Adoption FAQ

I’ve just submitted an adoption application form. When will I hear back?

We are a small team of volunteers and due to limited resources and the large volume of applications and emails we receive, we are not able to respond to all applicants about their application status. We are only able to contact those applicants who have been assessed to be the best match for the dog/cat they applied for. Please ensure that you have emailed us photos (heartandsouldogandcatrescue@gmail.com) of your home (anywhere the dog/cat would have access to) as a virtual home check to complete your application for assessment.

Why do you need photos of my home?

We want to ensure that these dogs/cats that we’ve poured so much love and care into are placed into a home that is suitable and safe for them.

I am interested in a dog(s)/cat(s) on your website. Can I meet it/them?

All of our dogs/cats are in foster homes, and we do not have a physical shelter facility. For this reason, we can only book meet and greets with one dog/cat at a time, and they are by appointment-only with those applicants who have submitted a complete adoption application form and have been assessed to be a good match for the dog/cat they applied for. Meet and greets take place in Abbotsford. If you are interested in meeting any of our adoptable dogs/cats, please fill out an adoption application form. We are also partnered with Catfe, where 20-25 of our adoptable cats are housed while they await adoption into their furever homes. The cats there can be visited 7 days a week (admission fee applies, please check their website for details).

How can I meet several dogs/cats at the same time?

We host adoption events where many cats (and sometimes dogs) are in attendance. Please follow us on Facebook or Instagram to stay up-to-date on when the next adoption event will be happening. Adoption events take place in Abbotsford. We are also partnered with Catfe, where 20-25 of our adoptable cats are housed while they await adoption into their furever homes. The cats there can be visited 7 days a week (admission fee applies, please check their website for details).

The dog/cat I am interested in is not on the website.

All of our adoptable dogs/cats are posted on our website. If you do not see it on the website, it has likely been adopted or is currently not available for adoption due to illness or other reasons.

The dog/cat I’m interested in has not yet been spayed/neutered. Is the spay/neuter included in the adoption fee?

You will receive a spay/neuter certificate to have your Heart and Soul dog/cat spayed/neutered at one of our designated vets in Abbotsford once he/she is of age (around 5 months for cats, 6 months for dogs). If you live closer to Surrey, we may be able to arrange for the procedure to be done at our vet in Surrey depending on availability.

I am looking for a dog/cat with these characteristics. Do you have any suitable matches? Can you let me know when you have a dog/cat that matches this description?

All of our adoptable dogs/cats are posted on our website under the “Adoptable Dogs” and “Adoptable Cats” sections respectively. If you tap/click on each dog/cat, you will be able view more details about them. Their profiles are written by our fosters who know them best. If you have any questions about a specific dog/cat, we will try our best to answer them. We have a couple hundred dogs/cats in our care, and we are a small team of volunteers with limited resources, so in most cases we are not able to provide suggestions, match you with a dog/cat based on the description, or notify you of any newly adoptable dogs/cats that match the description.

What is this dog/cat’s story or history?

The dogs/cats that come into our rescue are generally either local surrenders, or they have been sent to us from one of our rescue partners from another province. We often receive very little information on their background, only that they are in need of love and care. They may have come from a home that can no longer care for them, or they may be a stray from a rural northern community suffering from serious overpopulation of unwanted animals and little to no access to vet care. We may not know the details of their history, but we know that they all have one thing in common - they needed us to help give them a second chance at a life where they would be safe, warm, fed, and loved.

What is this dog’s breed or size once fully grown?

We very rarely have a history on the dogs/pups that come into our care. We will sometimes know what the mom looks like if she came into the rescue with her pups, or if she came to us pregnant and the pups were born while in the rescue’s care. We do not know what the dad looks like and the moms are most often mixed breed themselves, so it is difficult for us to know exactly what breeds the dogs are, and therefore the size of the dog once fully grown. Breeds are most often a best guess. Most of the dogs coming into our care are medium-large in size. Common breeds in the rural northern communities where some of our dogs come from, are some mix of: Shepherd, Husky, Lab, or Retriever, amongst others.