FAQs

Adoptions fees are $275 for puppies, $225 for dogs over 1 year of age and $185 for all cats, regardless of age.

All of our cats and dogs are housed in foster homes in the DFW area. Some of our adoptable cats also rotate from foster homes to our PetSmart cat adoption center in west Frisco, located at 11833 Dallas Pkwy, Frisco, TX 75033. Refer to our events page to see our upcoming events where you can meet our available dogs and cats. Or email us at any time at habitat4paws@gmail.com for additional information or to obtain an application.

Email us at habitat4paws@gmail.com for an application to fill out and return to us. We do not have an online application at this time. We do not select applicants on a first-come first-serve basis. We are looking for the best fit for the dog or cat. If your family is chosen, we will schedule a meet-n-greet or a home visit. If all goes well and your family wants to proceed to a home trial, we will leave the dog or cat along with needed supplies (food, crate, leash and toys). The trial is typically 5 days. If at any time during the trial you realize it is not a good fit, we will come to pick up the dog or cat. If it is a good fit, we will finalize the adoption, retrieve any items we left (crate, leash, etc.) and collect the adoption fee at that time.

The home trial is typically a 5-day period where you can get to know the animal without making a permanent commitment. It allows you time to establish if this is the right pet for your family and that they get along with the other animals in your home. We do not collect the adoption fee until the home trial has concluded and you’ve decided you want to adopt. We want all adoptions to be the right fit, and our hope is that the trial period allows you to do this.

We currently do not have an online application for adoption. Please email habitat4paws@gmail.com and we will email you a fillable form. Volunteer applications can be found at here and foster applications can be found here.

All of our dogs and cats are fully vetted and include:

Rabies Vaccination

Viral Vaccination (FVRCP for cats; DHPP for dogs)

De-worming

Feline Leukemia/AIDS Test

Feline Leukemia Vaccination

Leptospirosis shot

Heartworm tested and treated if needed

Spay/Neuter Surgery

Microchip

Current on heartworm and flea prevention

You will receive a full set of vet records upon adoption along with the physical rabies and microchip tags.

We pull from shelters that have high euthanasia rates in the DFW and surrounding area. Once transported, animals go immediately to the veterinarian to begin the vetting process. All of our animals are put on a medical hold for 7-10 days to ensure they do not break with an illness coming out of the shelter and this also gives us time to complete all needed vetting procedures. We also work with the animals on potty training, crate training and basic commands.

We hold events at various locations on the weekends, typically at venues like PetSmart, Hollywood Feed, Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, etc. Events last from 2-3 hours, providing the perfect opportunity to meet your potential new family member. We also always have cats available to meet at our cat room at PetSmart located at 11833 Dallas Parkway, Frisco, TX 75033. Please email us at habitat4paws@gmail.com to inquire which cats are currently there. Please note we do not complete onsite adoptions because we require home visits.

By fostering, you are actually saving more lives than the dog or cat you are fostering. By pulling a dog or cat from the shelter, we are also opening up more kennel space for incoming dogs and cats. As a foster you provide a temporary home to an animal in need until they find their new forever home. We provide all the items you will need during the time the foster is in your home - food, crate, leash, collar, litter, etc. We do ask that you transport your foster to and from vet appointments and to our adoption events. You will be amazed at the transformation of the dog or cat coming from the shelter and becoming part of a family again or learning to be part of a family for the first time.

Habitat 4 Paws is a 100% volunteer-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) rescue group dedicated to saving animals from euthanasia in the DFW area. All of our dogs and cats are kept in foster homes. We pull dogs and cats that are facing euthanasia from local and more rural shelters and provide them a chance to belong to a family. All of our dogs and cats are fully vetted and microchipped.

Paws Pantry was created to provide temporary food assistance to those in need. We collect dog and cat food from the public through food drives and donations and distribute the food where it is most needed. The need for dog and cat food in the Dallas-Fort Worth area ranges from local shelters to individual citizens to other 501(c) rescue groups.

There are many ways to lend a hand besides fostering. We can always use volunteers at our adoption events to help walk dogs, introduce them to potential adopters and just give them some love and attention. We can also use help in our fundraising efforts, transporting animals and at food drives. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill our volunteer form HERE.

We love volunteers of all ages but you must be over the age of 10 to volunteer. Ages 10-15 must be accompanied by a parent, while 16 and over can volunteer alone. Volunteering can count as community service hours as well.

Vetting at shelters varies greatly depending on the shelter from which you adopt. Some only give basic vaccinations and some do a more thorough vetting process depending on the size of the shelter and their access to a reliable veterinarian and funds. Habitat 4 Paws partners with local vets to ensure the highest quality of care is given to each and every one of our dogs and cats. Our vetting costs are typically more than our adoption fees because we ensure each dog or cat is fully vetted and healthy before placing them for adoption. Habitat 4 Paws also pulls dogs and cats that require additional vetting beyond the norm, such as heartworm positive dogs or cats, those requiring surgery due to injury or defect, those suffering from mange, etc. The costs to get these special dogs and cats healthy is expensive and will likely preclude them from being adopted from the shelters due to costs.

The pet overpopulation is staggering. Approximately 6.5 million animals enter shelters every year in the US and close to 1 million are euthanized. By spaying or neutering your pet, you are helping to prevent overpopulation and giving your pet the best chance to remain healthy for a longer period of time.

By giving your dog or cat heartworm preventive, you can help to ensure they will not become afflicted with this awful condition. Heartworms are transmitted to the dog or cat through a mosquito bite. Once infected, the worms take root and grow in the heart of the animal. This causes heart damage and can even lead to death. The treatment to get rid of heartworms is painful, expensive and can be life threatening. The typical cost to treat a small dog is usually in the $400 to $500 range. A simple monthly dose of prevention is usually less than $7.50, depending on the size of the dog or cat, and comes in the form of an easy to chew tablet or topical liquid. Heartworms are not contagious to other animals or humans.

There is a common misperception that declawing cats is a bit like permanently clipping their nails and an ‘easy’, harmless solution to scratching furniture. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Cat nails are not like human nails. Their nails are part of the bone structure in their paws. Because of this, removing their claws is serious surgery that is the equivalent of amputating human fingers at the first joint (in other words, absolutely nothing like simply removing fingernails). The process is extremely painful for the cat and requires them to relearn how to walk. Declawing can cause life-long pain and nerve damage, and is also associated with multiple long-term behavioral problems, including biting, increased aggression, and litterbox issues. There are numerous humane alternatives to declawing a cat, including regularly trimming their claws with nail clippers, providing sufficient scratching posts, and even applying soft nail caps. All of our cats receive regular nail trimmings while in our care.

This is unfortunate, but we understand that life circumstances sometimes change drastically. Please contact us at habitat4paws@gmail.com to discuss. We ask you to please not take the animal to a local shelter or give it away.

Habitat 4 Paws does not take in animals directly from the public. We advise you to contact the closest local city or county shelter or animal control. Also, the SPCA maintains a list of animal control agencies in the DFW area.