Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I want to Adopt a pet, what is the process?
Q: Is this pet still available?
A: This is our MOST commonly asked question. Short answer; if they’re on our website under our Adoptable Pets, they are available and we are accepting applications for them 🙂
We post all of our adoptable rescue pets to our Website, our Facebook and to Petfinder (a rescue search engine) as soon as they become available for adoption, and we update their status regularly on our website and PetFinder, so you never have to wonder who is, or isn’t available.
You can always view all of our current ADOPTABLE PETS on our website and PetFinder. If the pet is posted to these places, they are available (please note that this does not mean we do not have any applications for them).
(When a pet’s bio reads ADOPTION PENDING, this is to let you know that they have a scheduled meet with an adopter that we have selected. Final approval for adoption is always made in person at their scheduled meet, so we leave their profile up until the adoption is finalized, but we also want to let anyone else interested in the pet know that they will potentially be adopted. If for some reason, it is determined that the adopter selected is not the right fit, we will edit their profile to remove the ADOPTION PENDING status and begin screening other applications for the pet. If there is an application we are considering, but it is not fully screened yet, we will mark their bio “APPLICATION IN REVIEW”)
Q: Can I come meet this pet?
A: You are always welcome to come and see the pets we bring in on Saturdays for adoptions, but most of the pets who are there are there because they are scheduled for a meet with an approved adopter.
We do not perform same-day adoptions and we do not schedule meet and greets until the application and screening process are completed/approved.
Adoptions are held on Saturdays at our volunteer operated Thrift Store by appointment only. You must complete your adoption application prior to our next adoption day (preferably 2-5 days in advance) so that our volunteers have time to screen and contact potential adopters. Applications submitted late in the week (Thurs, Fri, Sat) may not be processed until the following week.
All applications are reviewed in the order they are received and qualifications are based on best fit for each individual pet. One of our volunteers will contact you if you are selected for a meet with the adoptable pet. We will contact you before the next scheduled adoption day.
Final approval for adoption is always made in person at your scheduled meet.
What are your Adoption Requirements?
A: All adoption requirements are detailed in Our Adoption Process tab. Here are some of the key points:
- Adoptions are scheduled on Saturdays from 1pm to 4pm.
- We will only contact you if you’re selected for a meet or if we have further questions.
- Applications submitted late in the week (Thurs, Fri, Sat) may not be processed until the following week.
- Adopters must meet all listed vetting requirements to be considered for adoption. These requirements can be viewed under “Vet Care” in our Adoption Process tab.
- Adopters must meet our Adoption Radius requirements to be considered for adoption.
- Adopters must meet our Fenced Yard Requirements to be considered for adoption.
- Please review our policies regarding renting, children and other puppies in the home.
- Please be sure you meet all listed requirements to adopt in the pet’s bio and in our Our Adoption Process tab.
Q: I completed an application, how do I find out if I was approved?
A: All applications are reviewed in the order they are received and qualifications are based on best fit for each individual pet. One of our volunteers will contact you if you are selected for a meet with the adoptable pet. We will typically contact you before the next scheduled adoption event. Final approval is always made in person at your scheduled meet. You may also complete a Contact Us form on our website and we will happily give you an update on your application status.
Q: Did you receive my adoption application?
A: Once you submit your adoption application, you are automatically redirected to a confirmation page on our website. This page is your confirmation that we received your adoption application. When you land on this page, we have received your application and you do not need to email us to ask if we received it. Please read the information on the page. When you land on the confirmation page, our website also automatically sends us an email to let us know that you landed on the page and received confirmation that we received your application. A confirmation email, with a copy of your application, is also automatically sent to the email address you provided in your application. Sometimes people receive this in their spam folder, social or promotions folders, please be sure to check these places if you do not see the email, our website notifies us when you receive your confirmation email. We receive a copy of this email as well so that we know it is sending them out properly. Even if you do not see the email, the confirmation page you landed on is your guarantee that we did receive your application.
If you landed on the confirmation page, we have received your application. We have never had an incident where our website did not send a submitted application to us if you landed on the confirmation page 🙂
Q: How do I contact your Rescue/Adoptions volunteers?
A: Please complete a Contact Us form on our website for direct communications with our volunteer rescue team. You cannot reach our rescue team by calling our Thrift Store. Please do not call our Thrift Store with Rescue/Adoption questions, you will be directed back to our website.
