Application

  • The applicant must be at least 18 years old.   If applicant is under 18 years, parent or guardian must fill out the application and be the person that interacts with us. We will not place a dog with a child who does not have parents’ or guardian’s complete cooperation.
  • The application must be submitted by the person adopting the dog. We will not adopt dogs to third parties, or to be given as gifts.
  • The applicant must reside in our coverage area. Rare exceptions may be made for a dog needing a special placement and an out-of-area home that meets those needs.
  • All applications will be reviewed by our committee, and applicants will be notified as to whether they have been approved or not.  If the committee has any questions about any information in the application, a volunteer may contact the applicant for further information before a final decision is made. 

NEBCR, INC. RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DECLINE ANY APPLICATION FOR ANY REASON.

Placement/Matching Dogs with Adopters

NEBCR’s mission is to help our Border Collies find their forever homes by matching our dogs to the new adopter’s lifestyle and living environment.

​We do NOT function on a “first come, first serve” basis — we look for the best match between dog and adopter, regardless of the order in which applications are received. Our goal is to provide the best possible home we can for each dog so that they never have to come into rescue again.

Not every dog is suited to every home, no matter how good or loving a family is. We strive to get to know both prospective adopters and dogs as well as we possibly can, to make sure that EVERYONE lives happily ever after.

Training and Socialization

Adopters will be required to enroll in and participate in a basic obedience class with many of the dogs that we place; as all dogs need to be trained in order to be good citizens. In these cases, an additional $150 deposit will be required, which will be returned  once this requirement is met, and we receive a copy of the graduation certificate .

 Adoption Fee

THERE IS AN ADOPTION FEE FOR EVERY NEBCR DOG AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

The one exception is Senior dogs eligible for our Seniors for Seniors program. Currently our base adoption fee is $450.

PLEASE NOTE: In accordance with our Spay/Neuter policy, adopters of puppies under 6 months old must provide an additional $300 spay/neuter deposit.. This deposit will be returned to the adopter upon confirmation that the spay/neuter has been done within the agreed-upon timeframe.

The adoption fee contributes toNEBCR’s general expenses.  

For more information on our operating expenses in support of our dogs, see our “Donate” page.

Spay/Neuter

EVERY dog will be spayed or neutered before placement unless s/he is too young (usual age for neutering is a minimum of 6 months). 

If we should place a dog that has not been spayed or neutered, the adopter will be required to sign a spay/neuter contract and have the operation done within an agreed-upon time.  There will be an additional deposit in addition to the adoption fee for dogs placed with a spay/neuter contract.  The deposit will be returned to the adopter when we receive a copy of the spay/neuter certificate.

It is our policy that rescue dogs should not be bred under any circumstances. There are more than enough Border Collies being bred by responsible breeders, and FAR too many being bred by irresponsible backyard breeders and puppy mills.  The large number of dogs that come into rescues each month attest to this. 

Fencing

We do not have a blanket policy for fences.  Fences are required on a CASE-BY-CASE BASIS, depending on your living situation and most importantly, the individual dog. For those dogs that DO require a fence , it 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 invisible (electronic/radio) fences often do not suffice for fence requirements. 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 is fully 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 whether 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.

Adoption Area Restrictions

WE DO NOT SHIP RESCUE DOGS.  Our policy is to only adopt dogs to people within our coverage area. We do occasionally make exceptions for special situations – typically very hard to place dogs that require a very specific type of home. For those situations, we must be able to get a Border Collie rescue worker in the adopter’s area to do a home visit AND the adopter must be willing to come to the foster home to meet/pick up the dog. 

Applicants who are not sure if they can adopt from us based on their location should contact us at [email protected] before completing an application.

There are Border Collie rescue organizations located all over the U.S. and Canada. We encourage adopters to adopt a dog from a rescue close to their location.  We are happy to provide assistance in finding the closest organization.