Next Steps:

Before you adopt a Sheltie, please make sure you know this breed. Shelties have many wonderful traits…but they also have some not-so-wonderful traits.

1) Shelties are barkers. They don’t bark at everything…but a sheltie will warn you if the UPS man arrives, or someone walks into your yard…or if something is ‘not right’.  If a barking dog will bother you, this may not be the right breed for you.

2)  Shelties shed. This is a double coated, long haired breed.  Their coat does need a fair amount of care. A good brushing at least once a week and a bath once a month will suffice.

3)  Shelties can be very shy with strangers. A sheltie will be very affectionate and loving with its owners, but may be very shy with strangers. If you are looking for a dog that will run and greet everyone who comes to visit you…this may not be the breed for you. Often,  a sheltie will hide when a stranger comes over. Please consider this if you plan on hiring strangers to care for your sheltie while you are gone.

4)  Most Shelties are NOT good with toddlers and small children.  We suggest you wait until your child is at least  7 or 8 years old. We will sometimes have a Sheltie available that would do well with toddlers, but this is not the “norm”.  Most Shelties are somewhat sound and movement sensitive… so unless your child is unusually calm and quiet, we discourage it.

5)  Shelties are a herding dog. They herd small children, squirrels, bunnies ….etc. Unfortunately, some Shelties also enjoy herding cars! That is why a fenced yard is so important for the dogs safety.

What age Sheltie would be best for my situation?

Please consider this…Many people buy a puppy…and then work and work and work to get that puppy to behave like a mature adult. Please consider the chewing, the potty accidents, the crying in the crate, the constant attention a puppy needs when making an adoption decision. If you want a dog to act like a mature adult, then don’t adopt a puppy!

Work all day / Gone a lot ?  A young dog or puppy will not do well in this environment, however a mature/senior dog will.  Please consider the welfare of the dog, and adopt a mature or senior dog if you are gone all day. A senior dog will likely come already housetrained, and trustworthy alone in the house.

An average Sheltie will live 13-15 years…so what age dog is best for you?

Puppy through 1 yr. old: Lots of chewing,  not reliably housetrained, needs much attention and training,  not good choice if you are gone all day.

1-3 Yr. old:  Still acts like a puppy,  may or may not be housetrained, will still chew, needs lots of playtime to burn energy, will become bored easily if left alone too long…will chew or dig from boredom. Good choice for someone who is home only part of the day.

3-5 Yr. Old: Able to be trusted alone in the house for short periods, needs several hours of playtime daily,  will become bored easily,  will chew or dig from boredom.

5+: A perfect dog. Past the chewing stage, reliably housetrained,  content to sleep while you are gone,  will want to play for a few hours, but will be ready to sleep again when you do. Best choice if you are gone all day long.

Rescue dogs can range in age from puppies to 13 yr. olds, but more often our rescues are older dogs. Everyone seems to want the young dogs…so please consider opening your heart to an older dog. They are so much harder to place, and most often are the best behaved. They need homes just as much, if not more, than the younger dogs.

Other Considerations

Appearances: Please don’t insist on a sheltie solely on it’s looks. We place our dogs in homes based on their temperament and habits.

A Sheltie would be miserable as an “outdoor” dog, therefore we won’t even consider it. A sheltie forced to live outside away from the family will bark excessively and become destructive. Not a good situation!! A Sheltie is a very loving and loyal dog, that needs attention and affection. A Sheltie will want to be with the family, wherever that may be. We will only consider those homes who want a Sheltie as an indoor family member. Further, IF in one of our follow up visits, we find one of our dogs is left outdoors unattended, we will reclaim the dog.

Our Shelties can come from a variety of situations…We get dogs out of Shelters, owner turn-in’s,  dogs found running loose, dogs who are abandoned because of their owners death…etc..etc. Rather than leave these dogs to die in a shelter, we take them in and address their needs. We will treat any medical condition the dog has. Then we spay and/or neuter every dog (no exceptions), bring them current on all shots, and begin it on heartworm and flea protection. The dog is bathed, groomed, and put into a foster home for evaluation. Each dog stays in their foster home until the temperament is known and a good match can be made. We do not place aggressive dogs or known biters. But some rescue dogs may have some “issues” to work through. We always try to advise you of any known “issues” a dog has prior to you adopting it.   Rescue dogs usually have plenty of love,  affection and gratitude to give back. And you will have the satisfaction of knowing that   you saved a dog

We do not have a shelter. Our whole organization is made up of volunteer foster homes. We have dogs in foster homes all over the state.  So…it is not possible to go to a “shelter” to view all our dogs.  We ask that you submit an application first, and once you are approved to adopt, if available, we will suggest a dog that we feel would be a good match…and then make arrangements for you to meet them.

We do not place dogs in homes that we do not believe will work out…so please respect our advice.

If you are unsure as to whether you can commit to a dog for the rest of it’s life, (regardless of whether you move, change jobs, or get divorced) then please rethink your decision to adopt a dog. Adoption is for the rest of the dog’s life.

Here are some things we insist on if you do adopt a Sheltie from us:

• The dog may never be allowed off a leash unless it is in a securely fenced yard. This breed spooks easily and will run off.
• The dog must be kept on Heartworm and Flea Prevention medicine at least 9 months out of the year.
• The dog must be an indoor dog and treated as a member of the family.
• The dog is never to be left outside when you are not home.

The Process.

The first step to adoption is filling out a written application. Also…we consider applications in the order that we receive them. Please be totally honest, as we match dogs based on what you tell us. If you have a specific pet-peeve or preference, please let us know. Placing the right dog in the right home is very important to us.

Once we review your application, and if we have a dog that is a good match…we will begin calling references, and your Vet. You must have a history of providing excellent health care for your current or prior dogs.

Next;  we will have someone from our group call you and set up a time to come to your home to meet you and your entire family. Since we work over the Internet we never know who we are dealing with, so please don’t be offended that we need to make sure we are sending one of our dogs to a good home. We put so much time and work into these dogs, we are picky where they go!! When we come to your home, we are not looking at your housekeeping or your financial status. We simply need to know that you are who you say you are, and that you have the means, the knowledge, and the room to safely care for one of our dogs.  Our representative will also be happy to answer any dog care related questions you may have. Our representative may or may not have the dog you want with them. It depends on where the dog is and where you are, and what is feasible. But more often that not, the volunteer will NOT have the dog you want with them.

Once step 1-3 are complete and you have been approved, we will set up a time for you to meet the dog. Our shelties are in foster homes throughout the state of New Jersey. We will make every effort to make meeting the dog as convenient as we can, but you will need to come go to where the dog is being fostered. When you come to meet *the* dog(s)…you will be able to adopt the dog (ie: take it home with you)  that day if we both (you and us) agree that this is the right dog for you. At that time, we will sit down with you and go over the dogs medical history  and you will be given copies of all the dogs records. We will go over in detail how to care for your dog as well as answer any questions that you have. You will also be asked to sign an adoption contract,  and last…you will be asked to make an adoption fee donation to SSPSNJ.