Please understand that we are all volunteers who donate our time to rescue, aside from our own jobs, families, foster pets, and personal pets, and we may not be available to answer questions immediately. Although we do our best to be as responsive as possible, we have created this website for you, to be user friendly and to contain detailed answers to most questions we receive, so that when we are unable to talk to you personally, you have all the tools you need to find the answers you’re looking for right at your fingertips! Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Q: If I submit an application for a pet and it is adopted by someone else, can I use my application for a different pet?
A: Although we do not pre-approve applications for you to adopt any pet we have (we select adopters based on best fit for each pet’s needs), we can apply and re-screen your application for another pet. All you have to do is email us and let us know which one you would like to apply your application to.
We will hold applications for 3 months, if your application was submitted more than 3 months between pets, or you have had significant changes in your household or Vet, please complete a new application. If your application was for an adult dog and you would like to switch your application to a puppy, you will need to submit a new application.
Q: How long will you hold my application?
We will hold applications for 3 months. If you have applied to adopt a pet, and they were adopted by another applicant or you were not selected for that pet, you may submit a Contact Us form if you see another pet you are interested in adopting. We are happy to screen your existing application for another pet. If it has been over 3 months since you applied, or there have been significant changes in your household (number of people, number of pets, new address, etc.) or any changes in your vet history, please submit a new application. If your original application was for an adult dog, and you have changed interest to a puppy, you will need to submit a new application and answer the puppy questions accordingly.
Q: Why was my adoption application denied?
A: In many cases, it is not a question of whether your application was denied or not. We receive a very high volume of applications regularly, and in a lot of cases, we simply did not get to your application before finding a qualified applicant ahead of yours. Other reasons you may not have been selected for adoption include; your yard may not have met our Fenced Yard Requirements, you may not have been within our Adoption Radius, or your vet reference may not have met our standards (all pets in the home, current and past, must have a history of current and consistent vaccinations, current and consistent heartworm testing and heartworm prevention (dogs), and all must have been spayed/neutered).
If none of these things seem to fit your situation, please refer back to the pet’s bio that you applied to adopt to check for suggestions regarding how they are with children, other dogs, and/or cats, what their activity level or training needs are, how their age or size could be a concern for your family, or other reasons that it could have been determined that your home may not be a suitable fit for the pet.
Please feel free to send our volunteer rescue team a Contact Us form on our website.
Q: Can I adopt a companion for my other puppy or for my small child(ren)?
Puppies:
Due to the training needs and one on one attention that a growing puppy requires to become a well-rounded, stable adult dog, Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue may choose not to adopt a puppy to a home who is currently raising another puppy or adopt 2 puppies to the same home at once.
Children:
Before applying to adopt a rescue dog, consider how much time you have and the age and maturity level of your children. It is completely unrealistic to expect a small child to be responsible for a dog. Make sure that you yourself will have adequate time for feeding, walking, training, socializing, playing and all the other responsibilities that come with being a pet parent. Bringing a rescue dog into a home with small kids also means you have to take extra steps to ensure the safety of your children, as well as your new pet. While educating your kids on animal behavior is the most important part of pet adoption, infants, toddlers and very young children are not able to understand why they should act a certain way around a dog.
For the safety of the children, and the safety and well-being of our rescue animals, Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue may choose not to adopt to families with children under 5 years of age.
Renting:
Due to the rental restrictions related to breed, size and number of animals in many rental homes, for the future stability of the dogs we rescue, we may choose not to adopt certain breeds or sizes of dogs to people who are renting their home.
The breed types or mixes may include, but are not limited to, Pit Bulls or Bully types, Shepherd types, Rottweiler types, Doberman types, Mastiff or Great Dane types, or other breeds that are commonly restricted in rental properties. This may be determined regardless of the applicant’s current rental agreement since they are subject to change and/or applicants may move to another rental home with different restrictions. Other adoption restrictions may apply for people who are renting and may be determined at our discretion on a case by case basis.
We will not adopt if a renter is at, or over, the limited amount of pets permitted in their rental agreement. The breed types and number of animals restrictions also applies to City/County Ordinances and HOA’s.
All renters must have at least 3 to 5 years in their current rental home and be able to provide a solid rental history to be considered.
Q: What are your adoption fees?
A: Adult Dog (Over 1 Year) Adoption Fee Starts at $165.00.
