ADOPTION DONATION

  • Youngsters Up to 3 years old – $350
  • Adults 4 to 7 years old – $300
  • Adults 8 to 10 years old – $250
  • Golden Oldies 11 years and older – $200

Adoption fees may vary for SPECIAL NEEDS GOLDENS and some GOLDEN OLDIES.

Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization. We rescue Goldens of any age and in any medical condition from all over California and beyond. This results in significant veterinary bills each month. We recoup some of those costs through adoption fees. We exist on donations, and we must collect fees in order to offset some of our expenses. The adoption fee that you pay allows us to continue doing what we do; saving golden lives and finding wonderful new homes for them.

Each dog that comes into our program is given a basic vet exam. It is brought current on vaccinations (rabies, DHPP and bordatella). If they are intact, they are spayed or neutered. They are also tested for heartworm. If they are given a clean bill of health, they are made available for adoption. We treat any medical issues which are identified.

The first step is to complete an adoption application. Once your application is received, it will be forwarded to a Placement volunteer in your area. Within a week or so, you should receive a call from the volunteer, who will ask you some questions and schedule a home visit (virtually or by photos at this time). Once you have been approved to adopt, stay in touch with us about dogs on our website or newly available dogs by calling our office at 916-655-1410 and choose option 1. Our dogs are in great demand; many never make the website before they are adopted. Staying in touch signals that you are actively engaged in your search. If we believe we have a match, we will schedule an appointment with special precautions in place during this pandemic. Please note that most of our volunteers work full time, in addition to having family commitments. They do not get paid and they do this work out of love for the dogs. So please be patient with us if we don’t contact you immediately. If you have completed an online application and haven’t heard from your Placement volunteer, you may email our Placement Coordinator at homevisits@homewardboundgoldens.org.

For our out-of-area applicants, we require a reference from your veterinarian and photos of your house and yard. Your information will be reviewed and a determination will be made about whether we can place a Golden with you.

Once your application has been reviewed and your home visit successfully completed, stay in touch with us by calling our office at 916-655-1410 and choose option 1.  Staying in touch signals that you are actively engaged in your search. If we believe we have a match, we will schedule an appointment with special precautions in place during this pandemic. 

To ensure the health and safety of all during the Coronavirus pandemic, we will call families to schedule appointments when we believe we have a match. Appointments will be spread out to limit the number of people on-site at any time. Masks will be required. Details will be provided when we schedule your appointment.

Homeward Bound has made a lifetime commitment to each dog that comes into our program. If you adopt a dog, then decide it is not the right one for your household, it must come back to Homeward Bound. If, at any time during the dog’s life, you find that you must surrender the dog, he/she must be returned to Homeward Bound.

Our dogs come to us as surrenders from families that can no longer keep them or when someone has passed. Others are from shelters or have been found stray, undergoing a stray hold with all attempts made to find their owners. We are also involved in rescuing dogs from puppy mill situations and trusted international rescue partners. 

No. Only a few of the dogs we take in have obviously been the victim of physical abuse. Many however, have been the victims of neglect, usually in the form of improper diet, health related issues such as ear infections, inadequate food supply, and lack of grooming and flea control, lack of training, or puppy mill situations. It is amazing just how resilient these wonderful creatures are and how quickly they can bounce back with just a little TLC.

Golden Retriever puppies without special needs are very rare. However, we do typically host golden mix and other puppy breeds throughout the year. Their kisses are just as sweet!

In nearly all circumstances, we will require that the yard be fenced. On rare occasions, exceptions can be made if we have a Golden for whom such a situation is appropriate.

On the average, male Goldens normally weigh from 70 to 85 pounds. Females usually weigh from 50 to 70 pounds.

Goldens can live to 15 or 16 years of age. The average life expectancy is around 11-12 years old.