Adoption Information

ASHRA is an Arizona state-wide organization with volunteers in the Phoenix area, Flagstaff, and Tucson. We work with several other agencies around the state as well.

Any dog adopted directly from ASHRA will be altered (spayed/castrated) and current on shots prior to adoption. Any dog owner that ASHRA assists with finding a home for their dog is required to alter the dog prior to adoption. ASHRA may provide financial assistance for alteration for those who need it.

Our Adoption Process - Please Read

Step One: Our Requirements. Review our adoption requirements below:

Adoption requirements include, but are not limited to:

  1. Applicant must be an adult member of the household at least 18 years of age to submit an application. Applicant must also be a resident of Arizona - we do not adopt dogs to out-of-state homes.

  2. Knowledge of the Siberian Husky characteristics. See our Links page for sites with more info about Sibes.

  3. Five to six foot fence/wall and gate(s) completely enclosing yard.

  4. Dig out barrier beneath or in front of fence/wall and gate(s).

  5. No structures close to fence/wall or gate(s) that provide access over fence/wall or gate(s). If there are permanent structures, they should be inaccessible to the dog.

  6. Adequate shade for the times the dog is outdoors.

  7. Awareness of poisonous plants/shrubs indoors and outdoors. One source listing such plants/shrubs can be found at Dogpack.com's Plants Poisonous to Dogs.

  8. Fresh water available at all times.

  9. Indoor access.

  10. In desert areas, access to a climate-controlled environment must be available at all times.

  11. Crate, pad, bed or bedding as necessary.

  12. High quality dog food/treats.

  13. Constant supervision of infants.

  14. Adequate protection of/from existing prey type pets.

  15. Veterinary records of altering and vaccinating of any existing dogs. This means all other dogs in the home must be altered and kept current on vaccinations - no exceptions!

  16. Two references and veterinary contact information.

  17. Willingness to financially support the health and maintenance of a Siberian Husky.

  18. There is an application fee of $10. This fee is non-refundable but can be applied to the adoption fee if you are approved for adoption.

  19. There is an adoption fee for each of our rescued Siberian Huskies. ASHRA-fostered Sibes are $150, referral Sibes are $100 and non-ASHRA dogs vary. This fee may be slightly higher if the dog is microchipped.

  20. Adoption fees are paid to ASHRA in the case of an ASHRA-fostered dog. For referral dogs, the adoption fee is paid to the dog's owner, which reimburses them for the referral fee they've already paid ASHRA. For non-ASHRA dogs, any fees are paid to the organization responsible for the dog.

Step Two: Apply. Fill out our on-line adoption application here, after reviewing the rest of these steps.

Step Three: Application Fee. Pay the $10 non-refundable application fee. For the fastest processing, pay with PayPal by clicking the DONATE button on our Home Page. Please put “Application Fee” in the comments. If you need to pay by mail, make it payable to ASHRA and send it to: ASHRA Inc., 4747 E Elliot Rd, Suite 29, Phoenix, AZ 85044.

Step Four: Application Review. Once we've received the application fee and your completed application, one of our volunteers will review your application and contact you for a phone screening. Once you've passed our phone screening, our adoption process is different depending on the dog you are interested in, due to a lack of available volunteers. Each dog in ASHRA's system is listed either as ASHRA-Fostered or Referral.

  • ASHRA-Fostered Dogs: We require a home visit by one of our volunteers. This allows us to get to know you and any dogs you currently have better. It also allows us to be certain your yard and home meets our requirements. After your phone screening this home visit will be arranged. Once the visit is complete and any issues addressed, you'll move on to step 5.

  • Referral Dogs: For applicants interested in referral dogs, there is no home visit done by ASHRA, although the dog's owner may require and do one, ASHRA may provide them with a checklist for this purpose. After you've passed the phone screening, we'll put you in touch with the owner of the dog you are interested in and you'll move on to step 5.

Step Five: Meet Dogs. You won't get to meet any of our dogs until you've been through our screening process. The process continues, depending upon which dog you are interested in.

  • ASHRA-Fostered Dogs: Once you are approved for adoption, we will make arrangements for you to meet the dog(s) you are interested in. We are an all-volunteer organization with foster homes - we do not have a shelter. You WILL NOT get to meet our dogs until you have been approved for adoption. Before you take a dog home, it's important that your entire family and any dogs you have get to meet any prospective dogs. If you have a dog(s), a meeting will be arranged at a neutral location, such as a dog park, so we can see how the dogs interact.

  • Referral Dogs: We'll put you in contact with the dog's owner. From there it is up to you and the dog's owner - they have the final approval of any adoption. As mentioned above, they may want to come visit you in your home or you might just come meet the dog. If you have a dog, you'll want to meet in a neutral location such as a dog park to see how they interact. ASHRA provides all referral owners with guidelines for handling meetings between dogs to help the process go smoother.

Due to a high call volume and rapid turnover rate of adoptable Siberians, sometimes not all available dogs are listed here. Please contact us to find out more information on currently available dogs.

Note: Normally, ASHRA follows the same process for all dogs in our system. Unfortunately, we are down to just a few active volunteers and we just don't have the resources to do home visits for every dog or foster actively, and those of us left are very overworked. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us. We might not get back to you right away, but we guarantee we will at some point, so please be patient.

Don't forget to check your local shelters if you are thinking about adoption! Most shelters are swamped this year and too many dogs are not finding homes. Here is a list of some Phoenix area shelters:

West Valley Animal
Care Center
2500 S. 27th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85009

602-506-PETS

East Valley Animal
Care Center
2630 W. 8th Street
Mesa, AZ 85201
(8th Street/Loop 101)
602-506-PETS

Pet Adoption Center
5231 N. 35th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85071
(35th Avenue/Missouri)
602-506-PETS

Apache Junction Animal Control
725 E. Baseline Road
Apache Junction, AZ 85219
480-983-4405
http://www.ajcity.net/afp/ac/animalcontrol.cfm