A NOTE REGARDING FENCES:
We do not have a blanket policy requiring fences for all our dogs. Fences are required on a CASE-BY-CASE BASIS, depending on your living situation and most importantly, the individual dog. Those that DO require a fence, will be noted as such in their bios.

If you do not have a fenced yard (and are not willing to install a fence), please do not inquire about these particular dogs. You should also note that not all dogs requiring fences are good candidates for invisible (electronic/radio) fences. Please discuss this with the dog's rescue contact.

If you are planning to fence your yard and are interested in a dog that we have noted requires one, we will not schedule your home visit until your fence has been installed.

For more information on why a fence is a great idea to help keep ANY canine companion safe and happy for years to come, read our article "Why a Fence".

If you have any questions about the type of fencing required, or if your particular situation meets the criteria, please feel free to contact us for more information. If your question pertains to a particular dog, please address your question to that dog's rescue contact.

*While we do occasionally receive requests from other rescue groups to share home visit reports (and will do so with the applicant's permission), we feel that it is the responsibility of each individual rescue group to properly screen their own adopters according to their specific policies and operating procedures. Any application submitted to NEBCR is kept private to the group, and your information will not be shared elsewhere.

3. PATIENCE
Sometimes a dog will be available right away that is the perfect match for you. But more likely, you will have to wait for the right dog to come along. New dogs are coming into rescue all the time, but if you are not willing to wait, please consider another option.

So... is a adopting a Border Collie from NEBCR right for you and your family? Read on and find out...

Border Collies are a difficult breed, and are not suited to everyone

Border Collies are not your typical household pet that is willing to lie about and be a couch potato. They require a lot of exercise and attention. Before you consider getting this breed, please learn about what it is like to live with a Border Collie.

You may find information about the breed on our web page IS A BORDER COLLIE FOR YOU? and Carole Presberg's Border Collie Museum

What are the typical rescued Border Collies like?

Most dogs in rescue tend to be males between the ages of about 10 months and 3 years. Male Border Collies usually make better pets - their temperaments are generally more stable than the temperaments of female Border Collie, who tend to be either snappish or aggressive, or extremely sensitive or timid. So, consider a male, especially if you already have a female. We very rarely get puppies. We often have older dogs between the ages of 4 and 10. Please be aware that the Border Collie is a very slow-maturing breed, and that dogs of 10 or 12 years of age are usually still very active. Furthermore, it is a very long-lived breed. When you rescue a Border Collie, you are not only getting yourself a companion, but you are doing a good deed and helping a dog in need. So please, consider an older dog.

Spay/Neuter

We believe that rescue dogs should not be bred. There are more than enough Border Collies being bred by responsible breeders, as well as less responsible backyard breeders and puppy mills - which the large number of dogs that come into rescue each month will attest to. We spay or neuter every dog before placement unless it is too young. However, if we should place a dog with you that has not been spayed or neutered for any reason whatsoever, you will be required to sign a spay/neuter contract and have the operation done yourself within a short time of the adoption. Dogs placed with a spay/neuter contract will be required to pay an additional deposit over and above the adoption fee, which will be returned to you when we receive a copy of the spay/neuter certificate.

Training and Socialization

We believe that all dogs need to be trained in order to be good citizens. Adopters will be required to enroll in and participate in a basic obedience class with any dog that we place. This requirement will only be waived if you can prove that you have had prior extensive experience training dogs yourself. We will refund $50 of your adoption fee once this requirement is met and you return a copy of the graduation certificate to us.

Acquiring a Dog

We do not to ship rescue dogs. However, IF we are able to get a Border Collie rescue worker in your area to do a home visit, and we can approve you based on the results, AND you can provide a ride or series of rides for a dog, or you are willing to come to New England to pick up the dog yourself, we are willing to consider your application, even if you come from out of the region.

Please note that there are Border Collie rescue organizations located all over the U.S. and Canada. We encourage you to adopt a dog from a rescue close to you. If you are having trouble finding one, please contact us, we would be happy to help.

Matching Dogs with Owners

It is our responsibility to place each of our dogs with the home best suited to them, regardless of the order in which applications are received. Rescue is not a "first come, first serve" situation, and we appreciate your understanding. Our goal is always to provide the best possible home we can for each dog we have, so that they never have to come into rescue again.

Home Visit

Once you have an approved application on file (see above), if a dog comes along that seems right for you and that you are interested in, please contact that dog's rescue person. If they believe you are potentially a suitable match for that dog, we will schedule a home visit. One of our volunteers will come to your home and meet with you and your family to make sure that this will be the best of all possible matches, both for you and for the dog. We require that all people living in the home are present for the home visit.

Adoption Fee

There is an adoption fee for EVERY rescue dog. The one exception is Senior dogs eligible for our Senior to Senior program. Please ask the rescue contact for the particular dog you are interested in what the fee is for that dog.

This fee allows NEBCR to make sure that ALL our rescue dogs have been spayed, neutered, microchipped and are current on all vaccines and ongoing heartworm and flea/tick prevention. It also helps us to provide medical care as needed while the dog is in rescue, beyond just "the basics" - such as hip surgery and other special cases where a dog's quality of life is directly effected by his/her physical health. While many vets do offer our volunteers a discounted rate on their foster dogs (and we thank them VERY much for this!) vet care is expensive, and contrary to what some may think, NEVER free.

The adoption fee also allows us to provide much needed training for our volunteers, as well as for our adoptable dogs when needed. This can be anything from a basic obedience class to a herding test to determine if a dog has true potential as a working dog, allowing us to place that dog in a suitable home. It is a fact that our adoption fees alone are not enough and we conduct many fundraisers throughout the year (as well as our online store and donations) to ensure that every one of our rescue dogs that needs help and care, receives it. (Please see above for circumstances under which you will be refunded a portion of your fee)

Adoption Application

Pet ownership is a major responsibility and a lifelong commitment, and not to be taken lightly. In an effort to make the best possible match between you and a dog, we ask that you take the time fill out our comprehensive questionnaire and expect to spend time discussing it before the adoption is complete.

Congratulations for making it this far!

If you have decided that, despite everything we said above, you still want to adopt a dog from us, we welcome you to request an application.

REQUEST AN APPLICATION FOR ADOPTION- applications@nebcr.org
PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE 800# TO REQUEST AN APPLICATION unless you do not have internet access.

If you have requested an application, one will be forwarded to you via email (unless you have specifically requested a hard copy).

IMPORTANT: many spam filters these days will not recognize email from people not currently in your address book. Please add "applications@nebcr.org" to your address book to ensure that you receive our messages.

If you are checking on the status of your completed application, please note that we are an all-volunteer organization, and doing our best to keep up with the sometimes dozens of applications we receive each week. Applications review can take a week or so, so please be patient. If you do not hear from us after that time, please check with us to make sure that we received your application - as email is not always reliable.

back to the top...