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Happy Tails Happy Homes is a 100% volunteer-run, foster-based animal welfare organization serving Bellingham, Washington, and surrounding communities. Dedicated to protecting animals and fostering positive human-animal bonds, they provide foster care, medical support, and adoption services for companion animals, including adoptable cats and dogs. With no physical shelter facility, all rescued pets are cared for directly in loving volunteer foster homes until they find their forever families.
Happy Tails Happy Homes serves Bellingham, WA and Whatcom County area and has adoption fees starting from $0.
Dog fees range from $0 to $375 (cats listed on site; specific cat adoption fees not stated)
Completion of an adoption application, landlord approval confirming pets are allowed (with verification of restrictions/fees), reference checks, and submission of home/property photos or videos for verification.
Adopters submit an online application, which is reviewed by foster coordinators and the animal's foster home. If selected as a strong match, applicants participate in initial contact and a meet and greet (typically 30-60 minutes). Upon approval, reference and landlord checks and home verification (submitting photos/videos of the property) are completed. Once approved, adopters sign an adoption contract and submit payment via ShelterLuv before coordinating pickup or drop-off.
Animals are not kept in kennels. Happy Tails Happy Homes is a 100% home-foster, volunteer-run organization with no offices or paid staff, meaning all rescued animals reside directly with foster families.
The organization primarily accepts dogs, but maintains limited resources for other types of companion animals (including cats). Owners needing assistance can contact them via their re-homing/surrender form.
Yes. While they do not offer pre-adoption home-stays, they include built-in trial periods for adoptions: a 1-week trial for pets under 6 months and a 3-week trial for pets over 6 months. If an adoption does not work out, they will take the animal back as soon as possible.
Animals not spayed or neutered prior to adoption require an additional $250 spay/neuter deposit. Once the procedure is completed at the veterinarian-recommended age and proof is submitted with the deposit return form, reimbursement is processed within 10 business days.
Happy Tails Happy Homes operates an at-home foster surrender program with an online surrender request form. Because the organization is entirely volunteer-run with limited resources, review of re-homing requests may take several days.
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