ADOPTION FAQ
Please look through this list for answers to our most commonly asked questions before leaving a comment on a post or sending us a message. Due to high volumes of questions and the fact that we are a volunteer run rescue, we may not have the time to answer each question individually, and most of your questions may already be answered here.
Q: Can I rescue a puppy? Can I have a puppy? Can I buy a puppy?
A: There is no such thing as a “rescue puppy” and the emails we receive asking to rescue a puppy are deleted. If you’re here looking for a cheap alternative to a breeder to get a puppy, you’re in the wrong place. Any young dogs we do take in are completely untrained and may have nipping, biting, housebreaking or other health issues. They are adopted to those with corgi/herding experience. Corgi puppies are cute, we wholeheartedly agree. If you are looking for a puppy, we would encourage you first to do your own research on the breed and on breeders.
Q: What Kind of Research. Can You Give Me the Corgi Cliffs Notes Version?
A: Corgis are not an “easy dog”. They are extremely intelligent and independent, they need lots of mental stimulation, and are best suited to homes where they can have some sort of job. Bored corgis destroy things, herd animals and children, and develop behavioral issues if their needs are not met. Corgis are also well known for barking, shedding 12 months out of the year, and are prone to genetic defects that can develop into serious medical issues if they are bred improperly.
If you have done your due diligence and think that your home would be a good fit for a corgi puppy then reach out to your local corgi club and find their list of reputable breeders. We do not shun breeders if they are breeding for the right reasons. We love good breeders, and without them, no one would get to share their home and heart with these wonderful dogs. We do not support backyard breeders and puppy mills who don’t test their animals for genetic diseases, over breed, and keep their animals in horrid conditions just to make a quick buck. Many of the dogs we receive come from the rampant puppy mills in Pennsylvania.
Q: To what states will you place dogs for adoption?
A: We are only able to adopt to DC, MD, VA, PA, DE, or NJ. We only adopt to these states because all of the ECCR team are based in or near one of these states. In special cases, such as a dog with medical needs that require owners with relevant experience, where we are unable to find a home in those states, we will consider other surrounding states. If those special cases come up, we will make a post about it on social media.
Q: How much does it cost? Do you have any corgis for sale? How much are adoption fees?
A: We are not in the business of selling dogs. We take in surrendered corgis and corgi mixes, observe and vet them, then match them to the family that would be best suited to the specific corgi’s needs. Adoption fees range from $300 - $650 depending on age. East Coast Corgi Rescue is run by volunteers, and none of us receive a dime in compensation. 100% of adoption fees and donations go toward vetting the dogs. Each year we post our financials on Facebook, and each year we spend more in vetting than we take into the rescue on adoption fees. Thus, we do not offer payment plans or discounts.
Q: I have small children, is that ok?
A: We don't adopt to families with children under 5 unless they have a lot of corgi experience, and we get a perfect child-loving corgi. If you are familiar with rescue, you know that we rarely-to-never get perfect dogs. The vast majority of the dogs we take in are ones that have medical or behavioral issues and they need to be around humans that understand them and their needs. We know that there are corgis out there that have grown up with, and are wonderful around small children, but that is a rarity for the corgis that come to us. One of the most common reasons for surrender is that the dog is herding or nipping at small children in the home.
Q: I want to put in an application to adopt, what is the process?
A: We open our adoption application in cycles to alleviate the work load on us and to set reasonable expectations for you as the applicant. When the applications are open, we announce it on Facebook and Instagram, and our "Adopt" page will have the link. Our application review can sometimes take weeks to months. If your application appears to be great for a corgi, we will contact you to conduct a home visit. Once complete, we then call for a vet check.
Once we successfully clear those two steps, you will be approved! You will receive an email. Then we keep your application on file until we have a dog that will be the best fit for your home. When we choose you for a dog, we will contact you via email and then host a conversation on Facebook with the foster. Then we move to an in-person meeting. If everything goes well, you take the corgi for a week. After a trial week, if you say this is your new family member, we finalize the adoption electronically.
Q: If your applications are closed why do you post dogs? I see one I want!
A: We like to keep our followers updated with the dogs that we are taking into the rescue. We match dogs to the homes that will be the best fit for them. This can end up being a long process, but please don’t be discouraged, we promise the right match is worth the wait! If you are interested in adopting with us in the future, follow us on Facebook!
Q: You have posted a dog on Facebook that I am interested in, and you have already notified me that I have an approved application on file. What can I do to let you know I am interested in a specific dog?
A: Please make sure you read the entire post about the dog before sending us a message. Sometimes we have already decided on a potential adopter when we make a post about a dog, or we are looking for someone specific for the dog and we will note that in the post. If you don’t see anything citing otherwise, feel free to reach out to us. You can comment on the post and/or send us a message or email. We can't guarantee that we will feel you are the best option for the dog, but your enthusiasm definitely helps!
Q: I’m not able to adopt a dog at this time, but want to help out with fostering or transporting, where do I sign up?
A: Our fosters and transporters are one of the most important parts of our rescue and are the reason why we are able to help as many dogs as we do. Thank you for wanting to be a part of our team! We are always in need of transporters and qualified fosters. If you have the free time and would love to transport or have the time and herding breed experience to open your heart and home to fostering, then please fill out an application on our website. Please be advised: As with adoption applications, we may not accept your foster application if you are out of our fostering area (exceptions are made for emergency situations) or if you have children under 5 in the home.
Q: I cannot adopt, foster, or transport at this time, but want to volunteer to help with events. How can I do that?
A: Thank you for wanting to donate your time to us! Please fill out the foster/transport application on our website and indicate in the first text box that you are interested in volunteering for events. We will post to our volunteer group which will post updates when we need help with events.
Q: How can I donate money?
A: We appreciate you so much! We are a 100% volunteer run rescue, and we do not take salaries. Many of us are working full time jobs, have families and other commitments and we give all our extra time, money and effort for the love of these dogs. Rest assured 100% of your donations go to vetting and rehoming the dogs we rescue. There are many ways to donate: On our main website you can find a donate button below the top right corner. If you follow our Facebook page, from time to time we will make posts for fundraisers for specific dogs or fundraisers selling items from other websites. Hit the donate button on posts or follow the instructions on the posts to donate. You can also create your own fundraiser for us through Facebook at any time, but the most popular way is on your birthday.
Q: I want to meet a specific dog, where are you located?
A: While we are based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, we do not have a physical boarding location. We have a network of board members and fosters spread out in the DC, MD, VA, PA, DE, NJ area. For the safety and privacy of our volunteers, we do not share the locations of dogs in our care. If you have filled out an application and are selected for a dog, we will help to arrange transport to get that dog to you.
Q: You don’t adopt to my state, can you recommend an organization that does?
A: If you are in NC, SC or GA we highly recommend our friends at Southeast Corgi Rescue. If you have tried other rescues without luck then we recommend first looking up your local area corgi club. They sometimes handle rehoming and can usually recommend rescues in their area.
Q: I don’t have dog or corgi experience, why won’t you allow me to adopt a dog from ECCR?
A: Corgis may be cute and a great size dog, but they are a working dog and require a job. Corgis in rescue usually carry some baggage with them, such as destructiveness, nippiness, health issues, not being trained or housebroken, or were just in the wrong environment and now need a more stable one. Corgis are not for the novice dog owner. They require a quick wit and a strong leader. A lot of corgis that end up in rescue are there because the owner had no experience with the breed and could not anticipate and meet their needs. We are acting in the best interest of the dogs, we want these dogs to go to their new homes forever and are actively trying to avoid having rebound cases.
We also consider applicants who have had corgi mixes or herding breeds/herding breed mixes like Australian Cattle Dogs, Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, Collies, German Shepherds, Shetland Sheepdogs, Swedish Vallhunds and Rottweilers. We find that people who have had these breeds in the past have the understanding and skill needed to provide our rescues with the best chance at their best life.
Q: I really want to rescue a corgi and I don’t like breeders, but I don’t have corgi or herding dog experience. What can I do to get more corgi experience to rescue from you?
A: We know your heart is in the right place and we respect that you have made the decision to look into rescue. Corgis themselves are a really cute, smart breed. But even healthy, well-bred corgis already require a high level of experience and understanding to thrive. The dogs we take in have backgrounds ranging from untrained puppies that were brought home on a whim and the owner just didn’t have time, to dogs that have experienced things that are worse than we can ever imagine. They can’t tell us what happened to them in the past, but almost all of them have some sort of issues from it in a range of severity. We are trying to find the best of the best homes in which to place them because that is what they deserve, and that is what we feel we owe them. Because of the existing experience level needed to handle corgis at a base level, we choose to place dogs in homes with experienced owners. There is no intensive short term class that is going to teach you everything that you need to know to care about a corgi or reward you with a certificate that you can present to us saying you are fit to raise a corgi.
Please don’t be discouraged if a rescue corgi is not right for your lifestyle right now. Don’t let it
turn you away from adopting a rescue dog! Maybe a corgi isn’t the right dog for your home, but there are so many dogs out there that are just as cute and just as in need loving homes that may be best placed with you! We wish you well on your search for the perfect dog!
*A note on breeders* We have our hearts set in rescue for the love of this breed because we think all the dogs deserve happy lives, but we are not against and do support responsible breeders. Please know that there are responsible breeders out there that care about this adorable
breed just like us. Their intent is to preserve the breed. They do health testings, check temperament of sire/dam that breed, provide veterinary care for puppies as well as the clean environment to grow up, and care about where their puppies go and want to follow up in the
future. They are happy to show you the results of genetic tests, show the family lines, and usually have the buyer sign the contract saying that if the buyer cannot take care of the dog for any reasons in the future, they take the dog back (and they really do). There are so many backyard breeders and puppy mills that need to be avoided and not support. If you ever go to that route, please do the research so you can distinguish good ones from bad ones.
Q: I have just received info about a corgi in need, can you help?
A: If you wish to send information to us about a dog in need of rescue please visit the surrender page where you will find contact information, and instructions on what info you need to send to us.
Q: I want to surrender a dog, what do I do?
A: Thank you for considering surrendering your dog with us. Oftentimes, even if the dog is a purebred, when they are brought to shelters they are at high risk for euthanasia. We are not here to shame, nor do we encourage people to belittle the people who surrender their dogs to us, no matter the reason. We understand that life happens to all of us and sometimes we have to choose to do things that are hard but are in the best interest of our pets. If you wish to send a request to surrender a dog to us please visit the surrender page on our website. If we cannot personally take your dog, we will do our best to help you figure out options for what you can do.
Q: Do you spay and neuter all of your rescues?
A: Generally no dog leaves our fosters with intact reproductive organs, or without an agreement to do so when the dog is old enough. There are very few exceptions to this. Also, we will not place one of our dogs in a home where there is an intact male or un-spayed female dog. We encourage every dog owner to spay and neuter their pets. Not fixing your dog can lead to more than just unwanted dog litters, it can also lead to disease and death. We promise your male dog does not care if he is missing his testicles. The old idea that a female dog should have one litter of puppies before being fixed is a myth. If you are concerned about growth, attitude or medical issues from waiting, or not waiting to fix your dog, then please consult your veterinarian. If you want to learn more about fixing your pet, please check out this ASPCA link: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/spayneuter-your-pet