I am on Petfinder finding and loving some doggies to adopt from shelters or rescues.
I am curious as to how long it should take for me to hear back from some of the places I have found doggies that I like and want to adopt??

Is it typical to not hear anything- no email or anything- in the first or second day of application submission?

Some rescues I found do say give them a day or two but not all of them give you a time frame.
It is so hard on a newbie waiting for a reply..even just a we got your application would be nice...trying not to lose doggies you would like to home to other adopters or worse.
I found two cairn terriers, so sweet, at a pound and it says their adoption is urgent as they are in a kill shelter.
SO I called today and no one has called me back.
If it is urgent then call me back asap is what I think...
Maybe everyone is off today for Veterans Day?

Just remember, rescue organizations are usually run by volunteers. Volunteers that have families, jobs, kids, dogs of their own, and more often then not, are also fostering the very dogs that are up on for adoption (which means they're busy having the animals vetted). Add that to the fact that they're probably also responsible for the home visits to see if a home is appropriate for an animal, and the one or two people responsible for shuffling through the thousands of requests daily to adopt dogs, don't have much time left.

I'd give them a good 10-14 days to get back to you. If you don't hear anything, give 'em a call or send off another email. I know it seems like a really long time to give them, but if you're patient and courteous, they'll remember that.

Also keep in mind, most rescues are more concerned about the dog, and finding it a FOREVER home. Just because you think you've got the best home for a dog, doesn't mean they will.

Good luck getting the pup you're interested in, and CONGRATULATIONS for making the decision to adopt from a rescue!!

Hey thanks...
your post helps..I thought I was doing something wrong...lol..

I just had no idea the real people behind the scenes and what they had to accomplish.

Make sense to me.

If the Cairns are in a kill shelter, I would show up or keep calling and calling. I know Cairns are cute, but are you up to the challenge of terriers?? They are a handful, that is why so many end up in shelters. There are many breeders who do not care where they place there dogs, they only care if the check clears the bank. I recently pulled a Jack Russell out of the shelter in Colorado Springs. He was totally out of control, because the breeder told the woman(who also had a 3yr old) that Jack Russell's were nice little lap dogs.
Well my boy is currently sleeping quietly in a doggy bed. But it takes a lot of dilligent hard work to acheive this type of behavior with a terrier. And it starts at a very early age. So be prepared to put down some strict dicipline with these dogs. Do not fall into the spoiling because of there time in the shelter, or you will just be adding to the problem. Go to pick up a book on the breed to learn more. They are avid little hunters and prefer to have a JOB.

With shelters I suggest you keep calling. Often you just get vm and who knows when someone has time to listen to the messages and return calls. Many shelters only have one person to do everything.

For rescues, be a little more lenient! We are overworked and underpaid - lol. We actually get paid knowing that the dogs we place are in great homes. In addition to caring for the dogs, we often have to pull the from shelters, pick them up from people who are getting rid of them, take them to and from the vet's office. Then we screen applications, call references, do home visits.... The list is quite lengthy. Oh, and somewhere in there we might ahve and job and/or family.

Believe me - we WANT to talk to you. Forgive us for the wait being a little longer than you'd like it to be.

And thank you for adopting!!!!

Thank you everyone for your replies..just an update..I did get a call back from the kill shelter and I was able to rescue those two little cairns.
They are THE sweetest little doggies ever!
I am ready and have read and read and this is what I want to do.
I will not give up on these guys and we are doing great with training.
I am sorry I was so impatient on waiting for people to call me on some of the doggies we liked.
I truly appreciate the hard work everyone does in the shelters and foster homes.
You are good people. We need more people like you.
THANK YOU!

Thank you for rescuing!!

I hope you have many wonderful years with your new furbabies.