Frequently Asked Questions

It's easy!

1) The animals in our program change weekly! Watch for one that suits your family & lifestyle, then submit an adoption application on our website. You will receive an auto-reply email to confirm that the app went through and can reply to that email to update or change any details on your app.

2) One of our volunteers will reach out by email to follow up with any questions and provide more information about the specific animal you applied for. Note: if you apply for a young animal who is not yet spayed or neutered, we won't be responding to these apps or fielding calls until the animal is healthy, weaned, scheduled for spay, and at least 7-8 weeks old (please do not expect an email right away in this case).

3) We review all qualified apps in the order received. If it's a good match, we will email to set up a virtual or in-person meet & greet with the WCAL foster family who is raising the cat or dog in their home. We only offer meet & greets to those with apps on file and for animals who are ready to go home. We cannot hold animals for adopters who aren't ready.

WCAL's adoption fees are modest relative to how much we spend to ensure every animal is well cared for in their foster home, behaviorally and medically healthy, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, FIV/FeLV tested (all cats), heartworm tested (adult dogs) and microchipped.

DOGS

• Puppies under 1yr: $350* of which $150 will be refunded upon completion of a puppy training class from a WCAL approved training center that employs reward based force-free training methods.
• Adult Dogs: $200*
  *Fee will be waived if you're adopting a senior or special needs dog

CATS

• Kittens & Adult Cats: $100* for one, $150 for two, $200 for three
  *Fee will be waived if you're adopting a special needs cat
• Senior Cats over 10 yrs: No Charge

We do not have a brick-and-mortar facility. All of our animals live in loving foster homes throughout Napa & Sonoma counties until they are adopted. Since our adoptable dogs & cats are not all in one location, this means we cannot introduce you to ALL of our adoptable animals. Our arrangement is quite different than a traditional animal shelter.

If you see an animal you'd like to meet online, please fill out an application and then you will be contacted by one of our volunteer adoption coordinators to arrange a meet & greet in their foster home or at an upcoming event. Our counselors are wonderful at helping you to determine which pet might be the best match for your family because we know our adoptable animals very well!

Wine Country Animal Lovers is based out of Calistoga, CA. We are lucky to have a wide network of foster families who live throughout Napa and Sonoma Counties.

As a foster-based rescue group, we are not in a position to accept pets being surrendered by their families, however there may be other ways we can help. If you are looking to rehome an animal and have a reasonable amount of time, we can offer a courtesy post on our social media to connect you with interested families. This is often the least stressful outcome for your dog or cat who would be able to go straight from one loving home to another. We can only work with a family pet's legal owner and not third parties.

Note: Courtesy posts are only available for spayed or neutered animals.  If an animal isn't altered, we may be able to assist with that.

Our limited resources are committed to helping animals located in Napa, Sonoma and Lake Counties and specifically those who are in imminent risk.

It is important to file a found animal report with the appropriate shelter because this is where most families will first look for their lost pet. We are easily reached via messenger on our social media platforms. Our volunteers also try to return calls, texts and emails promptly.

• The Napa County Animal Shelter is a safe place for animals from unincorporated Napa County. Contact Napa County Sheriff Dispatch 707-253-4451 or Animal Control 707-253-4517 for after hours assistance. They have a very high live release rate: www.countyofnapa.org/1023/Animal-Shelter
• The city of Calistoga has an agreement with North Bay Animal Services to provide safe shelter for lost/found animals. The local police department has a kennel and microchip scanner and can accept animals found within city limits 24 hours a day, 707-942-2810
• The city of St Helena has an agreement with We Care Animal Rescue to provide safe shelter for lost/found animals. The local police department has a kennel and microchip scanner and can accept animals found within city limits 24 hours a day, 707-967-2850.
• Lake County Animal Care & Control is responsible for all cats & dogs of Lake County with the exception of the city of Clearlake: www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm
• Clearlake Animal Control has contracted with North Bay Animal Services for Animal Control and they can be reached at 707-762-6227 or by visiting the shelter in person (behind Valley Glass on Airport Road): www.clearlake.ca.us/211/Animal-Control
• Sonoma County Animal Services is a large facility that helps a great number of animals from all over Sonoma county each year: https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Health/Animal-Services/

Through our Crisis Care one-time charity medical program, we are sometimes able to help with limited funding when an animal is suffering and the owner isn't able to cover the costs for urgent veterinary care. We want our donors' contributions to stretch as far as possible so that we can help more animals so we do ask that owners contribute what they can and apply for Care Credit. Please call us to discuss the details of your situation, 707-800-5058