Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to all your questions about Lonely Hearts Animal Rescue!

FAQ

Most frequent questions and answers

Lonely Hearts Animal Rescue is strictly a dog rescue. At this time, we do not take in cats or other animals.

Lonely Hearts Animal Rescue is not a shelter with a facility, visiting hours and staff. A large portion of our dogs have been rescued from rural shelters/dog pounds as they were running out of time and scheduled to be euthanized. We also work with rescue organizations in rural WV and Kentucky that assist with owner relinquished dogs. The rescued dogs are now safe and living in a network of loving, private foster homes in Maryland. Due to COVID-19, all adoptions require an approved application for a specific dog.  If the application is approved, an appointment will be scheduled to meet the dog at Wagsmore Adopt and Shop (located at 450 Prospect Avenue, Frederick MD).

Unfortunately, we cannot take in dogs or cats from private homes. We deal strictly with animal shelters/dog pounds. When the dog has reached it’s time limitation at the pound and is scheduled to be euthanized, we are contacted by several shelters to rescue dogs and pups to bring them into our foster care.

We are unable to hold dogs to accommodate adopter’s personal schedules. Please apply only if you are available to pick up the dog on the adoption date given on the dog’s Petfinder page on the Petfinder website.

Our rescue volunteers correspond with applicants via email. A congratulatory email will be sent upon approval with detailed adoption instructions. Our rescue works very quickly, often processing applications within 24 hours. It is IMPERATIVE that you check your email frequently throughout the day. If we do not receive timely responses, we will move on to the next application.

No, due to COVID-19 all adoptions must have an approved application for a specific dog.  Upon approval, an appointment will be set to meet the dog at Wagsmore-Adopt & Shop.  We are unable to permit private visitations for the puppies due to their being fostered in private homes.

PLEASE NOTE:

  • Puppies are most often all spoken for on their adoption day by applicants who are willing to select their puppy from the website without visitation.
  • We certainly understand if you are unable to commit to selecting a puppy in this manner. However, we can not guarantee there will be any puppies remaining after adoption day.

All dogs have an individual level of train ability as adults.

No. All LHAR dogs that are old enough for surgery will be spayed or neutered prior to adoption. The puppies that not old enough to be spayed or neutered at the time of adoption, will be adopted on a spay/neuter contract. This contract requires the owner to have the dog spayed or neutered by 6 months of age.

If the pup has been adopted for less than 48 hours, we will take them back. Please note the adoption donation is non-refundable. We will accept our adopted dogs back into the rescue if we have space in our foster homes. We may require the adopter to keep the dog in their home until another adoptive home can be found by our rescue. If there are no aggression issues, LHAR will help re-home the dog.

Exceptions are made for puppies but in either case the adoption donation fee is not refundable.

No.

Lonely Hearts Animal Rescue is a 501c3 non profit rescue organization. Please know that 100% of our fees are used for our dog’s care and veterinary costs. Our adoption fee per dog is $275 plus an additional $100 refundable spay/neuter deposit for pups too young to be spayed/neutered at the time of their adoption. This deposit will be refunded upon proof of spay/neuter.

A fenced yard is preferred, unless living in apartment-type housing.

Processing your application does not imply that you have been approved for adoption. We often process many applications for one dog and select the best match. If there are children in the home, please use proper judgment to ensure this policy is understood.

Lonely Hearts Animal Rescue is very diligent in keeping our website updated on a timely basis. If it states – Adoption pending – next to the pup’s name, it has an application being worked on.

We rescue dogs of all ages. We require that someone is in the home half of the day for young puppies who can only hold their bladder for short periods of time.

Most of our rescued dogs have no history; therefore, no guarantees can be made regarding unforeseen behavior problems. That being said, it can not be assumed that all rescued dogs have behavior problems any more than any other dog. Any good owner must be willing to take the time to work with and train their dog.

We adopt out of state only if the adopter is able to pick up the dog at the foster home. We do not provide any means of delivery or transportation.

Most Frequent Questions & Answers

Get an answer quickly without waiting for our response.

Lonely Hearts Animal Rescue is strictly a dog rescue. At this time, we do not take in cats or other animals.

Lonely Hearts Animal Rescue is not a shelter with a facility, visiting hours, or staff. Many of our dogs are rescued from rural shelters and dog pounds where they were running out of time and scheduled to be euthanized. We also partner with rescue organizations in rural West Virginia and Kentucky that assist with owner-relinquished dogs.
All of our rescued dogs are now safe and living in a network of loving private foster homes throughout Maryland. Adoptions require an approved application for a specific dog. Once an application is approved, we schedule an appointment to meet the dog—either at one of our intake centers in Frederick or at one of our adoption events

Unfortunately, we cannot take in dogs or cats from private homes. We deal strictly with animal shelters/dog pounds. When the dog has reached it’s time limitation at the pound and is scheduled to be euthanized, we are contacted by several shelters to rescue dogs and pups to bring them into our foster care.

