Adoption Procedures

Due to the current lock down situation and following both government guidelines and those issued by the Association of Dogs & Cats Homes we want to keep you updated with our current situation and our current adoption procedures.

The Sanctuary continues to stay closed to the general public to protect both visitors and our staff from coming into contact with each other to minimise risk. We continue to run with a skeleton team on site, working extra hard to ensure all of our animals continue to receive the highest level of care. Our reduced office staff continue to answer phones and emails and are responding to enquiries as soon as possible.

With this in mind we have considered the feasibility for us to continue rehoming our cats and dogs at this time. With the aid of virtual home checks, skype interviews and our usual checks and application forms, in individual cases we may be able to rehome some of our rescues. We would ask that all potential adopters please visit our animal rehoming pages and if they see a specific cat or dog they feel would be the right fit for their family, please contact our rehoming team at info@hollyhedge.org.uk for more information and to assess whether they may be the right match for you. When our kittens have had their first vet check they will also be on our website, so please do follow this process for kittens too.

Once we have received your email we will send you an application form to begin the rehoming process. Please note the majority of our animals on site will not be able to be rehomed until lock down has ended as many will need to meet you on site prior to adoption with our staff.

Due to the current guidelines stating that animals can only be transported directly to the home, we are currently only able to re-home within a 20 mile radius of the sanctuary. If you have other pets in the home we would need to do a social where we bring an animal to meet you, so socials may not be able to go forward at the moment unless in exceptional circumstances.

Please bear with us as we learn to navigate through these new procedures and know we’ll treat all adoptions on a case by case basis. We care about our cats and dogs deeply, so of course we want to find them their forever home, but we have to be thorough as having our animals come back to us due to an incompatible match would be devastating for them.

**PLEASE NOTE – WE ARE RECEIVING LARGE VOLUMES OF CALLS ASKING WHICH ANIMALS ARE AVAILABLE TO HAVE NOW – to avoid disappointment, please please only call if you see ONE animal that you feel is the right match as we are unable to keep up with demand, to determine whether we can go ahead with an adoption, this will be based on multiple factors such as your location, whether you have had a dog/cat before, the home set up etc, whether there are other pets and children in the home who will need to meet prior, so we are unable to say at present which cats or dogs are available as there are so many factors to be considered. Please just consider long term suitability and only if you are prepared to wait, as the majority of animals and set ups mean they will not be able to be moved until lock down has ended.

In a time like this, please know that we need your support more than ever. Remember that your local charities and business are suffering financially as a result of Coronavirus. Please consider making a donation or supporting us monthly by becoming a PawPal by clicking here. Our PawPals are our everyday heroes, knowing what is coming in monthly helps us make life saving decisions for our animals every day, and over the coming months this is vital.

Thank you all for your support and understanding as always.