application found on the animal’s profile or go here.

How long does the application process take?

The time that approval takes can be dependent on how quickly we are able to confirm your landlord, veterinarian, and reference checks. Adoption time is also dependent upon everyone’s schedule for the introduction and home visit. Please keep in mind that we are a volunteer run organization so schedules can vary. If everything goes as it should, approval takes about 48 hours, and the time from application to adoption can all happen within a week.

How do I know if the dog that I want is available?

Each dog is available unless “pending adoption” is listed on their photo/bio. We process applications in the order in which they were received, and schedule meet and greets accordingly. There is a possibility that the dog is not yet on hold but does have an application in front of yours. 

Can you hold a dog for me?

We can only hold a dog/puppy for an adopter if they are not yet ready to be adopted. If the dog/puppy has been spayed or neutered and is ready to go home, we cannot hold them for more than 24 hours once you have met with them. As for puppies who are not ready to go to their forever homes just yet, they will be put on hold after a meet and greet until they are ready to go home.  We will require their adoption fee to be paid as a deposit. This fee is not refundable if you change your mind. We cannot hold them past this date. Please meet the puppy/dog as soon as possible. If you can't meet the dog/puppy for a week, it's possible that someone else may meet the them before you are able to.  We cannot hold a dog/puppy for you while waiting for you to meet them, when there are other interested parties.  After a meet and greet, please let us know within 24 hours if you would like to adopt the dog/puppy that you met.  If you do not notify the foster, or email/call Lucky 13 Rescue within 24 hours of your meet and greet, we may move on to the next application.  We will not notify you before moving on, as it is up to you to contact us within 24 hours. 

What is your process?

Our first step in the process is to have you fill out an application. Please fill it out completely, as incomplete applications will NOT be processed. Lucky 13 Rescue is made up of an entirely volunteer "staff". We simply do not have the man power to track down missing answers. Once your application is approved, we will forward your information to the foster. All of our fosters are volunteers who have families and jobs, so please allow 24 hours for the foster to contact you, after application approval. We do the majority of our communicating thru email, so please add to your "safe" list to ensure you get our emails and can respond in a timely manner. The foster will set up a time for you to come meet the dog/puppy that you are interested in.  If the foster attempts to contact you and leaves a message, please return their call within 24 hours. After that time, we may move on to the next applicant in line. Please plan to schedule this meeting within 48 hours of contact with the foster. If the meet and greet goes well, and the foster believes you are a good fit for the dog, the dog will be put on hold for you. We will then schedule a volunteer to contact you to schedule a home visit. You will then be notified of the date and time that you may pick up your new family member.

Can the foster bring the dog to my home to meet me?

For puppies, we require that the meet and greet take place at the fosters’ location. This is to protect the health of the puppies in our care. You are welcome to bring your fully vaccinated dog to the meet and greet. Meet and greets for adult dogs may be scheduled in a neutral location.

Am I required to have a fenced yard?

We do not require that you have a fence, we do require that you have a plan for how the dog will receive adequate exercise. Some dogs will require a fence, and we will give that information in their bio on the website.

What is included in the adoption fee?

All of our animals come up to date on age appropriate vaccines, which include: Canine Distemper, Adenovirus Type 1, Adenovirus Type 2 (Respiratory Disease), Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus. If puppies are adopted at a young age, they will still require a puppy booster vaccination of which the adopting family will be responsible for.

Rabies is included for those over 4 months. Our dogs over 6 months of age are tested for heartworms and if negative, kept on heartworm prevention throughout their stay. (After adopters are asked to continue this very important prevention). If dogs test positive for heartworms, they are treated per our vet partners' recommendation. All dogs/puppies are kept on flea prevention for the length of their stay with us. Our dogs/puppies all come spayed or neutered and microchipped. NO animals will be sent home without being spayed or neutered, there are no exceptions to this policy. 

What is the dog/puppy I’m interested mixed with?

In most cases, visual breed identification is unreliable, even by “trained” eyes. So, for the majority of the dogs/puppies, we are merely guessing, with our vets' assistance, at the predominant breed or a mix of breeds based on certain features. This is only a guess, and no guarantees are made as to the breed of the dog unless we have done a DNA test. If you live in a breed ban area, it is your responsibility to make sure the dog does not violate the requirement of your city. All of the information that we have is given to you. So, if a dog is listed as a Pointer mix, that means it’s features most resemble a Pointer, and we have no way of knowing for sure what else the dog may be mixed with. We strive to get to know each dog on a personal level, and describe them based on behavior and personality, rather than simply by breed. 

Where does my donation/adoption fee go? 

We are completely foster based and run 100% by volunteer. Every hour spent running Lucky 13 Rescue is spent by a volunteer. This means we have no overhead and every dollar brought in goes directly back to the dogs in our care.