Our Adoption Process

Making Sure Every Dog Is Ready To Take Home

We believe that pit bull adoption should be a fun, but educational experience. Our dedicated staff and compassionate team of volunteer K9 Foster Custodians work collaboratively to save pit bulls and bully breed dogs from Texas shelters. Upon intake, all MASBR dogs receive quality veterinary care to address their individual health and physical needs. Then, they are matched with a volunteer K9 Foster Custodian. Foster families begin the process of helping the dogs heal from past traumas and prepare for future adoption.

Each dog available for adoption has its emotional, mental, physical, and health needs evaluated, documented, and fulfilled. For some dogs, only basic care is required and they are ready for adoption sooner; while other pit bulls may require a collective of basic obedience, training courses, behavior modification, socialization, and medication therapy to find balance.

Make A Stand Bully Rescue accepts pit bulls and bully breeds from all situations, with all backgrounds, and works hard to ensure their safe placement in adoptive homes.

Find "The One" and Apply to Adopt

All adoptable dogs will link out to Petfinder. You can access our petfinder on our adoption page.

All applications are available and submitted on our website. Click here to access the application

1

Virtual Home and Vet Check

House pictures and veterinary records (if applicable) need to be sent to info@masbullyrescue.org.

In the subject line of the email, please put: LAST NAME – DOG NAME – HOME CHECK or VET CHECK

Please be sure to include detailed images of both the interior and exterior of your home, including detailed images of the yard and fence and anywhere the dog will regularly frequent.

Only those applicants who have other dogs or cats in the home need to provide veterinary records. All living pets in the home need to be spayed/neutered, fully vaccinated, and current on prevention. If there is a medical reason that excludes your pet from one or more of our requirements, please let us know and we will work with you if we can.

2

Approval/Denial Process

Upon receiving all required materials, your caseworker will reach out to you via email. Please be sure to check your spam/junk as well.

If you do not receive an email within 72 hours, please send an email directly to info@masbullyrescue.org.

If needed, a caseworker will schedule a phone call with you to discuss your application, the dog you’re interested in and any special requirements or necessary information regarding the dog.

All applicants will be informed whether or not they have been approved to adopt from our program. Please understand this decision can come in many forms. Check our FAQ section to understand all outcomes.

3

Approved to Adopt!

If approved, please expect a group chat (either via text message or Facebook message) with your caseworker, our leadership, and the foster family. 

We work with your schedule on setting up a meet and greet with the foster dog(s) you’re interested in meeting. This meeting will happen exclusively between you and the foster family, unless the meeting is for a more challenging dog in our program, at which point, one of our executive leadership team members will be present.

Please keep all communication on this group thread until after the adoption.

4

Meet & Greet

When you and the foster family arrange the place, time and date to meet, we wait until that day! In most instances, the meet and greet will end with the adoption, unless it was otherwise discussed up front to be two separate days. If the plan is just a meet and greet, an adoption day will be scheduled at a later time.
5

Adoption Day!

On adoption day, you will be provided:

  • Your MAS Bully Alum!
  • LupinePet collar and leash
  • Ziploc bag of food, with the food formula notated on your contract

Before you depart, the foster family will ask to take a family photo that we will post on our social media channels.

You will receive a PayPal invoice for $250 that must be paid in full prior to leaving with your new dog. If you are not comfortable paying via card on PayPal, you may bring exact cash or a check made out to Make A Stand Bully Rescue.

If you are not local (additional fees may apply) or will be sending someone on  your behalf, your case worker will work with your directly. 

6

Contracts & Records

Your caseworker will follow up either prior or post adoption day with your digital adoption contract and any additional addendums you may have discussed with your caseworker (i.e., spay/neuter addendum, heartworm treatment addendum, behavioral addendum). At this time, you will also receive the full medical file, digitally, for your new rescue pet.
7

Let us know how we can help!

We are a foster-based rescue which means we do not have a physical location to browse or meet multiple dogs at once. Our process begins with applying to adopt. Once approved to adopt, we can schedule a meeting with the dog(s) you’re interested in adopting.
After your apply, you will receive an email response from a caseworker within 72 hours. If you do not hear from us and cannot find an email in your junk box, please email info@masbullyrescue.org.
Not at all. We understand and empathize! Our team members work full time jobs, manage families, are enrolled in higher education and run the rescue in spare time. So long as your schedule or environment does not negatively impact our rescue dog(s), then please apply to adopt.
Make A Stand Bully Rescue is an LGBTQ+ friendly organization that proudly works with all individuals and families. We do not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race or ethnicity, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, medical or mental health condition, or disability. We strive to accommodate applicants living within extenuating circumstances or situations that might seem difficult. MASBR has and will continue to work with all families who are passionate and willing to open their hearts and homes to pit bulls and bully breed dogs in need.
Yes, specific on the dog and/or the age group. That said, please speak with your apartment complex or leasing agent to determine if any breed bans are in place. Oftentimes, you have to ask. If you have a medical exemption (i.e., Emotional Support Animal, Licensed Therapy Dog, Service Animal, etc.) that allows you to keep an animal in your home regardless of community rules, please let us know. We do not need to know specifics, but may ask questions to ensure the dog you’re interested in will meet your needs or requirements.
Yes, dependent on your plans to safely exercise and potty your dog(s) and/or the age group or personality of the dog.
Yes, absolutely. All of our dogs are in foster homes prior to adoption, where we get to know the dog and his/her specific personality, interest, and likes/dislikes. We may require a meet and greet ahead of time and/or an adoption trial period to ensure the fit before finalizing the adoption.
Absolutely. You will be required to arrange transport and/or fund the expense of transport if we arrange. We work with a variety of ground and air transit partners and have adopted all over the country and even into Canada. The costs typically begin at $300 and increase from there.

