Former Rescue Whippet "Jack" enjoys the Good Life in Pacifica.
About NCWFA Whippet Rescue
Please take a moment to read these FAQs, they ought to answer many of the questions you may have about NCWFA Whippet Rescue.
What is the area that NCWFA Rescue handles whippets in?
The NCWFA handles Whippet Rescue for Northern California (usually encompassing the area from the Oregon and Nevada borders to Monterey). NCWFA Rescue works closely with WRAP and other independent Whippet Rescue organizations in California and Oregon. We foster, evaluate and find great forever homes for purebred whippets in need.
Where do our whippets come from?
We get whippets from shelters and other rescue groups, as strays, or most often released to us by the owner. Our mission is to place these whippets in good permanent homes. We work in concert with several other rescue organizations operating in California, including WRAP (American Whippet Club's rescue arm) and several other independent whippet rescues. The vast majority of whippet breeders are the epitome of responsible, and will take back any of their dogs who need rehoming at any time during their life, so consequently true rescues are extremely rare in our breed.
I am interested in adopting a rescue whippet from the NCWFA. What do I need to do?
If you wish to adopt a Whippet and you live in Northern California, please fill out an application form. After receiving your application, you will receive a welcome message and then we will place you on our waiting list and will contact you if a possible match comes into our program. Please note that a completed application on-file & a home check is required in order to adopt a whippet from NCWFA Rescue.
NCWFA Whippet Rescue mostly always places whippets in and around Northern California. If you are located in Southern California or out-of-state, you are welcome to have an application on-file with us, but please note that with the large number of fabulous local applicants and low number of whippets needing our services, and the fact that we will not ship dogs, probably means that you will be far more likely to get a dog from your local whippet rescue organization than through the NCWFA.
How long will it take to get a rescue whippet from the NCWFA?
This is the 64 thousand dollar question, and the answer is that probably there will be a wait (oftentimes significant) for a rescue whippet. The NCWFA usually places only 4 to 8 whippets each year through our rescue program. Whippets are lucky in that they are a breed whose caretakers are for the most part very responsible and concerned for their well-being. There are usually only a handful (less than 10 normally, often less than five) of whippets in rescue in the whole country at any given time, and usually only a few whippets are placed through the NCWFA in a year. At any given time, we have between 50-75 applicants on-file with NCWFA Whippet Rescue. There may often be a wait of up to several months for a whippet to come into the NCWFA Rescue System, and often a wait of many months for the "perfect" dog matching your criteria to arrive. Things can change in a minute in Rescue and you never know when your perfect companion may arrive, however!
The "average" rescue whippet seems to be a middle-aged male. Whippet puppies are extremely rare in rescue, so your wait for a six-month old parti-color female may be several years, if one ever comes in to our rescue program. In order to be more quickly matched with a dog, you may wish to consider broadening your adoption requirements to include older (over 6 years of age) whippets, in order to find a companion in a more timely fashion. Older whippets are vital and perky, and in our breed lives of up to 16 years are not uncommon, so a senior whippet has a lot of life left in them!
I sent in an application months ago! Shouldn't your whippets be available to the person who has been waiting the longest?
We take many factors into consideration when choosing the right 'forever home' for our rescue whippets. Sometimes the right home has been on our applicants list for many months, sometimes for just a short time. Adopting a rescue whippet is not a first-come-first-serve proposition. We want every home for a rescue whippet to be their forever home, and the whippet always has the final say!
What do you do for the whippets while they are in foster care?
All Rescue Whippets are spayed or neutered, and will be up to date on shots. All will be current on recommended vet care for their age. They will be evaluated for temperament and house/crate training in order to choose the perfect 'forever home for them. Some dogs require very little in the way of vetting and evaluation, some needs lots of time and vet care, so the amount of time each whippet stays in foster care can vary quite a bit.
What are Rescue Whippet like?
Rescue Whippets are just like other whippets. Most whippets seem to like other dogs. They are not always good with cats and other small pets. Some rescue whippets may have other issues, due to hardships before they came into Rescue, but most are very sweet, lovable, trainable dogs that just need some time and TLC to become that wonderful dog that anyone would dream of owning. Some dogs come to us with their whole life documented and their family and background known to us, and others come to us as complete unknowns, from shelters or as strays. Each rescue whippet is different, but they all have one thing in common - they are whippets, and therefore most wonderful dogs!
