Founder
Hello to all the loving families visiting the Adopt a Doggie website! I am Mary Choi, the founder of Adopt a Doggie. Growing up in Asia, I never had the chance to learn to love and respect animals like most western families raise their children to do. I grew up really fearful of animals, especially dogs. When I met my husband 15 years ago, he brought a Golden Retriever puppy named Chester into our lives. I still remember those first 5 months when I was staring at Chester, screaming and crying out of fear. Very typically, I ended up taking care of the puppy, and the bond between us grew stronger each day. At our first year anniversary, we welcomed another dog, Toby, into our lives so that both dogs could keep each other company while we were at work. A few years down the road, we decided to move into a house with a yard so that both dogs could have more room to play. This move led me to witness the huge number of stray animals, especially dogs living homeless on the streets of the mountain begging for food. These street dogs were not spayed or neutered, and they were all living in horrible conditions. Most were sick, injured, and abused. One day I saw a dog with severe skin problems, and starving. I stopped my car and fed him some food. I took a photo of the dog and went straight to the vet to get some medicine. The dog waited at the same spot for me every day and in 3 weeks’time his skin condition cleared up. That experience led me to begin feeding and treating all the dogs on the mountain where I live. One by one I caught them and tried to find them a safe and loving forever home. Most of these dogs were coming from conditions where they were really shy and fearful. In order for them to have a chance to be adopted, I knew that training them would be very crucial in their rehabilitation. Since then, I have attended several workshops with renowned trainers in the United States. By rescuing, fostering, and training these dogs, I have been able to find homes for over 1,000 dogs in the past 10 years. My son, Wesley, who is now 10 years old, plays an important role in helping these dogs get comfortable around young children. Together with Wesley, we make a great team in helping these poor dogs find a second chance in their lives. Please join us to make a difference by adopting a dog from Adopt a Doggie!
Hello to all the loving families visiting the Adopt a Doggie website! I am Mary Choi, the founder of Adopt a Doggie. Growing up in Asia, I never had the chance to learn to love and respect animals like most western families raise their children to do. I grew up really fearful of animals, especially dogs. When I met my husband 15 years ago, he brought a Golden Retriever puppy named Chester into our lives. I still remember those first 5 months when I was staring at Chester, screaming and crying out of fear. Very typically, I ended up taking care of the puppy, and the bond between us grew stronger each day. At our first year anniversary, we welcomed another dog, Toby, into our lives so that both dogs could keep each other company while we were at work. A few years down the road, we decided to move into a house with a yard so that both dogs could have more room to play. This move led me to witness the huge number of stray animals, especially dogs living homeless on the streets of the mountain begging for food. These street dogs were not spayed or neutered, and they were all living in horrible conditions. Most were sick, injured, and abused. One day I saw a dog with severe skin problems, and starving. I stopped my car and fed him some food. I took a photo of the dog and went straight to the vet to get some medicine. The dog waited at the same spot for me every day and in 3 weeks’time his skin condition cleared up. That experience led me to begin feeding and treating all the dogs on the mountain where I live. One by one I caught them and tried to find them a safe and loving forever home. Most of these dogs were coming from conditions where they were really shy and fearful. In order for them to have a chance to be adopted, I knew that training them would be very crucial in their rehabilitation. Since then, I have attended several workshops with renowned trainers in the United States. By rescuing, fostering, and training these dogs, I have been able to find homes for over 1,000 dogs in the past 10 years. My son, Wesley, who is now 10 years old, plays an important role in helping these dogs get comfortable around young children. Together with Wesley, we make a great team in helping these poor dogs find a second chance in their lives. Please join us to make a difference by adopting a dog from Adopt a Doggie!
We at Adopt a Doggie are professional when it comes to dog adoptions. Adopt a Doggie makes the whole process simple and easy. If you have any questions, please email us at contact@adoptadoggie.org or call Laura at 415-683-3535.
Picking your dog: Please pick a dog that matches your energy level and personality.
