Meeting your matches

After you've chatted about your matches on the phone, you (and all house members) will be invited in to meet the matches you are most interested in. We do this by appointment to make sure we have the staff ready to assist you, and that the animal isn’t booked out at the vet or on a walk.

It's an exciting day for you, but also for the animals as meeting a stranger is out of their everyday routine. They may behave differently towards you than to the staff, but you can take clues on how they are with staff to see how they'll act once they know you better. 

There will be a lot of information, so feel free to ask any questions or for us to repeat anything – we know that it can be hard to focus with a cute furry face waiting for you! Please listen carefully to any requests that are there for your safety.

Meeting your cat matches

Come in and meet the cat either in their pod, our outdoor cat garden or in the kitten playroom. 

If you are unsure if one of your family has allergies, we can give you one of thr cat's blankets to take home and test your reaction.

» Read more about living with pets and allergies

We try to arrange so you can adopt on the same day, but this isn't always possible.

Meeting your dog matches 

You'll have at least two meetings for any dog so you can experience how they act in different situations before you take them home. Before adoption, we ask that you and your potential new dog experience:

• A lead walk, with staff 
• Off-lead time in a paddock, with staff
• A lead walk, without staff 
• Time in an indoor environment (we have a cabin on site with a small garden)

We also ask that you speak with a member of staff specifically about behaviour and adoption. We call this a 'behaviour one-to-one' and is usually booked alongside your second visit.

It is important to have the breaks in between the activities for both you and the dog to recharge and think about how you feel about each other! Seeing how the dog reacts to you on subsequent visits can give us a great idea of how the match is going and if we need to extend the meetings at all.

Dogs with behaviour issues

With dogs who have complex behaviour issues, such as nervousness with strangers or issues with being touched, this process will take much longer. We want to be sure that you've seen as much of their personality as possible, as well as being confident around the dog by yourself.

For example, we will want to know that you can safely harness and muzzle them by yourself – a serious area of trust between any dog and owner. We do this to set you and your dog up for success in your new life together. Our Rehoming team will let you know what to expect for your matches.

What if I don’t like them?

Don’t worry! It's okay to say so, and we will find you another to meet as soon as we can. The pet you have just seen may have plenty of other matches ready for them too. 

Any other issues

We have a duty of care to rehome responsibly and reserve the right to refuse adoption. It may be that the animal is very picky about who they make friends with, or that we feel you do not yet have the experience required to stay safe with this particular animal. We'll do our best to explain why, and try and help you continue with your adoption journey with a different pet.