What is required to adopt a Rescue Whippet?
We require a completed rescue application on-file in order to be considered as an adoptive home. There is always a home check and interview required before any adoption is completed. All Whippets from Rescue are required to be 'house dogs'. NO yard-only dogs. Whippets must have access to some part of the house, or they may jump fences. A dog door and a securely fenced yard are recommended. Apartments may be acceptable depending on the owner, their landlord, and the rescue whippet in question.
There is an adoption contract. The adoption fee is $350 for adults (over one year of age) & $500 for puppies. Senior whippets over 10 years of age, may be adopted out at a reduced or no adoption fee on a case-by-case basis. The adoption fee helps to defray our expenses for each rescue, which may include spaying/neutering, vaccination, and other medical and basic needs. The rescue Whippet may never be sold or given away by their adopter. NCWFA Rescue will take the dog back at any time if the adopter cannot keep it and in fact, this is a stipulation of our adoption contract.
We strongly recommend the purchase of a crate. This is the easiest way to house-train a new dog. This does not mean that they should be left in a crate for all day, day after day.
Why do you charge an adoption fee for these dogs? I mean, they are unwanted, so shouldn't they be free?
Our very reasonable Adoption Fee ($350 to $500) is charged for each Rescue Whippet in order to defray the expenses associated with vet care for each dog. Most of our dogs come to us needing some amount of vet care, and individual expenses per animal can range anywhere from nothing (very rarely!) to thousands of dollars (for those poor guys who have come out of a shelter and have needed extensive dentals, bloodwork, altering, etc.). We charge the Adoption Fee in order to at least attempt to cover some of those expenses, some of the time. Rescue Whippets are NOT Throw-Away dogs and the Adoption Fee 'purchase price' reflects a very small part of the value these dogs have.
I have a whippet that I can no longer keep. Can you help me?
If you must give up your whippet and you would like them to enter our program, please contact the Rescue Team at (ncwfarescue@sbcglobal.net) and we will promptly get back to you. Please note that we will often ask for photos and will always ask you questions about where your whippet came from (ie: where you purchased or adopted them from). NCWFA Rescue makes every effort to contact the breeder of a possible rescue whippet and give them the option to take their dog back into their home. NCWFA Rescue only rehomes purebred whippets - we do not place mixes (see below).
A NOTE ON WHIPPET MIXES: NCWFA Whippet Rescue's mission is to rescue and rehome purebred whippets. The vast majority of our potential adopters are only interested in adopting purebred whippets, with the looks and traits that are predictable to our breed. The reality is that the vast majority of dogs who are listed as 'whippet mixes' by shelters and other rescue organizations most often do not have a drop of whippet blood in them (this does not mean that they are not perfectly wonderful dogs, but long legs and being fast does not a whippet make, and our mission is to rescue and rehome purebred whippets...). We are limited in both our financial resources and available foster homes. Due to these factors, we will not be able to take a whippet mix into our system. However, we are happy to assist you in finding resources for rehoming a mix, including possibly posting them on our website, posting their info to various whippet lists and boards on the Internet, and facilitating contact with rescue organizations in your area who place mixes or assist in their placement.
Northern California Rescue Contact
The NCWFA handles Whippet Rescue for Northern California (usually encompassing the area from the Oregon and Nevada borders to Monterey). NCWFA Rescue works closely with WRAP and other independent Whippet Rescue organizations in California and Oregon. We foster, evaluate and find great forever homes for purebred whippets in need.
Where do our whippets come from?
We get whippets from shelters and other rescue groups, as strays, or most often released to us by the owner. Our mission is to place these whippets in good permanent homes. We work in concert with several other rescue organizations operating in California, including WRAP (American Whippet Club's rescue arm) and several other independent whippet rescues. The vast majority of whippet breeders are the epitome of responsible, and will take back any of their dogs who need rehoming at any time during their life, so consequently true rescues are extremely rare in our breed.
I am interested in adopting a rescue whippet from the NCWFA. What do I need to do?
If you wish to adopt a Whippet and you live in Northern California, please fill out an application form. After receiving your application, you will receive a welcome message and then we will place you on our waiting list and will contact you if a possible match comes into our program. Please note that a completed application on-file & a home check is required in order to adopt a whippet from NCWFA Rescue.
