An incredibly heartfelt THANK YOU to those of you who are reaching out in an effort to help place animals during this challenging time. It occurred to me that it might be helpful to post our major adoption criteria -- otherwise, we'll have people calling from Texas who want backyard ponies; breeders and birthday party outfits and riding camps and all sorts of other applicants we'd never consider.
Our adoption process consists of the following steps, in order. While it may seem cumbersome, hundreds of homes have passed with flying colors and now enjoy the companionship of one or more delightful critters. So please be patient (depending on your schedule, the process can take as little as a week) and understand that it's our job to ensure that each animal goes to an exceptional home.
1. a completed application (http://www.casanctuary.org)
2. a telephone interview
3. a visit to CAS to meet the animals to determine whether we have an animal or animals that would be a good match for you and your situation. We encourage you to ask as many questions as possible at this time, and to view the animal's medical file.
4. a visit by our "Home Visitors," who will assess whether your land, barn, pasture, etc. meet our criteria.
5. final selection of your animal
6. delivery of animal, payment of adoption fee, signing of adoption contract
7. post-adoption follow-up visit (within six months of adoption)
Catskill Animal Sanctuary currently has over 150 delightful farm animals from 12 different species (cows, goats, horses, donkeys, mules, chickens, turkeys, ducks, sheep, farm pigs, potbellied pigs, rabbits) available for adoption as pets only to exceptional homes. We are specifically looking for people eager to make an animal--whether cow or rabbit, horse or duck--part of their family.
Adoption criteria include the following:
1. adopters must live within 90 minutes of Saugerties, NY
2. adopter must reside full-time at his/her residence
3. space and shelter requirements vary by species, but require that the animal have ample room to run, graze, relax, and be protected from extreme weather and predators (example: minimum acreage requirement for cows and horses is 1 acre per animal. We do not adopt to homes who want to keep animals in smal backyard pens.)
4. adoption is for the life of the animal only. Under no circumstances may the animal be sold, given away, auctioned, or bartered. If the adopter can no longer provide a loving home for her animal, the animal must be returned to Catskill Animal Sanctuary.
5. We prefer homes experienced with the personalities, needs, and health issues of the various species. While we certainly make exceptions, in general we are reluctant to adopt animals to "first timers." For those exceptional first-timers, CAS is happy to advise regarding type of fencing, type of shelter, etc.
6.Breeders, petting zoos, riding camps, and other facilities that use animals for financial gain are not eligible.
7. As a general rule, we strongly prefer homes where the adopted animal will have a companion of his/her species. Exceptions are occasionally made that have to do with an individual animal's personality and preferences.
For those who meet the above criteria, we currently have over 20 horses available for adoption. Most are older and suitable only as companions; however, we do have eight horses suitable for pleasure riding (with some further training). We also have some delightful rabbits, a goat to die for, a family of cows who'd love to live in your house (just kidding, of course...but you get the point), farm pigs and potbellies...and so on.
We will post regular updates about the miniature horses.
Adoption applications may be completed at http://www.casanctuary.org. We will contact you within 48 hours of receipt of your application to begin the process.
Thanks, everyone.