Adoption Process

Thank you for your interest in adopting a Golden Retriever from SEVA GRREAT.

Before you complete an application, please take a few minutes to review how the adoption process works.

Our rescue covers the following areas:

Virginia Beach/Norfolk/Suffolk/ Chesapeake/Portsmouth
Hampton, Newport News, Smithfield, York County, Williamsburg/James City County, Gloucester, Mathews
Richmond and Charlottesville
We may cover other areas within the Southeastern region of the state.
Please contact our adoption coordinator at adoptions@adoptagolden.com before completing an application to ensure we have volunteers to cover your area.
We DO NOT adopt out of state or in western/southwestern/northern Virginia.

When you submit your application, there is a $25.00 NON REFUNDABLE application fee. This fee can be paid via our website using the PayPal Button or by check.

Once your application has been received, you will receive a confirmation email within 5-7 days. The adoption application is located under the ‘Adopt’ tab at the top of this webpage. After review and approval of the application, your request to adopt will be forwarded to our team of home evaluators to arrange a home visit. Please allow up to 4 weeks for a home visit to be scheduled. After that home evaluation visit, if you are approved to adopt, you will start receiving lists of dogs available for adoption.

The decision to place one of our Goldens into an adoptive home is not one that we take lightly. We reserve the right to deny any application and may not disclose the reason for denial. We do not operate on a first-come first-served basis, as it is our goal to find the absolute best fit for both our dog and the adoptive family.

Adopting a Golden Retriever is a big responsibility and one that you should be prepared to honor for the life of the dog. Goldens are large active dogs, weighing 60 to 100 pounds, and often display puppy-like behavior until they are 3 or more years old. Goldens need a family who is devoted to giving them lots of love, attention, and exercise. Goldens are friendly and fantastic family dogs, but can also be scared and develop anxieties. Besides being adorable, they are also BIG, FURRY attention-seekers who shed on everything all day every day.

You should be prepared to care for the needs of your dog throughout his or her life. You can expect to pay an average of $1000 yearly to give your Golden the proper care. This does not include the cost of a serious medical problem.

SEVA GRREAT, like every other Golden Retriever rescue in the country, is seeing a dramatic decline in the number of Golden Retrievers in need of rescue. While we still are occasionally asked to help rehome an absolutely perfect, young purebred Golden, this is no longer the norm. Instead, many of the dogs in need of our help have significant medical or behavioral issues. This is the new face of Golden Retriever Rescue in the United States. Conversely, the number of families that want to adopt a rescued Golden Retriever has skyrocketed.

SEVA GRREAT works very hard to find the right match for each Golden who comes into our care. Because there is such demand, when we do get one of these “perfect” dogs, there are usually many, many families interested in the same dog. SEVA GRREAT’s primary responsibility is to find a home for the dogs in our care that best meets that dog’s needs. Please know that if you are approved to adopt a dog from SEVA GRREAT, our volunteers will work with you to find the right dog for your family. However, it is a process that can vary from as short as a few weeks, up to one year. If you are in a hurry to adopt, we suggest applying to other rescues or visiting your local animal shelter. If you want a Golden for your family immediately, a rescued Golden may not be for you. This is not meant to discourage you. We welcome applications, but we do want you to understand that it may take some time. Because we are a rescue, we have no way of knowing when Golden Retrievers will come into our care.

PLEASE NOTE: We receive a large number of adoption applications each year. In order to keep the waiting list of approved families current and manageable, applications will expire after the end of the year that follows the year in which the application was received. For example, if you apply and are approved for adoption in 2020, your application will remain active for 2020 and 2021. If you have not adopted in that time and you are still interested in adopting from SEVA GRREAT, you will need to complete the application and approval process again.

All of our Goldens live in private foster homes. They may be located anywhere from Virginia Beach to Richmond and surrounding areas. If selected to visit a dog in a foster home, all members of the family (including 4 legged ones) must go on the visit.

Adoption Application

If you have any additional questions regarding adopting.
Please contact our adoption coordinator at adoptions@adoptagolden.com.

We strongly believe that the right family is out there for all of our amazing goldens. It may take some time to find them, but remember our rallying cry: