How to List a Havanese for Adoption in the United States

Should you list your Havanese yourself or use a rescue?

Start with the dog's breeder if you have one: check your purchase contract for a return clause. If that is not possible, you have two main routes.

• Havanese Rescue Inc. Submit its surrender form with your vet records, rabies tag and microchip registration. There is no formal surrender fee; the rescue asks owners who can to complete vaccinations, heartworm testing, dental care and spay or neuter first, and welcomes a donation if you cannot. You can ask for a letter or email when the dog is placed, though it will not name the adopters.
• Your own listing. You choose the home and can meet adopters yourself, but the screening is your job. The rest of this guide is for that route.

Fosters for shelters and small rescues can use the same steps; follow your organization's own contract and fee.

What adoption criteria fit a Havanese?

• Company. Someone home for much of the day, or a realistic plan with a dog walker or daycare. Vetstreet says the breed needs company all its life.
• Grooming. A commitment to brushing most days or to a groomer every six to eight weeks for a short cut, as Vetstreet describes.
• Children and pets. PetMD says Havanese usually do well with children and other dogs when supervised; set an age limit for children only if your dog needs one.
• Barking. Apartment adopters should know the breed is alert and may bark, and PetMD says it may bark excessively if not trained.
• Vet history. A vet reference for current or past pets.

A yard is not essential; Havanese Rescue Inc. does not require one unless a foster family asks for it for a particular dog.

What should a Havanese adoption listing say?

• Age, sex, spay or neuter status, weight and color.
• Health: vaccinations, dental work, any knee, eye or hearing problems, and medications, with records available to approved adopters.
• Behavior: how the dog copes alone, barking, house training, and how it reacts to children, dogs and cats.
• Coat: brushed, cut short or corded, and how the dog tolerates grooming.
• Why you are placing the dog, said briefly and honestly.
• Your fee and what it covers, and that adopters will be asked for references and a meeting.

Post your Havanese adoption listing under the adoption listing type with the breed set to Havanese, and ask interested people to message you through PetzLover before you share an address. Keep your phone number out of the ad text. Browse other Havanese adoption listings to see how they are written.

What adoption fee should you ask for a Havanese?

A modest fee helps filter out people looking for a free small dog to resell or breed. Adopt a Pet notes that a fee well above about $300 is closer to a sale. Say what the fee covers, such as vaccinations, a recent dental cleaning, spay or neuter or a microchip, and take it only at the handover.

How do you screen people who want to adopt your Havanese?

1. Read each message and reply with your questions about hours alone, grooming, children and other pets.
2. Talk by phone or video with the people who answer well.
3. Call their vet reference and, if you can, two personal references, as the breed rescue does.
4. Visit the home, or ask for a live video walk-through if they live too far away.
5. Let the dog meet the family, including any resident dog, before you agree.

Decline anyone who will not meet, offers to pay more than you ask, wants the dog shipped, or asks whether it can be bred. If you also want buyers or owners with dogs to find you, read how to respond to a Havanese wanted ad.

What should a Havanese adoption contract cover?

• Names and contact details of both parties, the dog's description and microchip number.
• The fee and what it covers.
• Spay or neuter by an agreed date if not already done, and no breeding.
• No sale or transfer to anyone else; the dog comes back to you if the adopter cannot keep it.
• Agreement to keep up vet care, grooming and identification.
• Permission for a check-in after a few weeks.

How should you follow up after the adoption?

Agree on a message after the first few days and again after a month. Many dogs take about three days to decompress, three weeks to learn a routine and three months to feel at home, so early worries about barking or accidents are normal. If the match fails, take the dog back as the contract says. Owners placing a dog more quietly can also read how to rehome your Havanese responsibly, and adopters can see how to adopt a Havanese.