How to Adopt

Get Prepared

  • Be at least 21
  • Be able to show a valid ID
  • Make sure your pets are up to date on vaccines, and spayed/neutered
  • Be prepared to bring all residents living in your home to meet your new potential pet (including any resident dog)
  • Ensure you are within a 90 minute drive from Palatine, Illinois (excluding traffic)

  • For homeowners, check with your HOA for any dog regulations, including breed and weight restrictions.
  • For renters, please provide documentation showing dogs are allowed. This documentation could include a lease, landlord’s note or anything that shows the residence is pet friendly.

  • Be at least 21
  • Be able to show a valid ID
  • Make sure your pets are up to date on vaccines, and spayed/neutered
  • Be prepared to bring all residents living in your home to meet your new potential pet (including any resident dog)
  • Ensure you are within a 90 minute drive from Palatine, Illinois (excluding traffic)
  • For homeowners, check with your HOA for any dog regulations, including breed and weight restrictions.
  • For renters, please provide documentation showing dogs are allowed. This documentation could include a lease, landlord’s note or anything that shows the complex is pet friendly.

If you have any questions about these requirements, please email adoptions@sccrescue.org

Once you have found a dog you are interested in on our website, submit an adoption application.
  • If you have completed an application within the last year and your contact information, current pets, and / or household members have not changed, please email adoptions@sccrescue.org. Tell them you have an application on file and tell them the name of the dog you are interested in.
  • If your contact information, current pets, and / or household members have changed since you last applied, please complete a new application.
 Remember to take things slow and allow plenty of time for decompression and settling in. Follow the 3-3-3 Rule: in the first 3 days, your new dog may be overwhelmed with their new surroundings. After 3 weeks, they will start to feel more comfortable. After 3 months, your pup should be fully settled into their home. Adoption Process 5 1 After we receive your application, we will pre-screen it to ensure you meet SCCR's qualifications and any special requirements the dog/dogs you’re applying for has. Our team will then reach out within 24 hours and let you know next steps.

If you do not receive an email response within 24 hours, please check your spam folder. If you still don’t see a response, email us at adoptions@sccrescue.org so we can ensure your application went through our system. 2 You will either be directed to attend our next adoption show or sent the link to make a meet and greet appointment. 3 Once you are matched, complete our paperwork, provide the adoption fee, and take your new pup home! 4

Sometimes, we have several families interested in the same dog.  Please trust that we do our best to create the perfect match, and if your family isn’t chosen, we want to continue to work with you to find that perfect dog to complete your family!

If you don’t match right away, keep an eye on our website. We post new dogs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Questions? Email us at adoptions@sccrescue.org.

Meet and Greet Locations

  • Our Adoption Center
  • PetSmart

Our Adoption Center – 570 N. Smith St., Palatine, IL 60067

Our adoption center is open:
Monday – Friday: 9am-12pm & 4pm-7pm
Saturday & Sunday: 9am – 7pm

Our adoption center only houses one litter of puppies at a time. All other dogs are in foster homes. All of our dogs require an appointment for an adoption meet and greet.

PetSmart – 1440 E Golf Rd, Schaumburg, IL 60173

Most Saturdays from 10am – 1pm, we have adoption shows inside of this PetSmart location, near the grooming salon. Dogs attending each show are posted on our Facebook page the day before the show. If you submit an application for a dog, watch for an email from adoptions@sccrescue.org to confirm if the dog you are interested in will be at the show.

Often, we have several families interested in the same dog.  Please trust that we do our best to create the perfect match, and if your family isn’t chosen, we want to continue to work with you to find that perfect dog to complete your family!

If you don’t match right away, keep an eye on our website. We post new dogs on Tuesdays and Wednesday.

Questions? Email us at adoptions@sccrescue.org.

How to Meet and Greet Locations

Our Adoption Center – 570 N. Smith St., Palatine, IL 60067

Our adoption center is open:
Monday – Friday: 9am-12pm & 4pm-7pm
Saturday & Sunday: 9am – 7pm

Our adoption center only houses one litter of puppies at a time. All other dogs are in foster homes. All of our dogs require an appointment for an adoption meet and greet.

PetSmart – 1440 E Golf Rd, Schaumburg, IL 60173

Most Saturdays from 10am – 1pm, we have adoption shows inside of this PetSmart location, near the grooming salon. Dogs attending each show are posted on our Facebook page the day before the show. If you submit an application for a dog, watch for an email from adoptions@sccrescue.org to confirm if the dog you are interested in will be at the show.

Adoption’s FAQ

Our Adoption Center is located at 570 N Smith St, Palatine.  Public hours are weekdays 9 – 12am &  4 – 7pm, weekends 9am – 7pm.

Most of our dogs are in foster homes, so if you are interested in meeting one of them please complete an adoption application and we can set up a meet & greet. We often have puppies living at our Adoption Center and they may occasionally be available for visitors. You are also welcome to meet our adoptable dogs at our Adoption Shows, which are listed on our events calendar.

Puppies (8 weeks to 6 months) – $425 / Adult (7+ months)  – $380 / Senior 7+ years – $150, Fees are payable with cash or credit card only, sorry no checks.

All Second City Canine Rescue Adopted Dogs come with the following:
  • Spay/Neuter Surgery
  • Age-appropriate Vaccinations
  • Microchip
  • De-worming
  • Heartworm Test (and treatment, if positive)
  • Current on Flea & Tick Preventative
  • Current on Heartworm Preventative

We keep the vast majority of our adoptions within a 90 minute driving radius of our adoption center in Palatine.  If you are outside this area, please email us at adoptions@sccrescue.org before completing an application.

For most of our dogs, we are able to schedule meet & greets outside of the show. Please start by submitting an application as soon as possible. Once you submit an application, our volunteers will let you know how you can meet that dog. Please understand that the dog you are interested in may be adopted at the show or have other meet & greets scheduled and may no longer be available at the time you request.

We strongly believe in finding the best fit for a dog and adopter. We take into consideration the information you have provided on the application, so we can help find the best match.

Once you submit your application for a specific dog, you will be contacted regarding next steps.

We recommend arriving a little before the start of the show, as some of our pups are popular and may have several adopters there to meet them. If multiple adopters are present at the beginning of the show for the same dog, adoption counselors will speak with each adopter and determine the best fit. If you attend an adoption show, but don’t arrive at the beginning, the dog you are interested in may already be adopted.

Please go to sccrescue.org/adopt/adoptable-dogs/ to review our adoptable dogs. Include the names of any dogs that interest you on your application.

Ideally, your entire family will come to meet your new potential family member (including your household dogs). However, we understand that life sometimes has other commitments – work, sports, etc. We can work around these constraints, as long as all adults in the home are on board with an adoption. If you have any concerns about bringing your household dogs to a pet supply store or our adoption center, please contact us at adoptions@sccrescue.org.

If you are ready to take the dog home immediately, you may if the dog is also ready. If not, we can arrange a pick up within 48 hours.

We require all dogs adopted from us be taken to a positive reinforcement training class within 3 months. Positive reinforcement training grows the bond between you and your dog and helps to eliminate unwanted behaviors.

We provide your adopted dog’s kennel card, which summarizes all medical care and lab work results received while in our care at the time of adoption and any information we have about the dog’s medical history before they came to us.

We accept dogs surrendered by local owners and transferred to us from shelters. Our shelter partners are both local and as far away as Kentucky, Texas, and Alabama.