FAQ
Questions we get a lot
About New Hope
- Are you a shelter?
- No. New Hope has no building and no kennels. Every animal in our care lives in a volunteer foster home. That is why there is nowhere to walk in and browse, and why the number of animals we can save depends entirely on how many foster homes we have.
- Where do your animals come from?
- Mostly from shelters in and around Austin, where they are at risk of being euthanized — often for space, sometimes for a treatable medical condition, sometimes because they stopped showing well in a kennel.
- Are you a registered nonprofit?
- Yes. New Hope Animal Rescue NFP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
- Do you have paid staff?
- No. The rescue is run entirely by volunteers around their jobs and families. It is why replies are slower than you would expect and why volunteering makes a direct, visible difference.
Adopting
- Can I meet an animal before I apply?
- You can meet our cats at the adoption centers inside PetSmart and Petco during store hours, and our dogs at weekend adoption events. A scheduled one-on-one meet-and-greet comes after an application, not before.
- How long does the process take?
- Usually one to two weeks. The veterinary reference call is the slowest step, so tell your clinic to expect us.
- What is the adoption fee?
- It varies by animal and covers spay or neuter, vaccines, microchip, and the medical care that animal received in foster. Your adoption coordinator will tell you the amount — and you should only ever pay when they direct you to.
- Do you adopt out of state?
- We prioritize adopters in the greater Austin area. Out-of-state adoptions are considered case by case; email us before applying so nobody wastes time.
- Can I adopt an animal as a gift?
- No. The person who will live with the animal must be the person who applies. Surprise adoptions are one of the most common ways an animal ends up back in rescue.
- Why do you need a home visit?
- To see fencing, escape routes, and whether the setup matches what the application described. It is a conversation, not an inspection, and it happens before anything is finalized.
- I was declined. Can I ask why?
- Yes. Email the adoption team. Most of the time it is a specific mismatch between a specific animal and a specific household, not a judgment about you, and a different animal may be a straightforward yes.
Fostering
- Who pays for vet care?
- We do. All medical care goes through the rescue and is arranged in advance — never take a foster animal to a vet on your own and expect reimbursement, because pre-authorization is how we can afford to say yes in the first place.
- How long is a foster commitment?
- A few weeks to a few months. Puppies and kittens move fast; heartworm-positive dogs and shut-down animals take longer. Staying through the adoption is ideal but not required.
- Do I need experience?
- No. We match new fosters with straightforward animals and pair you with a coordinator and experienced fosters you can call.
- Can I foster if I have my own pets or kids?
- Yes, and most of our fosters do. Tell us the ages and temperaments on the application and we will match accordingly.
Helping otherwise
- I found a stray. Can you take it?
- We are almost always full, and intake decisions depend on foster space that week. File a found report with your local animal services first — most strays have an owner looking for them — and contact us if that does not resolve it.
- I can no longer keep my pet. Can you take them?
- Owner surrenders are rare for us because our foster space goes to animals who are out of time at a shelter. Contact us and we will tell you honestly whether we can help and point you to other options if we cannot.
- Do you help with spay/neuter costs?
- We advocate for spaying and neutering and can point you to low-cost clinics in the Austin area. Direct financial assistance depends on our funds at the time — contact us and we will tell you where things stand.
- How can I help if I cannot adopt or foster?
- Volunteer, donate, or share our animals. Sharing genuinely works — a large share of our adoptions start with somebody reposting an animal to their own feed.
Not answered here? Send us a message or email contact@newhopesaveslives.org.