The Fort Defiance Humane Society is a non-profit, compassionate, animal-advocacy organization established in 1966 to provide the Defiance area community with resources to: Rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome abused, neglected, or unwanted animals; Develop and administer programs designed to educate the community on responsible pet ownership; Aggressively control animal abuse and overpopulation.
When you’ve made the decision to adopt an animal, you can fill out our adoption application online or in person at our office. The information on the application assists our staff in helping you select an animal that is perfect for you and your family. At FDHS, we strive to find every animal their “forever home.” In order to do so successfully, we do our best to understand as much as possible about each animal that comes to us. We observe their behavior, interactions with people and other animals, habits, level of training, energy levels, etc. Our application process allows us to understand the lifestyles of our potential adopters so we can find the purrfect animal match! Once your application has been received, our Adoption Coordinator will take a variety of steps to verify information provided on the application, and other pertinent information. One of our main requirements is that current/past pets were up-to-date on veterinary care. If you rent your home, we will verify that your landlord allows pets and/or any restrictions. Once your application is approved, our Adoption Coordinator will contact you to set up an appointment to do a “meet & greet” with other members of your family or household, including existing pets. We may also recommend a home visit. All of our animals have been spayed or neutered (or will be scheduled if too young), received core vaccines appropriate to their age, tested for heart worm (dogs), tested for FIV/FeLV (cats), and received initial de-worming and flea prevention. When you bring your new pet home, please realize this is all a big change for him or her! Even a young puppy or kitten has had several situations to adjust to before coming home with you. An adult dog or cat may have had many more. Try to be reasonable in your expectations. Accidents may occur. Set rules for your dog to follow and make sure everyone else in the family is prepared to follow through on those rules as well. Sometimes it can take many weeks until your pet becomes completely comfortable. Please commit to giving them that time and PATIENCE!