Requirements to apply
You must be over 21 years.

You must be allowed to have dogs in your home

You must be willing and able to properly care for your new pet

You must be willing to make a commitment

You must be willing to understand that these homless pets come from a variety of backgrounds and may have unknown emotional or physical issues that will need to be worked through, and you will do your best to be dedicated in working thru them. We will advise of any known problems


You must be willing to provide proof of any of the above requirements, like leases, proof of age or vet references



Steps to adoption:

  • Be sure you fit our requirements

  • Be sure you are ready and able to care for a new pet

  • Look at the available puppies and dogs and decide who may fit your lifestyle.


  • Fill the application out and email it back to us and wait for approval. You should hear from us within 24 hours





Once Approved

  • You will need to pay the adoption fee(we do NOT reserve without payment)
  • Your new friend will be reserved for you
  • Any basic vet work still needed will be updated
  • Your new friend will then be ready for his new home
  • You can then decide if you will pick him up or need transportation
  • Any transportation fees needed will be paid by now
  • You will get ready for the arrival of your new friend
  • We recommend www.myhealthextension.com Holistic pet food please order online and earn our shelter credit towards feed use code apetshelter
  • After you get your new friend home, please send us updates!!


How to Adopt
fees Average about $325, but range from free to $425 -they include vet check, microchip, basic shots current, spay/neuter or deposit for spay/neuter which you get back when you send proof that your vet has done it.

Our fees are now varied to try and help older or harder to find dogs homes and cover their expenses, the easy to adopt and puppies fees are a bit higher. We hope this will encourage folks to consider something other than a cute, purebred or hybrid 12 week old baby  or when you do adopt one of these cute babies, know your extra fee is helping those left behind.

if you are approved, but can't come here, transport is available most cases $300 extra(large breeds or adult dogs may cost more depending upon your location) We do have delivery by car occasionally  WI, MI< IL, IA , IN for $75-$225

Sometimes, we have specials or reduced fees on sponsored pets  usually in those cases we recomend the reduced fee and whatever donation towards our feed pantry you can afford
Other steps and ideas to adoption

We are in Unionville Mo 63565 

The procedures possible are

You would put in an application

Choose a few select dogs you are interested in

Make an appointment to see them

Choose and pay

depending upon the age of the dog/puppy they may be able to go home with you same day(those that are already spayed or those that have spay/neuter deposits can leave same day), older puppies and adults that are not spayed yet will need to be done before they can go..in those cases you can follow the steps below



Some folks that live at a distance stay in a small local hotel charges under $40 a night (after they picked their pet) and then vet work gets done that day and the pet goes home with them the next day.

Others who live at a distance pick, pay, and then come back a week later or choose transport to get their new friend

Other folks pick and choose ahead of time, pay, vet work gets done and then they come pick their pet up or have it delivered/shipped




Please recall --assume NONE of these dogs or puppies have any training of any kind
Most will housetrain easily using a crate.
Basic vet work done here, may still leave things needed done in the new home. Like puppies need shots every 3 weeks until over 16 weeks or for sure will need more deworming/parasite control. Please plan accordingly.
Some people call these "puppy mill rescues"  while we personally hate that phrase(it reflects a political agenda and not a situation), the phrase does help the average  adopter understand that these may by shy or timid or have unknown backgrounds or histories.
We DO, DO, DO allow out of state adoptions to approved homes!!!
We do NOT typically offer refunds for ANY reason. We do offer a change in your choice if the one you chose becomes ill or is not fitting in with your family. You can apply what fee you paid towards any suitable available dog/puppy Once you have returned the pet.

The ONLY time we offer refunds is if something happens to your chosen pet while in our care.

We do NOT , NOT, NOT pay vet bills of any kind!!
The only exceptions are if your adopted friend  is ill and you take it to OUR vet and leave it there for him to treat. If he cares for it and it dies, we will replace it and we will cover medical costs.We have full confidence that our vet can save your pet's life, and that he fully understands the special needs the high stress puppies/dogs we deal with here at the shelter.
We have found many vets outside this area simply do not work enough with "puppy mill puppies" to understand how to treat and deal with them.


What to expect, when you are expecting a puppy from us.helpful info while you wait for your new friend to arrive.click here