Puppy (under 1 year) Adoption Fee Starts at $195.00.
**These adoption fees may vary for individual pets. Please read the pet’s full bio for more information. You can read their bios under our AVAILABLE PETS tab.
Cat and Kitten Adoption Fee is $35
Q: What kind of vetting do your rescue pets receive prior to adoption?
A: All of our rescues receive all of their initial vetting upon intake. This includes, but is not limited to, *current vaccines, deworming, flea treatment, **heartworm tested negative, flea and heartworm prevention, microchip, and ***spay/neuter. Once you adopt your pet, you are required to continue proper care and routine wellness.
*Vaccines are done upon intake of all of our dogs, and all puppies will be adopted with current, age appropriate vaccines, given by Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue. If the puppy is not old enough to have all of their puppy series of DAPP vaccines, puppy adopters will be REQUIRED to bring the puppy back to Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue to receive remaining puppy vaccines after adoption. No exceptions.
**If a dog tests positive for heartworm prior to adoption, PPAR will cover the expense of their treatment and it will not effect your adoption fee.
***Spay/neuters are often done after adoption if the puppy is too young for the surgery when adopted. We cover this expense, and it is performed at our local vet. This is included in the puppy adoption fee.
Other treatments and care will be provided on a case by case basis. We strive to ensure that all of our pets are 100% healthy, spay/neutered, and current on all of their preventative care before adoption.
All puppies will be adopted with current, age appropriate vaccines, given by Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue. Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue provides every puppy’s 8, 12, and 16 week vaccinations. When the puppy is not old enough to have received all of their puppy series DAPP vaccines, puppy adopters will be will be REQUIRED to bring the puppy back to Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue to receive remaining puppy vaccines after adoption. No exceptions.
Their spay/neuter is covered with their adoption and will be done at one of our approved local vets after they receive their 16 week vaccinations from PPAR. The spay/neuter must be done at our vet.
The spay/neuter and remaining vaccines are included with the puppy adoption fee.
Cat and Kitten Adoption Fee is $35
Cats will come spay/neutered, current on vaccines, FIV/FeLV tested, dewormed, treated for fleas/ticks, and microchipped.
All of our dogs and cats will be spay/neutered. No exceptions.
Q: Why do I need to give you my vet’s information to adopt?
A: In effort to ensure the pets we rescue will receive continued vet care in their adoptive homes, we ask that you provide all of your current and previous vet information. We then call your vet(s) to check that all previous and current pets have/had current and consistent vet care. This includes, but is not limited to, current and consistent vaccinations (including rabies), current and consistent heartworm testing and prevention (for dogs), and we check that all pets in the home have been spayed or neutered. All of our adopters must meet this criteria. Exceptions are only made with the vet’s confirmation of the medical reason for not providing certain care.
Q: How do I become a Foster for Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue?
A: We are always in need of more fosters. Since we don’t have a physical shelter, we rely on foster homes to house our adoptable animals. Please complete our Foster Application to get started. We also made a Foster FAQ tab to answer specific question about fostering 🙂 Visit our Foster tab to learn more about fostering.
Q: Where are you located?
A: We are based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Our volunteer operated Peppermint Pig Thrift & Gift store and Adoption Center are located at 8454 Beechmont Ave. However, our rescue dogs are not housed here. Our Thrift Store operates to help fund Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue. Our rescue dogs live in private foster homes until they are adopted. Please see our Thrift Store Hours and Directions tab for more details.
Q: What is your Adoption Radius?
A: We are locate at 8454 Beechmont Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45255.
Our Adoption Radius for puppies is within 1 hour of our Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue, and within 2 hours for adult dogs.
Please visit our Adoption Radius tab for more details.
Q: Will you “hold” a dog for me until I’m ready to adopt?
A: We cannot hold dogs. Our goal is to find the right home as soon as possible. We are already short on foster homes and our foster homes are reserved for dogs we rescue to live in until adoption. By ‘holding’ a dog, we will prevent the dog from going to a home and keep a foster home filled. We cannot rescue another dog to place in the foster home if we are “holding” an adopted dog.
If you are not prepared to adopt, please wait until you are and then complete the adoption application.
Q: How do I become a Volunteer for Peppermint Pig Thrift & Gift?