Approval: Once your application is approved, we will follow up with a phone call to tell you more about him or her. AAD may arrange for a home visit to ensure your home is ready for your new family member.
Picking up your dog: AAD staff will confirm by email the date your dog will be ready for pickup.
Application: Go to the dog’s profile, click “APPLY” and fill out the adoption application.
Agreement: We will send you an agreement to sign. Please bring signed agreement and adoption donation on pickup day.
Volunteer
We can’t do it alone and with your help you will make a real difference in the lives of hundreds and thousands of dogs waiting for a chance to have a forever home. We need volunteers to transport our dogs, to help with event planning, and to come up with new ideas to help more dogs.
Foster Homes
We need short term and long term fostering to help our dogs get prepared for the right family to come along. By providing your home and loving family members to join us in helping a dog in need, we promise that you will have a rewarding experience and your love and dedication will be appreciated by your foster dog!
We would like to thank our partners for supporting and working with us to help more dogs find forever homes! Below are our amazing partners who are experts in their fields and we highly recommend them. Please check out their websites and support them!
Cooperhaus K9
http://www.cooperhaus.com/
Head Trainer: Brent Cooper
Location: San Jose
Cell#: 408-426-6779
Head Trainer: Brent Cooper
Location: San Jose
Cell#: 408-426-6779
Hill’s Veterinary Hospital
22163 Redwood Road, Castro Valley, CA94546
510-881-5811
www.HillsVetHospital.com
510-881-5811
www.HillsVetHospital.com
Q.
Where can I find out more about Adopt a Doggie besides this website?
A.
Yelp:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/adopt-a-doggie-castro-valley-4
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Adopt.Doggie
Flickr group: https://www.flickr.com/groups/adoptadoggie
http://www.yelp.com/biz/adopt-a-doggie-castro-valley-4
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Adopt.Doggie
Flickr group: https://www.flickr.com/groups/adoptadoggie
Q.
Do you recommend any specific collars?
A.
We recommend a properly fitted martingale collar instead of a traditional collar or a harness. Most of our doggies have slim heads and they may slip out of a traditional collar when they are scared or spooked.
During training events, the trainers will introduce the training collars and the proper way to fit them as well.
We advise against harnesses as a walking or training tool, generally, as they reinforce pulling behavior on walks which most owners do not prefer.
During training events, the trainers will introduce the training collars and the proper way to fit them as well.
We advise against harnesses as a walking or training tool, generally, as they reinforce pulling behavior on walks which most owners do not prefer.
Q.
Do you offer training?
A.
Each dog will come with some basic training.
Please do follow training with Brent Cooper in San Jose. Please call/text him at 408-426-6779.
Please do follow training with Brent Cooper in San Jose. Please call/text him at 408-426-6779.
Q.
Is the dog housetrained?
A.
A majority of our dogs have been introduced the concept of house-training depending on how long the dog has been with the foster families before being adopted. Foster families are trying their best to introduce crate training and house training to their dogs. However, every home is different, a different layout, different flooring and carpets, different smells, and so on, so no matter how well a doggie is house trained, you should expect a couple of accidents in the beginning. We will provide you with instructions how to quickly accomplish house-training if it is not already done.
Q.
Is the dog crate trained?
A.
All of our doggies are being introduced to crate training at the foster homes. That means most of them are used to sleeping in a crate and not going to the bathroom for up to six-eight (6-8) hours.
You may need to reintroduce the crate training concept to your new dogs as they may take time to adjust in their new homes.
You may need to reintroduce the crate training concept to your new dogs as they may take time to adjust in their new homes.
Q.
How soon can I sign up for obedience training?
A.
It's almost never too early to start obedience training.
The trainer we recommend is Brent Cooper in the San Jose area. Please call/text him at 408-426-6779.
The trainer we recommend is Brent Cooper in the San Jose area. Please call/text him at 408-426-6779.
Q.
Why do you recommend to keep the leash on 24/7 for the first two weeks?
A.
