Florida Dachshund Rescue currently only adopts our dachshunds to Florida residents.
Our adoption process starts when you submit an adoption application through our website and pay the $10 fee. You should expect to receive an email confirmation from us within 24 hours after you submit it. If you have not received confirmation, feel free to contact fldrapplications@gmail.com to check on your application.
There is a $10 application fee to apply to adopt and the fee is not refundable. Your adoption application will not be processed without the payment of this fee.
After you apply and submit the free, your application will then be assigned to a volunteer for processing. They will check with your personal references and your veterinarian. When they talk to your veterinarian we will be checking to make sure that your current pets are spayed or neutered, up to date on their shots, and currently on monthly heartworm preventative.
It is FLDR’s policy that all pets in an adoptive home must be spayed or neutered unless there is a medical reason that they can not be. Animal rescue groups are dedicated to combating pet over-population.
If you rent your home, we will contact your landlord to get permission for you to have the adopted dachshund in the home. This is very important, as we can’t place a dachshund with you unless we are given such authorization.
If you are a snowbird, we must be able to do a home visit at your FL residence and you need to be staying in FL for at least 2 months, after adopting a dachshund from us.
The processor will then conduct a telephone interview with you to give and receive additional information, etc.
Finally, we set up a home visit. One of FLDR’s members will come by your home at a mutually agreed time. We require that everyone who lives with you, including animals, is present at the home visit, which normally takes about 45 minutes.
FLDR will then notify you if you are approved for adoption. Once you are matched up with a dachshund, we’ll try to set up a transport, if necessary, to get you and your adopted dachshund together (within the state of Florida). Volunteer transports sometimes take a little bit of time to arrange, so we ask for your patience. When you and your dachshund meet, you’ll sign an adoption contract and pay the adoption fee.
Our Adoption Process
What You Need To Know
It’s important that you fill out the adoption application as completely as possible. Incorrect or missing information slows down the review process. It could also result in our rejection of your application.
We are an all volunteer group and ask for your patience as we process your application. We will do everything we can to make it go as quickly as possible.
You must be at least 25 years of age to adopt and have no children younger than 7 living with you. You must have the financial means to provide medical treatment and care for the dachshund and your other animals, if you have any, must be neutered or spayed, up to date on shots and on monthly heartworm prevention.
If you are 75 years of age or older, you need to have a co-adopter that will take care of the dachshund, in case something should happen to you. Please have them fill out a separate adoption application.
At the time of adoption, your adopted dachshund will be up to date on shots, heartworm free, on monthly preventative heartworm medication and altered.
We can’t guarantee that you will be approved to adopt, nor can we guarantee that the dachshund you may have specified will be available for you to adopt. We work with you and our foster homes to make sure that the right dachshund is adopted by the right family.
Dachshund Characteristics
Dachshunds are wonderful dogs and make terrific companions, but they are not for everyone. As with all dog breeds, individual dogs have their own personalities, but there are some traits that are very common throughout the breed. For example, because they were bred to hunt independently and to kill their prey, dachshunds – especially smooth dachshunds – tend to have a high prey drive and are stubborn. Effective training is a must for all dogs, including dachshunds.
Dachshunds may not be the best dogs for families with young children – or with children of any age who are not taught how to handle and communicate with dogs safely. Dachshunds with strong prey instincts may look at toddlers as prey – especially when the little ones are running, waving their arms, and making high-pitched noises – and the dachshund may chase, bark at, and even nip at them. This behavior is not viciousness or attack biting, but rather a response of the hunting dog to a creature that looks and sounds like something the dog has an instinct to hunt. Children must also be taught to handle a dachshund in such a way that the dog’s spinal column is not injured.
The dachshund courage, which serves the breed so well in the field, can be a problem for city dogs. Dachshunds may bark at and even charge other dogs when they are being walked; this trait is especially obvious if two or more dachshunds are walking together (the pack mentality) and if the other dog is a large breed. For this reason, as well as general common sense, dachshunds should always be walked on a leash and they should always be confined to a securely fenced yard at home. Even the best-trained and most obedient dachshund can bolt into the street suddenly to chase a squirrel or an Akita.
Dachshunds love to burrow – they like to tunnel under bed covers and pillows. They may also dig in the yard.
They love the company of other dachshunds, which is why you see so many dachshund pairs. They like to curl up and sleep together, with their heads on each other’s backs. They are usually very physically affectionate dogs – they like to snuggle and kiss and be scratched and have their bellies rubbed.
Dachshunds are not suited to living outdoors or in a kennel, but should live in the home. Dachshunds can injure their backs jumping on and off furniture, so get a ramp or steps and teach them to use it if they want up on the sofa or bed. When you hold a Dachshund, always be careful to support his rear and his chest. 1 out of every 4 Dachshunds can have serious spinal problems that may need surgery and can result in paralysis.
Potential adopters often ask whether dachshunds are playful. As with all other breeds, the answer to that question depends upon the individual dog. Some dachshunds like to retrieve balls, some like to play with squeaky toys, some like to play with other dogs, and some are just couch potatoes. They often prefer tracking to retrieving, and activities such as earthdog competitions and field trials can be lots of fun for dachshunds and their owners. Your local Dachshund Club of America chapter can tell you about clubs in your area.
Please consider all these characteristics before adopting or fostering a dachshund. Thank you!