Animal Rescue Foundation

ARF does not run like other animal adoption agencies where any fit home is a good home. They have their own philosophies and specific criteria. You will never find a pet on their site thought «good for young kids» and this is not because of the dogs themselves but due to their own philosophy. I have heard of many people having bad experiences with them. Mostly due to bad communication. They do not communicate why you are not selected to adopt one of their animals. But it could be as simple as not meeting the same training philosophy or having kids they see as «too young». You will not get an answer from ARF or more of an explanation from them. They tell all «unfit» adoption parents nothing and make them wait it out. ARF is not about getting as many pets off the streets and in good home but instead they selected only a few animals yearly and would rather they stay in foster care till their idea of the «perfect» home become available. Here are some of their requirements (May not be true but found out by word of mouth. most are for dogs): 1 — no young kids 2 — Yard 3 — must be able to walk multiple times a day (not just one) 4 — Other dogs an asset 5– Must be willing to take their training classes and only use their training philosophy. 6 –Fence must be 5+ feet 7 — Must kennel train 8 — One parent must be home about 75% of the time (kids of any age do not count). So no single parents.
If any of these are answered incorrectly they put a red flag and just choose not to contact you. Because they are volunteer run they feel this is a good option to avoid confrontations but instead bad communication causes confusion.

I am the proud owner of 2 ARF dogs. The are a wonderful organization that does a lot to rescue dogs and cats and also limit the stray population in and around Calgary.
They do have a bit of a process to go to to adopt but its worth it. They want to make sure the right people get the right dogs for them. I love that they have a trial day with the dog you are interested in so you can really get a feel for how the dogs will fit in with your life (family, home, schedule etc) before making a full commitment.
They are powered almost completely by volunteers and have done some pretty amazing things with very little funding. Want a pet? Check ARF out.

After a bit of research and the realization that the cost of a breeder dog was exorbitant, we decided to rescue. We looked at a couple different options and finally settled on ARF.
ARF spends each Saturday afternoon between 1 — 3 pm at Pet Smart near Chinook Mall. Before starting the adoption process, we decided to visit them here to get additional information as well as to meet a couple of puppies that we had our eyes on from their website.
They have a very stringent selection process which — as first time dog owners — we appreciated. They won’t just let you adopt a dog because you want one. They will ask you to visit the dog, they will interview you, they will spend time with you and the animal to see how you are with them. They will come to your house to ensure it is safe for pets. It may sound a bit elitist but the people at ARF truly have the dog’s best interest at heart. Most of the dogs are rescued from rural areas and reserves around the city.
Once you have adopted the dog, the support continues from ARF — you are provided with 6 weeks of training lessons. There are also periodic phone calls from ARF to see if everything is ok or if you have any questions or concerns with which they may help.
All dogs from ARF are spayed or neutered prior to adoption.
I would highly recommend adopting a rescued dog from ARF.