We recommend keeping your new doggie on the leash for the first two weeks for three reasons: (1) Safety. It's much easier to catch a doggie that gets out by accident if a leash is dragging; (2) Bonding. Your new doggie will learn to follow you and shorten the adjustment time; (3) House training. Help catch your new doggie before they have an accident.
This will be explained in more detail at the time of your adoption, in the Welcome Packet.
This will be explained in more detail at the time of your adoption, in the Welcome Packet.
Q.
What's your adoption fee/donation? And what it's included?
A.
The adoption donation is $450.
Adopt a Doggie is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit organization.
You will have a new family companion with complete medical record, neutered/spayed, vaccinated, dewormed, microchipped.
Each doggie also comes with a crate. We appreciate donations of $60 (or more) for the crate to help us with the expenses of rescuing and rehabilitating these awesome doggies.
Adopt a Doggie is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit organization.
You will have a new family companion with complete medical record, neutered/spayed, vaccinated, dewormed, microchipped.
Each doggie also comes with a crate. We appreciate donations of $60 (or more) for the crate to help us with the expenses of rescuing and rehabilitating these awesome doggies.
Q.
Do you have drop in hours?
A.
Unfortunately meet and greet with our available doggies is by appointments only.
Q.
What is Pre-Adoption?
A.
Most of our available doggies are in foster homes in Taiwan. If you find a doggie on our website that you believe is the perfect fit for you and your family, please submit your application. Once we approve the application, we will inform you when the doggie is available for you to pick up. If you commit to a doggie before it arrives, you will pre-adopt the doggie by signing an Adoption Agreement. We will then reserve the dog for you, and you will pick it up at SFO International airport. An Adopt a Doggie volunteer will meet you there. The adoption donation will be collected at SFO when you arrive to pick up your doggie.
Q.
Do you have public adoption events?
A.
No.
Q.
What the doggies come with on the day of adoption?
A.
Unless otherwise noted, each doggie comes with: medical/vaccinations record, leash, collar and/or harness, and a crate. A donation of $60 (or more) for the crate is appreciated.
Q.
Do you provide the dog's medical history?
A.
Yes, we provide the dog's medical record on the day you pick up your doggie. All doggies are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, and microchipped.
Q.
Is my donation to Adopt a Doggie tax deductible?
A.
Adopt a Doggie is a recognized 501(c)(3) public charity nonprofit organization.
Talk with your tax professional regarding any specific details as to any tax deduction.
Talk with your tax professional regarding any specific details as to any tax deduction.
Q.
What medications/treatments have been performed on my doggie before I adopted him or her?
A.
An Adopt a Doggie staff member will go over the medical records with you at the time of your adoption and answer any questions. Generally, each doggie had rabies vaccination, additional vaccinations (canine distemper, canine adenovirus types 1 and 2, canine parainfluenza, canine coronavirus, canine parvovirus, leptospira canicola and l. icterohaemorrhagiae), spay/neuter operation, heartworm test, lyme test, ehrichia canis test, anaplasma platys test, deworming, and all doggies have begun monthly treatments for heartworm, fleas and ticks.
Q.
How do you accomplish house training?
A.
We have a very simple and consistent method for house training. We will provide you a written guide at the time of your adoption. The process will depend on if you prefer to train your dog to go to the bathroom outdoors (preferred) or to use puppy pads.
Q.
Can I take my doggie out to meet other dogs and people right away?
A.
Yes, all of our doggies can immediately begin to socialize with people and other doggies.
Q.
What types of food does Adopt a Doggie feed its doggies?
A.
Adopt a Doggie foster families use a variety of dry dog food brands. You may choose any dog food that you prefer.
Q.
What do I do if I have a question or concern about my new doggie?
A.
Just get ahold with our team and we will be happy to address your concerns and find a solution.
Q.
What do I do if my doggie gets out or lost?
A.
Immediately contact Laura at 415-683-3535. We can get involved immediately with tips on how to find your doggie quickly, organize volunteers and/or provide a lost dog flyer with your doggie's photo and your contact information.