adoptaBull Rescue Adoption FAQs



Where can I go to see your bulldogs up for adoption before I apply?
adoptabull Englsih Bulldog Rescue utilizes a foster home model for the care of bulldogs in our program. We believe this is the best model for successfully rehoming English Bulldogs.

We do not have a physical shelter so, as much as we would love to have you stop by, you will have to visit us at a special event or one of our Meet & Greets. Sign up for our mailing list or follow us on Facebook so you hear about these events as soon as they are announced.

Of course anyone approved to adopt will have ample opportunity to meet the dogs being considered for their home.

I love dogs and can offer a great home. Why do you restrict your adoption area?
As the only advocate for the bulldogs in our care, our charter requires us to gain a thorough understanding of every home where we place one of our adoptaBulls. Part of this process involves a visit to the home where the bulldog will live. This means that adoptive home must be reasonably accessible to our current volunteers. If you are outside of our current service area, please check back because our volunteer network is expanding all the time. We would also be happy to help you find a BCARN group closer to your area if we are unable to help.

I'm outside of your service area but I can drive to your location to pick up the bulldog.
Unfortunately, we need to have an experienced volunteer within roughly a 1 hour drive from your home to provide the pre and post adoption requisites that are part of our program.

I am looking for a bulldog puppy. Can you help?
We rarely get puppies in rescue. Those puppies we may see often have medical issues and adoptions would be restricted to candidates with prior bulldog experience. If you are only interested in a puppy, we can help you select a qualified breeder that is a member of the Bulldog Club of America from the recommended breeder list located on our Resources page. Please do not purchase your bulldog puppy from a pet store or inexperienced breeder.

There's a great bulldog on your site and that's the one I want!
We love great pairings of adopters and the beautiful bulldogs they see on our site! Unfortunately, not every bulldog is suitable for every home simply based on a picture. Sometimes we have to make a final adopter selection from a pool of multiple qualified candidates based on a judgment call of what is best for the bulldog.

We understand how easy it is to feel you have found your "soul mate" from our list of adoptaBulls but we hope all of our applicants will consider all of our bulldogs that are in need of a great forever home.

Children live in my home and some rescue groups will not adopt to homes with children under a certain age. Do you have a minimum age limit for kids?
Our insurance program prohibits us from placing a rescue bulldog in a home with children under the age of 8. We will give consideration homes with extensive previous rescue and bulldog experience and have children between the ages of 5-8.


Why do you charge an adoption fee?
At a minimum, our adoption fees help to offset some of the basic costs to prepare our bulldogs for adoptions (wellness checks, vaccinations, microchipping, spay/neuter, etc.). Many of the bulldogs entering our program require care that far exceeds our standard adoption fees that are based on each bulldog's age, current health and ongoing rehabilitation requirements (if any).

How does your application work?
All of our applications are completed online. We encourage you to submit your application directly to us at http://adoptabull.org. We do not consider any adoption requests without a completed application on file.

We also monitor application submissions in our service area submitted to our Bulldog Rescue Network National Site (http://rescuebulldogs.org) and may contact you if you have already submitted an application on that site. One of our volunteers will assist you with getting your BCARN application active for consideration by adoptaBull.

Our application will take roughly 30-45 minutes to complete. You will not have the option of editing your responses later so please plan to complete your application when you have sufficient time.

Information You Will Need


  • If you rent, we will need complete contact information for your landlord including name, address, phone number and email
  • If you have owned a pet withing the last 3 year, we will need complete contact information for your vet including name, address and phone number


I submitted my application. What are the next steps?
Once you press the SAVE button on your application entry page, your application is delivered to our Case Managers. You will see a screen confirming acceptance and you can review what you submitted by hovering over your last name. You will not be able to edit your application once it has been submitted.

Here are the next steps:


  • If you have owned a dog within the last 3 years and/or you rent, we will contact your vet and/or landlord to obtain reference checks
  • Your assigned Case Manager will contact you once any required reference checks are completed to either conduct or schedule a phone interview with you and your co-applicant to review your application and get to know you better
  • On successful completion of your phone interview, your Case Manager will arrange a date for a volunteer to visit your home and will begin reviewing our adoptaBulls to identify those that would be ideal for your home

  • After a successful home visit, your adoptaBull Team expands and you can expect to be in coordinated contact with the the group managing the placement of the bulldog being considered for your home
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About Our adoptaBulls


  • all of our bulldogs reside in foster homes licensed by the Illinois Department of Agriculture
  • our foster homes and Case Managers evaluate the medical and behavioral characteristics of every bulldog in our care
  • every bulldog receives required medical care and vaccinations and has been tested to be free of contagious disease and heartworm at the expense of adoptaBull
  • all adoptaBulls are spayed and neutered prior to adoption
  • every adopter will receive a complete disclosure sheet detailing medical care and other information as required by the State of Illinois
  • all adoptaBulls will be microchipped prior to adoption. Our staff will assist adopters with transferring microchip registration

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Apply to Adopt

If you live in Northern Illinois, Southeastern Wisconsin to the Milwaukee and Madison areas or Northwestern Indiana and you are ready for one of the most

rewarding dog ownership experiences ever- you've come to the right place!

 
We are committed to an adopter friendly process and we think you will see

a difference. Our Case Manager adoption model will keep you in touch every

step of the way to finding the best rescue bulldog for your home.

Our adoption process is thorough and can take 3-4 weeks to complete under

optimal circumstances. Please be sure to read our Adoption FAQs before

beginning your application so you have a complete understanding of what

to expect.

(855) 385-5111