Have a Question About FOHA?
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Adoption Questions
We generally bring in new dogs every other week and don’t have a set schedule for when our new cats arrive. Our recommendation is that you check the website regularly for newly adoptable pets.
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Social development
Kittens need social interaction with other kittens to develop emotionally, socially, and sometimes physically.
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Playmate
Kittens need a lot of stimulation and play time, and having a second kitten means they'll always have a playmate.
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Reduced play aggression
Kittens play with each other a lot, so there's rarely a case of play aggression.
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Learn from each other
Kittens learn from each other how to play, hunt, stalk, and establish boundaries. They also learn cat skills like using the litter box and grooming by watching each other.
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Easier to introduce a second cat later
Getting two kittens together is much easier than introducing a second cat later on.
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Better for older pets
Kittens play with each other and don't bother the adult cat as much.
You will need to submit a new adoption application and have a meet-and-greet with potential dogs.
We will preform a vet check prior to adoption.
If you have moved since your last home visit we will need to do a full home visit again. Otherwise a modified home visit will be conducted with our Adoption Team. This may be done virtually.
Many of our animals come from Southern Virginia and North Carolina where they are unclaimed strays. We also pull pit bull mixes from Prince George's County, MD. On a limited basis, we accept some owner surrenders. Occasionally, we work with overseas organizations to bring in dogs from other countries.
All FOHA dogs will be spayed/neutered, microchipped, fully vaccinated (rabies, distemper, and bordetella), and on preventatives for fleas, ticks, and heartworm. We will also run a fecal test and deworm as needed. If a dog comes to our shelter with an urgent medical need, we will take care of necessary procedures.
All FOHA cats will be spayed/neutered, microchipped, fully vaccinated (rabies, distemper), combo tested and on preventatives for fleas and ticks. We will also run a fecal test and deworm as needed. If a cat comes to our shelter with an urgent medical need, we will take care of necessary procedures.
Each dog profile will clearly indicate if we know a dog is good with cats, kids or other dogs. If we feel a dog is best suited for a home without cats, kids or other dogs we will indicate that in the dog's detailed write up. In many cases a dog has come to us with limited history and we do not know the behavior. In those cases we will do our best to assess during your application process.
In some cases a dog has come to us from a home with kids or has had interactions with kids. If we do not know, we will help with assessing during your application process.
Our process is outlined on the adoption policy page.
Use our Contact Us Form to submit your additional questions.
Use our Contact Us Form and send us a request to follow-up on your application. We also recommend you check your spam folder because our responses sometimes end up there.
For most of our dogs, we don’t have much information on their background, aside from what has been observed at the shelter. We can do a “cat test” to see how reactive they are to cats. We take the dog into our cattery and let them see and smell cats through a wire fence, then observe their reactions. We also video the encounter so you can judge for yourself.
No. We are focused only on cats and dogs.
On occasion FOHA has puppies available for adoption. Typically the puppies we do have up for adoption are 6-12 months old. We typically do not have puppies under 6 months old unless we have a mom dog that gives birth in our care.
We are not able to take requests for a specific breed of dog. Please check our website frequently to see if we have a dog that matches what you are looking for.
In general, we do not require a fence, although you would need to walk your dog on a leash whenever they are outside. In some cases, a specific dog might require a fence of a certain height.
In general, we do not disqualify families with small children, however, we do have specific animals that would not do well with small children. In those cases we would work with you to find a different animal that would fit better with your family.
FIA stands for Foster with Intent to Adopt. In these cases, FOHA has not completed all necessary medical work to get them ready for adoption, but they are able to go home with their families and enjoy a home while they wait until everything is completed (at FOHA's expense). This could be short term (less than 30 days) such as spay/neuter surgery, or it could be something longer term such as heartworm treatment. We also send puppies and kittens home as FIA if they are not old enough to be fully vaccinated and spayed/neutered when they go home. Once the medical procedures are completed, the family can officially finalize the adoption.
