Contact Us
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WIGG to 89871
Location
Washington DC, Maryland, & Virginia
FAQs
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General FAQs
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Wiggles Way primarily partners with Prince George’s County Animal Shelter in Maryland.
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Kids are able to volunteer as long as they are accompanied by an adult. Anyone under 18 is not permitted to handle dogs at any time.
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Text WIGG to 89871 to give a financial donation, shop our Amazon wishlist, or drop off recommended donations at one of our events.
Reach out to info@wiggleswayrescue.org with any questions on what you can donate & how to get supplies to us.
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Wiggles Way Rescue intentionally operates at a small scale capacity. We are all volunteers & most of us have full time jobs & family outside of our rescue obligations.
In order to maintain a healthy balance, Wiggles Way Rescue operates within our financial means & only has up to 10 dogs or cats in care at a time.
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Wiggles Way Rescue is able to take owner surrenders on a case by case basis if they are a candidate for our program. Please reach out to us at info@wiggleswayrescue.org with any questions.
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Wiggles Way is a foster-based rescue & as such, our animals are located in foster homes across the DMV.
Adoption FAQs
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Our application process requires that adopters are at least 21 years of age at the time of adoption.
All occupants of the home must confirm to our team that they are on board with a new animal coming home (no surprises!) & anyone that is a part of the care plan for the animal must be included in the screening process.
We will not adopt a dog that is listed as a Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier or any breed similar, or any dogs that could be perceived as such to adopters who live in Prince George's County, Maryland due to their active breed ban.
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The short answer is no! We ask that adopters who rent their homes provide either written approval from their landlord or contact information for us to confirm that the animal they are hoping to adopt is acceptable.
Please be aware that some landlords & management companies that do allow pets will have restrictions on the size, breed, or number of pets that a renter is allowed to have. In addition to this, many landlords will require additional pet fees or “pet rent” in order to bring a pet home.
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We do not require adopters to have a fenced yard in order to adopt a dog!
During the screening process, we will discuss the physical exercise & mental stimulation needs of the dog you have applied for & ensure that your exercise plans will be sufficient for that particular dog, regardless of your living situation.
Some dogs with behavioral issues may do better in certain homes that provide a quieter environment &/or a fenced yard. If that is the case for the dog you’ve applied for, we will discuss this during the screening process.
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We are able to cat-test or kid-test dogs on an as-needed basis. However, it is important to note that these tests are only a snapshot in time & are the beginning foundations of a relationship.
These tests should not be used as a guarantee & instead should be used as an indicator for the amount of work that will need to be done to ensure the relationship continues in a positive direction.
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Wiggles Way welcomes adopters from out of the area, however we are unable to provide transportation of adopted animals to adopters. We would ask that adopters outside of the DMV make arrangements to travel to the area in order to finalize the adoption of their new pet & transport them home.
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We require that all adult pets are altered prior to an adoption being finalized. If an animal is not altered prior to intake from the shelter, most will be altered during their first two weeks in foster care, before they are even available for adoption.
Should they not be altered during this time for any reason, that animal would be available to have an adoption hold & deposit placed on them, but would remain in the care of Wiggles Way until their procedure is complete.
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When Wiggles Way brings an animal into care, we commit to ensuring they stay out of a shelter for the rest of their lives. We require in our adoption contracts that adopted pets are never brought to a shelter, another organization, or rehomed by their adopters.
Should you no longer be able to care for your adopted pet, please reach out to the Wiggles Way team ASAP with as much detail about your pet as possible so that we can discuss how we can best facilitate their return to our care & their best outcome.
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Wiggles Way does not refund adoption fees in the event of a return.
Fostering FAQs
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Wiggles Way understands that when a pet first arrives from the shelter, they are often stressed, confused, & overwhelmed with the transition. Because of this, these first 2 weeks it is very common for behavioral issues to arise. Even when behavior is not an issue, we know that a dog’s true personality will not shine until they have properly decompressed.
In order to keep your foster pet safe & to ensure that we have vital information about our dogs prior to any adoptions occuring, we require that every animal has a 2-week “decompression shutdown”. During this time, they will not be posted to the website, attend our events, or be available for adoption.
During this period, we ask for our foster's cooperation in ensuring that their foster pet is able to decompress & safely adjust to their new environment. This may look different for each animal, but at a minimum, we ask that fosters work on establishing a regular routine with their foster & to avoid any “adventures” or overly stimulating activities.
We’d recommend that dog fosters either use a yard for potty breaks/exercise if one is available or only have short walks around the immediate neighborhood if one is not available. In addition to this, we ask that fosters do a slow introduction to their resident animals & that they maintain separation of their resident animals & their foster pet as long as needed.
Finally, your new foster pet should only meet the occupants of the home in these first 2 weeks & should not meet any guests or other strangers during this time. Should you have guests in your home, we ask that you keep your foster securely crated in a quiet room while they are there.
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All new animals that we intake from the shelter will be required to spend 2 weeks in a “decompression shutdown” (see above). During this time, we give our fosters the “first dibs” to decide if they would like to adopt their foster pet.
At the 2-week mark, the pet will be posted to the website & available to other interested adopters. If you are fostering with an intention to adopt if all goes well, please let us know so that we can best support you!