Our adoption fee is $300. The fee ensures that the dog you have applied to adopt has its medical, training, social, and emotional-mental needs met during its stay in our rescue program. The cost to care for one rescue animal in our program far exceeds the adoption fee, but we strive to keep adoptions affordable, as our goal is to place social, healthy pit bulls and bully breed type dogs in screened, loving homes.

No. Texas (and the Southern United States) has a major pet overpopulation problem, especially with bully breeds. All animals adopted from our program are currently or will be altered at the appropriate age.
No. We do not permit our dogs to be used for hunting, racing, fighting, guarding, attacking, or other adverse purposes.
Pit Bulls and/or Bully Breed type dogs are not all-weather-tolerant. Their coats, breathing capacity, and overall body structure are not conducive for extreme heat (experienced in Southern States) or extreme cold (experienced in most of the Country and Canada). Therefore, we will not consider applications where dogs are strictly outdoors.
No. We do not permit any of our rescue dogs to undergo ear cropping, tail docking, tattooing, piercing, or other appearance-alterations for cosmetic reasons.
We do! We believe in ensuring the right fit is made between our adopted dogs and their new families. Sometimes that means a trial run before finalizing the adoption. Please speak with your individual caseworker about this process.
In most situations, yes, we will take our dog back. In the event that we cannot accept your dog back (as a result of extreme medical or behavioral concerns), we will discuss and/or work with you on finding an alternative solution that is best for your family and our dog.
A Volunteer K9 Foster Custodian – “Foster” – is the first line of defense in our rescue. These are volunteers (individuals, families, roommates, etc.) who agree to open their homes, hearts, and lives to a rescue pit bull or its mix for Make A Stand Bully Rescue. Whether for a weekend at a time, weeks or months, or even long-term hospice care, our foster families allow us to save hundreds of lives annually. We strive to make fostering easy and affordable (i.e., free!), and are always looking to expand our foster roster.
After your apply, you will receive an email response from our Director of Operations, Amanda Dowell, within 72 hours. If you do not hear from her and cannot find an email in your junk box, please email info@masbullyrescue.org. Amanda may require additional documentation from you and will schedule a phone conversation to discuss your application and next steps moving forward.
Not at all. We understand and empathize! Our team members work full time jobs, manage families, are enrolled in higher education and run the rescue in spare time. So long as your schedule or environment does not negatively impact our rescue dog(s), then please, come on board! We are a friendly, open, and supportive group who firmly believe where there’s love and patience, there’s a way to save lives.

Make A Stand Bully Rescue is an LGBTQ+ friendly organization that proudly works with all individuals and families. We do not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race or ethnicity, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, medical or mental health condition, or disability. We strive to accommodate applicants living within extenuating circumstances or situations that might seem difficult. MASBR has and will continue to work with all families who are passionate and willing to open their hearts and homes to pit bulls and bully breed dogs in need.

When you foster for Make A Stand Bully Rescue, we provide the kennel, high quality food and treats, toys, training materials (as needed), cleaning supplies, and cover all costs associated with veterinary care, training, and boarding, as need, approved, and applicable. In return, our foster families provide a stable home environment, care, training and effort, and love to our rescue dogs. We work hard for you to succeed as a foster family, and will do what we can to accommodate your home and environment.
Yes, specific on the dog and/or the age group. Please note: MAS Bully Rescue will not pay pet deposit fees. If your apartment complex will not allow you to foster or will not allow bully breeds, we are happy to speak with them to see if we can make something work, but we will not break rules.
Yes, dependent on your plans to safely exercise and potty your dog(s) and/or the age group or personality of the dog.
Yes, dependent on the specific dog and/or temperament of the dog and/or your willingness to crate and rotate or separate if a problem arises.
Not at all! We work with YOU and your family on the best foster fit. If that means you have specific age group, sex, energy level, behavioral, or other preferences or requirements, that’s ok! We want this to be an enjoyable experience for you, us, and our dog(s).
Yes! We have “foster hubs” all around our state, currently including: DFW, Bryan/College Station, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Abilene. This means we have a designated volunteer who has bulk supplies and an established veterinary partnership in these areas. If you are not in one of these areas, please still apply. We are always open to expanding our reach.

Unfortunately, no. We are not currently in a position to expand beyond our state. That said, you can always send an email to info@masbullyrescue.org and we can recommend rescues or shelters in your state seeking fosters.

That’s ok, it happens. We may not be able to shuffle in the immediate moment, so we do ask for patience and understanding; but we will always shuffle and/or re/move a dog from your home within reasonable time allotment. We want this to be an enjoyable and successful experience for all involved.
Please understand that we receive this request regularly and oftentimes have to say “no.” This said, we occasionally accept a dog in this situation but ask fosters to understand and agree that they will foster said dog, regardless of behavioral or medical circumstance, until the dog is adopted or until another foster is open (in the event the dog is not a good fit). This can be a quick process or it can take months, so we do ask finders-willing-to-foster to consider the time commitment long-term fostering might be prior to approaching our rescue with a stray or owner surrendered dog.