Adoption Denial

Adoption Denial- U.S. military in Germany

There are many factors that go into whether or not an applicant is approved for adoption. Often times, the decision to approve or deny is very difficult. The adoption board is comprised of people that have the dogs’ best interests in mind, and are trying to decide the fate a PRS pup based on the potential adopter’s application / home check information as well as our knowledge of the pup’s needs. We do error on the side of caution. We understand that an adoption denial is very disappointing, and we do hope that applicants understand that we are in a very difficult situation.

The PRS Adoption Board: If your application was denied, you will be notified of the denial, but not of the reason why. We completely understand why this is both disappointing and frustrating. Unfortunately, we are not able to tell you of the reason why. This policy is a legal one, and has to do with insurance liability. There are a few articles here and here, on typical reasons shelters deny adoptions.

Refunds: PRS is a nonprofit charity. Any money sent prior to adoption denial will be refunded through PayPal. Please let us know which account/email you would like the refund sent to.

Diplomacy: PRS is run mostly by British expats living in Spain. The pups are then adopted by US military in Germany. Adoption in the U.S. from a local shelter is quite simple in comparison. Most puppy adoptions do not involve four nations/nationalities working together to home one dog.

Cultural Differences: Shelters in the U.S. are dealing with a different state of affairs, and do approve adoption applications at a much higher rate than PRS. An abandoned dog in the United States just adds one more dog to the 1.5 million dogs and cats per year that are euthanized.  In comparison, pet abandonment is illegal in Germany. Each imported dog is tracked via microchip number and registers each dog with their adopter.  Because abandoned dogs are tracked to their adopter as well as the rescue organization, adoption approval is more difficult in the European Union.

Financial Ramifications: We are a non-profit charity, and our adoption records and dogs’ microchip numbers are of public record. While we would love to see more abandoned litters saved (and subsequently spayed/neutered), we do not financially benefit from more adoptions. In fact, the number of PRS dogs being rehomed in Germany by American military does jeopardize our relationship with our host nation as well.

Suggestion #1: If you left your pet in the states when you PCSed, consider flying him/her unaccompanied, or as cargo when you return from a visit to the states. Obviously this takes funds and paperwork, but this cost and effort is comparable to adopting from PRS.

Suggestion #2: Every U.S. military base in Germany has an extremely high rehoming rate in and around the base (compared to other areas of Germany). We suggest that if you would still like to adopt, please look into adopting a rehomed (non-PRS) dog in your area. There are plenty of Facebook pages dedicated to the rehoming of pets by military personnel. If you are willing to drive, you can expand your search to include pet rehoming pages in both Grafenwoehr and Kaiserslautern.

Suggestion #3: Often times the easiest thing to do is wait. According to the ASPCA’s 2017 statistics, America euthanizes 670,000 dogs per year. Consider waiting and adopting a dog back home. You will save money on international dog travel, and you will be saving a life.

Side Note: If you do decide to buy a puppy from a breeder, please do be wary of backyard breeders, puppy mills, and internet scams.