Animals will be placed only with adults of legal age who intend to keep them as household pets.  No dogs will be placed to serve merely as guard dogs or hunting dogs and no cats will be placed just to function as barn cats or mousers. 

All animals will be placed as inside pets only.

Applicants wishing to adopt cats/kittens must be willing to consider alternatives to declawing.

Puppies and kittens under 16 weeks of age will not be placed in homes where there are children under six (6) years of age.  Health and humane authorities agree that a young child usually cannot be expected to handle a puppy or kitten properly.  Mishandling is likely to result in injury to the animal, the child or both. 

No animal will be released for adoption as a gift to another person.  The recipient may not want an animal, the animal may not be suitable for the recipient’s life style or the recipient may not meet the criteria for a responsible pet owner.  Animal Lifeline will issue “Gift Certificates” that may be redeemed by the recipient, but Animal Lifeline reserves the right to refuse adoption to any person that fails to meet the criteria for a responsible pet owner. 

Because of the potential for abandonment, students are carefully screened and counseled before being approved for pet adoption. 

If the applicant rents, written permission from the landlord is required before the adoption application is approved.  This is for the protection of the animal and the adopter.

No animal adopted from Animal Lifeline of Iowa may be sold or given away to another person.  If the adopter can no longer keep the animal, for whatever reason, it must be returned to Animal Lifeline of Iowa.

All adopters are required to fit their new pets with properly fitting collars (with an elastic insert or breakaway collar for cats) bearing a permanent tag with the owner’s name, address and phone.  All dogs are released from the shelter with a temporary tag bearing Animal Lifeline’s name and phone. In addition, all animals are micro chipped before adoption. 

Serious consideration is given to the adopter’s ability to provide adequate exercise for a dog.  Fenced yards are preferred.  Consideration will be given IF the adopter is able to provide adequate exercise for the dog without a fenced area.  

Animal Lifeline may conduct a Pre and Post-Adoption home visit.  Adopter’s identity will be confirmed by a current driver’s license at the time of the adoption. 

A free Post-Adoption physical and stool check is offered to adopters by one of several Metro area veterinarians.  We highly recommend you take advantage of this offer.