New Rattitude, a nationwide non-profit charitable corporation, is a 100% volunteer-operated organization dedicated to the rescue and rehoming of abandoned, abused, neglected, sick, and unwanted Rat Terriers and Rat Terrier mixes. New Rattitude is made up of Rat Terrier lovers, both members and volunteers, who join together to rescue as many Ratties as we can, placing them in our network of private foster homes around the country. The dogs are nurtured by foster parents and provided with professional veterinary care and healthcare support while we work diligently to find them permanent adoptive homes. Adopters are screened, matched, and approved to ensure the adopted dogs will be safe, loved, and properly cared for the rest of their lives. Our network of foster homes is supported by a “staff” of other members who handle a variety of tasks related to administration, application screening, fund-raising, transportation, publicity, volunteer recruiting and training, technology, and other programs deemed helpful to achieving the mission of rescuing and re-homing Rat Terriers. New Rattitude was incorporated August 4, 2008, and gained tax-exempt 501(c)3 non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service in October 2008. We are licensed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and registered with the Georgia Secretary of State as a charitable organization. Since we spend more on veterinary care than our low adoption fees cover, we are dependent on public support through charitable, tax deductible donations and fund-raising. And we can always use more dedicated volunteers! Please join us if you are able!
Step 1 - Application: After you submit an adoption application for the dog you are interested in, you can expect a confirmation reply within 24 hours. If you do not receive a confirmation, or if you have general questions that aren’t answered in our Adoption FAQ section, email the Adoption Team at [email protected]. Step 2 - Foster Parent Dialog: Our Rat Terriers are located in private foster homes, so you cannot just “drop by” to visit. But by submitting the adoption application, you’ll be put in touch with the dog’s foster parent, who can give you more info about the dog, answer questions, and even arrange a visit if distances permit. Please have a good two-way dialog with the foster parent so that you can mutually determine whether your household is a good match for the needs of the dog you’ve applied for. If you are concerned about anything, be candid with the foster parent. Step 3 - Reference Checks: While the foster parent is helping you get to know the dog better, our Adoption Team will be at work processing your application. To avoid delays, please make sure to answer ALL questions and provide correct contact info for your references. It will also help greatly if you let your references know that you have listed them, and encourage them to take our calls &/or return messages. Step 4 - Interview: After talking to your references, your assigned Adoption Coordinator will contact you for a telephone interview to discuss your expectations, experience, and household situation. If you are concerned that the dog you applied for might not be a good match for your household after all, let your AC know. It may be that a different dog would be better for you, and your AC can help you find another good candidate. You would not need to submit another application, as long as the first one has not been closed out. Step 5 - Home Visit: A Home Visit Coordinator will find a volunteer from the rescue community to come to your home to perform a safety check and confirm that it is appropriate for the dog. We require that all family members be at home during the home visit so that everyone has an opportunity to understand the commitment of adoption and ask any questions that might be on their minds. Step 6 - Decision: Many factors go into an application approval decision. Some of these are discussed on our Adoption FAQ page. If there is a good match between your home and the dog for which you’ve applied, we will approve the adoption and send you a contract. We reserve the right to refuse an applicant at our sole discretion if we believe that the home situation isn’t compatible with the needs of the dog. If your home would be a safe, loving sanctuary for a rescued Rattie in general, but the particular dog for which you applied wasn’t deemed a good match, your AC would work with you to find a different dog that was a better fit - perhaps one who is not yet profiled on our website. Step 7 - Contract: After you sign and return the adoption contract (you can preview the terms and conditions here) and pay the adoption fee, the adoption is official and your new family member will soon be with you. Step 8 - Travel Home: If you are located close enough to the dog’s foster home, you make arrangements directly with the dog’s foster parent to pick up the dog. If you are located more than 150 miles from the foster home, you may request that our New Rattitude Transport Team make the arrangements to get the dog to you. Distances up to 600 miles are generally done by a ground transport, with the adopter expected to drive the last “leg” (normally at least 60 miles). For transports requiring the assistance of the New Rattitude Transport Team, the adopter will pay a $25 Transport Fee, which includes the cost of a required health certificate. Distances over 600 miles generally require that the dog be flown by air. All cost of that travel is the responsibility of the adopter. A required flight certificate, travel crate, and the flight itself can be expected to cost $250-$350.