We are unable to "cat test" our dogs or "dog test" our cats. If we know a pet has lived with other dogs or cats in a previous home or foster home, we will list this out in the animal's bio. We can sometimes tell how a dog will react to children based on how they react to child volunteers and visitors. Your best chance at adopting an animal that has been proven to thrive with other animals in a home is to check out our animals in foster! Many of our foster families have other pets in the home.

For foster animals, adopters first fill out an adoption application for the animal they are interested in meeting. The application is the same as that for an animal in-shelter. Once approved, we will put you in touch with the foster family via email to set up a virtual meeting so you may ask questions about the animal and learn more about them from their foster family.

For dogs, if you are interested in proceeding we will then arrange for an in-person meeting at the shelter so you may interact with the dog before deciding if you would like to complete an adoption. If you choose to finalize the adoption following your in-person meeting, you are expected to be prepared to take the dog home with you the same day.

For cats, due to the stress cats can feel from changing environments we do not offer in-person meetings prior to deciding whether or not you would like to adopt. Following your zoom call, we will set up a time for you to pick up the cat at the shelter and finalize the adoption.

If you have a friend or family member who can help you fill out your application, you may ask for their assistance. For in-shelter adopters, staff and volunteers can assist you in filling out the online application.

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We are accepting up to 3 applications for each pet. When a pet receives 3 applications, they are removed from the website. Because we are approving applications on a first-come, best-match basis, there is a possibility that your application is not the first to be reviewed or may be incomplete. In the event that the first application does not move forward, we will then proceed with the second, and then third. In the event that we have a sibling available and you have indicated your interest in a sibling or similar animal, you may be contacted after the pet you applied for has been adopted about adopting a sibling. We appreciate your patience as we review applications ahead of yours.

CAAA staff is unable to respond to every application that comes in for a pet, and incomplete applications, applications with incorrect information, and applications that are not a match for the applied pet will not be processed. Please check your applications to ensure they are complete and be sure to contact landlords, veterinarians, and references to inform them that Cape Ann Animal Aid will be contacting them.

If you received a confirmation email with your application responses sent to you, we have your application on file.

Due to the volume of applications received, we cannot return calls or emails asking about the status of a particular application. CAAA staff is unable to respond to every application that comes in for a pet, and incomplete applications, applications with incorrect information, and applications that are not a match for the applied pet will not be processed. Please check your applications to ensure they are complete and be sure to contact landlords, veterinarians, and references to respond to phone messages.

In an effort to share all aspects of rescue work, we do sometimes post about animals who are not yet available. Puppies and kittens under 8 weeks are unavailable until they reach 8 weeks of age and have been medically cleared for adoption. Additionally, we sometimes post photos of pets who are very quickly adopted. It is possible that by the time you've seen a post about a pet, they have already received 3 applications or been adopted!

If you don't see any dogs or cats listed on our website, that doesn't mean there are none in the building. When our pets arrive at the shelter, they must wait first for 48 hours in isolation, where they are monitored for contagious disease. It then takes time to ensure all animals are up to date on their vaccines, have been spayed/neutered, and are ready to go to their new home. Animals are posted as they meet these requirements and are available. So, keep checking!