A: We need many volunteers to operate our Thrift Store as it is the major source of revenue to fund all of our animal rescue efforts. Please complete our Volunteer Application to get started. Visit our Volunteer tab to learn more about volunteering.
Q: How can I make a cash donation to your rescue?
A: Your donations are greatly appreciated and much needed; no amount is too small! Please visit our Donate tab to make a secure, tax deductible PayPal donation. You can also mail a check payable to Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue to:
Peppermint Pig Thrift & Gift
8454 Beechmont Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45255
Q: I have gently used items to donate to your Thrift Store, do I just bring them in?
A: YES! If you would like to donate items for our thrift store, please bring them to our store during store hours.
Our thrift store is located at 8454 Beechmont Ave, and we are open Wednesday-Friday from 11:00am-4:30pm and every Saturday from 12:00pm-4:00pm.
We accept gently used clothing (all types), household items, books, jewelry, small appliances, furniture in good condition, holiday items.
Items we are unable to accept include: TV’s, large appliances, computer equipment, and mattresses.
Q: I need to rehome a pet, can you take it?
A: We are often asked by members of our community to provide assistance to animals in need. When we take an animal into our adoption program, we commit to the animal for the rest of its life. The animal must be spayed/neutered, current on vaccines, heartworm tested, dewormed, microchipped and current on all preventatives. On top of these expenses, if we do not have an available foster, boarding expenses also incur. After you have exhausted all other options, you may complete an Owner Surrender Request Form. A volunteer will contact you if we are able to help. We are not able to assist with cats at this time.
Q: I am trying to rehome my pet, will you post them on your Facebook page?
A: We do not support the rehoming of pets on social media without a proper screening process in place. We will not post your pet for rehoming on our Facebook page. If you would like assistance rehoming your pet, please submit an Owner Surrender Request Form for your pet to be considered to enter our adoption program. A volunteer will contact you if we are able to help. We are not able to assist with cats at this time.
Q: Will you foster my personal dog until I can take him/her back?
A: No, we are a dog rescue, not a boarding facility. Our foster homes are reserved for dogs we rescue to live in until they are adopted.
Q: Do you rescue pigs?
A: Although we are called Peppermint “Pig,” we are primarily a dog rescue and we do not have the resources or fosters to take pigs. For assistance with rehoming pigs, please contact Whispering Willows Kingdom Rescue and Sanctuary.
Q: What are your fenced yard requirements?
A: Each dog has different needs, and when we specify a fenced yard for one of our dogs, it is because this is the type of environment they will do best with. Please see our Fenced Yard Requirements tab for more details.
Q: Does Invisible Fence count as having a fully fenced yard?
A: There is no direct yes or no answer to this, the only way to determine this is if you complete the adoption application so we are able to assess it in its entirety. There is a section in our application where you can tell us about your invisible fence. This will be taken into consideration along with the rest of the application and listed requirements for the dog you are applying for. Please see our Fenced Yard Requirements tab for more details.
Q: I found a stray animal I need to take somewhere. What do I do?
A: If you have found a stray animal, you may take the animal to a vet’s office, animal shelter, or bring him/her to us to scan for a microchip. If no chip is found, s/he should be taken to the shelter closest to the location where the animal was found. This will increase the likelihood that the animal will be reunited with its guardian and safely returned home. If you can’t find a shelter listed, you should call information and see if there is a humane society or SPCA in your area. If that doesn’t work, the best bet is to call the local police or sheriff department and ask where they take stray animals. Often it will be your local shelter and they should be able to provide contact information.
For more information, please see our Lost/Found Pets tab.
Q: Does Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue trap/care for feral cats?
A: PPAR does not have the facilities to care for feral cats. You can contact local groups that work with feral and community cats. These organizations can provide information on trapping and altering feral cats or help with renting traps or surgery.
Q: Do you provide spay/neuter vouchers?
A: Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue can provide a cat or dog spay/neuter voucher to those in the community who qualify.
The voucher is free to the recipient, but Peppermint Pig Animal Rescue is billed $40 to $140 for each voucher that is redeemed at a participating vet.
Please consider making a Donation to our SPAY IT FORWARD campaign. Every little bit helps us to prevent more pet overpopulation. No amount is too small!
To be considered for a spay/neuter voucher, please come in person to our Peppermint Pig Thrift and Gift store at:
on a Wednesday or Friday between 11:00am and 4:30 or