Yes! Once a chip is registered to you, it is always active.
If you pay the annual fee to HomeAgain, you can set up an online account and you will be able to update the address or contact info anytime online. If you have chosen not to pay the annual fee, simply call HomeAgain (888- 466-3242) and update the information over the phone.
You can either fill out a new application or respond to the email that you originally got back from the applications team to ask that the name on the app be updated. A new application is not necessary.
- Available to Adopt - we are still accepting applications for adoption for this animal and scheduling meet & greet appointments.
- Multiple Apps Pending - we have received a lot of interest for this animal and there are quite a few pending applications. You can still submit an app for this animal, but it's likely one of the apps ahead of yours will result in an adoption.
- Pending Adoption - an adopter has committed to this animal and we are going through the final steps to complete the adoption. New apps will not be considered at this time.
- Temporarily Unavailable - something has come up and we are currently not introducing this animal to potential adopters. You may submit an application and once all is cleared we will start processing applications.
Foster Program Questions
No, go ahead and submit a foster application. We like to have a list of foster families available when considering intake for new dogs, puppies, cats and kittens. The foster coordinator will reach out to you to discuss next steps.
FIA means: The animal still needs some medical care; maybe teeth cleaned, de-worming, neutering, spaying, ears rechecked, etc. To foster a pet as an FIA, submit an adoption application for the pet and, once the adoption application process is complete, your adoption will be considered a “Foster with Intent to Adopt”. That means you get to live with the pet and take it to one of FOHA’s approved partner veterinarians for any necessary medical treatment. FOHA will financially cover the vet costs. Once the pet's treatment is completed, you can finalize the adoption and your former FIA pet will be forever yours.
Shelter Questions
There are several other rescue groups with similar names in several other states, including Rhode Island. We are a stand alone organization in Aldie, VA, and are not affiliated with groups in any other state.
Volunteer Questions
Several opportunities and ideas can be found at Opportunities for Children and Teens.
Orientation training is the first step. If you have not been through training sign-up now for an upcoming session (Dog Orientation or Cat Orientation). Once you've completed the training, you can come out to FOHA during open hours. There are forty acres of beautiful wooded trails, and three fenced exercise areas for the dogs and two catteries for the cats.
Treasure Hound Questions
Please check out The Treasure Hound Facebook page for the most up to date information.
We have compiled a list of items that can be accepted as donations. If you have any questions about donations or the Treasure Hound please use the Contact Us Form to submit your questions.
Website Questions
You have several options:
- At the bottom of each pet profile there is a section called DISQUS where you are able to add comments and pictures of the pet. You will need a DISQUS profile to add comments or photos. Any new additions will be reviewed by a FOHA volunteer prior to publishing on the site.
- If you would like to help us edit the pet’s profile, please use the Contact Us Form to send us additions. If you would like to be a member of the Pet Biography Team, please submit a volunteer request.
- You can also post comments and photos of pets on our FOHA_VA facebook page.
Donation Questions
You can drop off donations at the shelter or at The Treasure Hound. Check out the information on our Supply Donation Page.
Yes! FOHA has a Wish List on Amazon. You can select items that FOHA needs and purchase them and have them shipped to yourself or to the shelter at 39710 Goodpuppy Lane, Aldie, VA 20105.
We are so sorry to hear about the loss of your family member. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept donations of medication.
We can accept donations of unopened food. If we are not able to use it, we have several shelters we partner with that usually have a need for regular and prescription food.
We accept towels and blankets. We do not accept sheets, pillows or comforters for the animals.
At this time we do not accept PayPal or Venmo. You can donate on our website or on Facebook using the donate button on our page.
You can visit donate.foha.org and in the upper right hand corner you can create a login into your donor account. Be sure to use the email address you used when you made your donation. Once you have logged in you will easily be able to make the changes you are looking to make.
You are more than welcome to drop off at the shelter, at The Treasure Hound or at any of our upcoming events. Please check out our Contact Us Page for address and hours. Thank you!
