So many dogs and cats are waiting for someone to pet them, play with them and give them a warm home. So many cats and dogs are abandoned by their owners or are born in a sad situation of wandering on the streets looking for food and shelter. So many puppies and kittens are in life endangering situations. You can help them.

Each month we receive hundreds of dogs and cats. Most of them come to us from people who for various reasons cannot keep them anymore, and we exert our best efforts to find them warm adoptive homes.

Finding a family that is interested in adopting is important, but not at any cost. At the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel—Tel Aviv-Yafo, we believe in responsible adoption: an adoption that starts with a conscious decision and does not stem from a temporary enthusiasm or a desire to please the children. A serious commitment includes enough knowledge by the adopters about the adopted animal and a true intention of raising it for its full lifetime.

Since we have a lot of experience in providing adoptions of animals to new homes, we have constructed an inclusive adoption process that includes a number of stages:

■ Each person who wishes to adopt an animal (the adoptee has to be minimum 18 years old) is asked to first fill out an Animal Adoption Request Form and to speak with one of the adoption counselors from the Society. In this way we will know how to find him or her the most suitable animal. You can download the form at our website and fill it out at home to save time at your visit to the Society (The form is in Hebrew, but the staff of the Society will be more than happy to explain the contents and help non-Hebrew speakers fill in the required details).

■ After choosing your pet, the dog or cat undergoes a veterinary check-up and receives the appropriate inoculations.

■ At the end of the process there is the arrangement for paying for the adoption at our reception office. If the animal is neutered or castrated it is possible to immediately take it home. If not, the reception clerk will make an appointment for an operation for it and in most cases it will be possible to take it home the following evening. All animals will be given to their new owners only after they have gone through castration or neutering.

Why do we charge a fee for adoption of animals? Our experience has taught us that when people pay for a pet they generally do not abandon it. The payment for adoption includes medical treatment at our clinic for two weeks from the day of adoption, inoculations (for dogs: rabies, the six-fold vaccination, Spirocerca Lupi, de-worming and an electronic chip; for cats: de-worming and the four part inoculation) and neutering or castration of the animal.

The decision to adopt an animal is a longterm commitment. You have to be certain that you can supply the animal's needs for its entire lifetime, and that you have the means to do so—free time, a suitable residence, and the financial ability to buy food, to vaccinate and to provide veterinary treatment when necessary. If you are not certain that you can take on this responsibility, please refrain from adopting an animal.

The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel has the right to refuse to give any animal for any adoption according to its sole judgment and without any need to explain.

In this section you can get an impression of some of the animals sheltered by the Society. Similarly, you will be able to find, in this website, adoption guides that include specific information about the necessary preparations, the care of the animal and more.

Those who are interested in adopting a pet are invited to come to the Society during its opening hours. Additional particulars can be received by telephone: 1599-50-2005, 03-513-6500.

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Adoption