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ADOPTION FAQ

Please take the time to 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.

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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 have asked us this question, you do not understand what rescue is. If you’re here looking for a cheap alternative to a breeder to get a puppy, you’re in the wrong place. We rarely, if ever, have puppies surrendered to the rescue. Most of the young dogs we do take in are completely untrained and may have nipping, biting, housebreaking or other health issues, and they are adopted to those with many years of corgi 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.

 

Please understand that corgis are not an “easy dog”. They are an extremely intelligent and independent breed, they need lots of mental stimulation, and are best suited to homes where they can have some sort of job. Bored corgis will destroy things, herd small animals and children and develop behavioral issues if their needs are not met. Corgis are also well known for barking, they shed 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.

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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.

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Q: How much does it cost? Do you have any corgis for sale? How much are adoption fees?

A: First off, we are not in the business of selling dogs. We take in surrendered corgis and corgi mixes and we observe and vet them, then we match them to the family that would be best suited to the specific corgi’s needs. When it comes time to adopt a corgi to a suitable home, the adoption fees range from $250 - $600 depending on age and medical background/vetting. East Coast Corgi Rescue is run by volunteers, and none of us get paid to do this. 100% of adoption fees and donations go to offset the cost of us taking in and vetting dogs. Because of all this we do not offer payment plans or discounts.

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Q: I have small children, is that ok?

A: We don't adopt to families with children under 5 unless they have excessive corgi experience, and we get a perfect proven-to-be-child-loving corgi. (Corgis love to herd kids, but we all know

little kids don't love being herded as much!) 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.

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Q: I want to put in an application to adopt, what is the process?

A:  Usually once a year, we open our adoption application to the public. When the applications are open you can fill it out on our website. Since we are a small, volunteer run rescue with regular jobs, and due to high volumes of applications, the application reviewing process can sometimes take weeks to months. If you meet the qualifications for a suitable home we will contact you to let you know. 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 and arrange a meeting. If everything goes well, after a little paperwork and the adoption fee, you’re officially an ECCR

Rescue parent! Please understand that this process could take a very long time. We are not selling a product, we are not here to serve you. Our 100% top priority is to find the best homes for the dogs. Just because you are interested in a dog or you have donated to us in the past, does not mean you get to jump a line or are entitled to have a dog placed with you.

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Q: Whaddya mean adoption applications are closed? I NEED that dog you just posted.

A: Unless the post states otherwise, if you do not already have an adoption application on file with us, then it is not likely that you will be able to get the dog we just posted. We like to keep everyone updated with the dogs that we are taking into the rescue, if we didn’t make these posts, then our page would be pretty bare. We reopen applications a few times a year and accept many more candidates than we ever have dogs to give them because our top priority is the dogs, not the humans. 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, but applications are closed, then keep checking back on our page for updates. If you need a dog right now, and cannot wait, then Corgis and rescue may not be the best option for you as both require a lot of time and patience.

 

Q: You have posted a dog on your 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 and comment on the post or send us a message or email showing your interest if you have been approved to adopt with us. Interest does not guarantee that you are the best option for the dog, but we will review your information.
 

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. 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. Also, because of potential problems that could come up while fostering, we like our fosters to be close to our existing network in case a dog needs to be moved elsewhere.

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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 send you an invite to our volunteer group which will post updates when we need help with events.

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Q: I love the breed and would like to help out by donating. How can I do that?

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 and have full time families or 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 to do it on your birthday. Also if you shop on Amazon.com you can participate in their Amazon Smile program. For every purchase you make through Amazon, they will donate a small % to ECCR automatically at no cost to you! All you need to do to set this up is go to smile.amazon.com and look up East Coast Corgi Rescue. Select East Coast Corgi Rescue as your charity choice and then you’re all set! For us to get a donation from your purchases just go to smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com (Amazon logo on the page should have Smile next to it and you will see the choice of charity next to it) and shop as usual! At no cost to you, Amazon will donate % of your shopping total to ECCR!

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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.

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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. You can also type “corgi rescue (your state)” into the facebook search bar or google search to find rescues in your state.

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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. All this being said, just because you’ve never owned a corgi, does not mean we will count you out. We also consider people 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.

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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: Look, 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 and are having a thing right now, so they are in high demand. But even healthy, well trained 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. We know that you don’t want to hear this, but you must come to terms with the fact that this may not be you right now. You might not be the right person for a rescue corgi. 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. Everything we know about corgis, herding dogs and other smart breeds comes

from our experience with them. We encourage you to do your due diligence and research the breed and talk to people who have shared their lives with a corgi. Ask them about training, housebreaking, vet bills and expenses, and issues they’ve had. Then really take a look at your life

and be honest with yourself about whether or not you can provide the right environment and put in the work to take in this amazing, but difficult breed, and have it thrive. 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 a dog! Maybe a corgi isn’t the right kinda 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.

Here are some pages that will help you get to the starting point of the right breeder search:

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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.

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Q: I want to surrender a dog, what do I do?

A: First, 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.

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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

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