We’re unable to hold dogs to accommodate individual schedules. Our adoption cycle runs on a weekly basis through Sundays, so we ask that applicants only apply if they’re available to pick up the dog on the specific event date listed, or within that current weekly timeframe.

Our volunteers communicate with applicants primarily via email. If your application is approved, you’ll receive a congratulatory email with detailed next steps for adoption.

We move quickly—applications are often processed within 24 hours—so it’s very important to check your email frequently throughout the day. If we don’t receive a timely response, we may need to move on to the next applicant.

Some of our dogs may be available to meet at scheduled adoption events—please click on and read the dog’s bio on our website to see if (and where) they’ll be attending.
All adoptions require a submitted and approved application, and applications must be for a specific dog—we’re unable to process general applications without one listed.
At this time, we’re also unable to arrange private visitations for puppies, as they are cared for in foster homes.

PLEASE NOTE:
• Puppies are most often all spoken for on their adoption day by applicants who are willing to select their puppy from the website without visitation.

• We certainly understand if you are unable to commit to selecting a puppy in this manner. However, we cannot guarantee there will be any puppies remaining after adoption day.

• If application is approved, that pup will be held for you to meet/adopt. If, at the time of meet, it is not a good match, there is not an obligation to finalize the adoption. If there are other pups available at the time of meet that are a better match, approved applicants are able to switch pups, but we do not hold multiple pups for families to choose from as that can results in pups missing out on home opportunities.

• Puppies are often spoken for by adoption day, especially by applicants who are comfortable selecting their puppy directly from the website without a prior visit. We completely understand if that approach isn’t the right fit for you—just keep in mind that we can’t guarantee puppies will still be available after the adoption event.

• If your application is approved, the selected puppy will be held for you to meet and adopt. If, during the meet, it doesn’t feel like the right match, there’s no obligation to move forward. If other puppies are available at that time and seem like a better fit, you’re welcome to switch. However, we’re unable to hold multiple puppies for a single family, as we want to ensure every pup has the best chance at finding a home.

All dogs have an individual level of trainability as adults.

No. All LHAR dogs that are old enough for surgery will be spayed or neutered prior to adoption. The puppies that not old enough to be spayed or neutered at the time of adoption, will be adopted on a spay/neuter contract. This contract requires the owner to have the dog spayed or neutered by 6 months of age.

If a puppy or dog has been adopted for less than 48 hours, we will take them back, though it may take a few days to secure an available foster home. Please note that adoption donations are non-refundable.

For adoptions longer than 48 hours, we will accept our dogs back into the rescue as space allows in our foster homes. In some cases, we may ask the adopter to continue caring for the dog until a new adoptive home is found. If there are no aggression concerns, LHAR will assist with rehoming.

Exceptions may be made for puppies, but in all cases, the adoption donation fee is non-refundable.

We rescue dogs of all ages, and our adoption requirements vary depending on the pup’s age.
• For puppies under one year, we require that someone is home for at least half of the day.
• For older dogs, longer periods away from home may be acceptable.
In all cases, any existing pets in the home must be spayed or neutered and up to date on vaccinations.
Thank you for helping us ensure a safe and happy environment for our dogs!

No.

Lonely Hearts Animal Rescue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and 100% of our adoption fees go directly toward our dogs’ care and veterinary expenses.

Our adoption fees vary based on the dog’s age:

• Puppies (under 7 months): $275 adoption fee, plus a $100 refundable spay/neuter deposit. Adopters agree to have the puppy spayed/neutered at the appropriate age with a veterinarian of their choice. Once the procedure is completed, the $100 deposit will be refunded with proof.

• Dogs already spayed/neutered: $375 adoption donation.

A fenced yard is preferred, but it is not required. Each application is reviewed on an individual basis, taking into consideration the specific needs of the dog or puppy you’re applying for.

Processing your application does not guarantee approval for adoption. Applications are reviewed in the order they are received, and we approve the best match based on the needs of the dog.
We encourage you to carefully read and understand all requirements outlined in our adoption application before applying.

Lonely Hearts Animal Rescue works hard to keep our website updated promptly. If you see “Adoption Pending” next to a pup’s name, it means there is currently an application being processed for that dog.

We rescue dogs of all ages. We require that someone is in the home half of the day for young puppies who can only hold their bladder for short periods of time.

Most of our rescued dogs come to us with little or no history, so we cannot guarantee that unforeseen behavior issues won’t arise. That said, it’s important to remember that rescued dogs are no more likely to have behavior problems than any other dog.
We ask that all adopters be willing to invest time and effort in training and working with their dog to help them thrive in their new home.

We do allow out-of-state adoptions, but the adopter must be able to pick up the dog either at our intake facility or at one of our adoption events. Please note that we do not provide delivery or transportation for our dogs.

Unfortunately we’re not able to take in dogs from private homes. As a small, foster-based organization, we have very limited resources and capacity, so we work exclusively with animal shelters and established rescue partners.

We recommend reaching out to local, community-based organizations or rehoming groups—they’re often better equipped to help in situations like this.