NCWFA Whippet Rescue mostly always places whippets in and around Northern California. If you are located in Southern California or out-of-state, you are welcome to have an application on-file with us, but please note that with the large number of fabulous local applicants and low number of whippets needing our services, and the fact that we will not ship dogs, probably means that you will be far more likely to get a dog from your local whippet rescue organization than through the NCWFA.
How long will it take to get a rescue whippet from the NCWFA?
This is the 64 thousand dollar question, and the answer is that probably there will be a wait (oftentimes significant) for a rescue whippet. The NCWFA usually places only 4 to 8 whippets each year through our rescue program. Whippets are lucky in that they are a breed whose caretakers are for the most part very responsible and concerned for their well-being. There are usually only a handful (less than 10 normally, often less than five) of whippets in rescue in the whole country at any given time, and usually only a few whippets are placed through the NCWFA in a year. At any given time, we have between 50-75 applicants on-file with NCWFA Whippet Rescue. There may often be a wait of up to several months for a whippet to come into the NCWFA Rescue System, and often a wait of many months for the "perfect" dog matching your criteria to arrive. Things can change in a minute in Rescue and you never know when your perfect companion may arrive, however!
The "average" rescue whippet seems to be a middle-aged male. Whippet puppies are extremely rare in rescue, so your wait for a six-month old parti-color female may be several years, if one ever comes in to our rescue program. In order to be more quickly matched with a dog, you may wish to consider broadening your adoption requirements to include older (over 6 years of age) whippets, in order to find a companion in a more timely fashion. Older whippets are vital and perky, and in our breed lives of up to 16 years are not uncommon, so a senior whippet has a lot of life left in them!
I sent in an application months ago! Shouldn't your whippets be available to the person who has been waiting the longest?
We take many factors into consideration when choosing the right 'forever home' for our rescue whippets. Sometimes the right home has been on our applicants list for many months, sometimes for just a short time. Adopting a rescue whippet is not a first-come-first-serve proposition. We want every home for a rescue whippet to be their forever home, and the whippet always has the final say!
What do you do for the whippets while they are in foster care?
All Rescue Whippets are spayed or neutered, and will be up to date on shots. All will be current on recommended vet care for their age. They will be evaluated for temperament and house/crate training in order to choose the perfect 'forever home for them. Some dogs require very little in the way of vetting and evaluation, some needs lots of time and vet care, so the amount of time each whippet stays in foster care can vary quite a bit.
What are Rescue Whippet like?
Rescue Whippets are just like other whippets. Most whippets seem to like other dogs. They are not always good with cats and other small pets. Some rescue whippets may have other issues, due to hardships before they came into Rescue, but most are very sweet, lovable, trainable dogs that just need some time and TLC to become that wonderful dog that anyone would dream of owning. Some dogs come to us with their whole life documented and their family and background known to us, and others come to us as complete unknowns, from shelters or as strays. Each rescue whippet is different, but they all have one thing in common - they are whippets, and therefore most wonderful dogs!
What is required to adopt a Rescue Whippet?
We require a completed rescue application on-file in order to be considered as an adoptive home. There is always a home check and interview required before any adoption is completed. All Whippets from Rescue are required to be 'house dogs'. NO yard-only dogs. Whippets must have access to some part of the house, or they may jump fences. A dog door and a securely fenced yard are recommended. Apartments may be acceptable depending on the owner, their landlord, and the rescue whippet in question.
There is an adoption contract. The adoption fee is $350 for adults (over one year of age) & $500 for puppies. Senior whippets over 10 years of age, may be adopted out at a reduced or no adoption fee on a case-by-case basis. The adoption fee helps to defray our expenses for each rescue, which may include spaying/neutering, vaccination, and other medical and basic needs. The rescue Whippet may never be sold or given away by their adopter. NCWFA Rescue will take the dog back at any time if the adopter cannot keep it and in fact, this is a stipulation of our adoption contract.
We strongly recommend the purchase of a crate. This is the easiest way to house-train a new dog. This does not mean that they should be left in a crate for all day, day after day.
Why do you charge an adoption fee for these dogs? I mean, they are unwanted, so shouldn't they be free?
Our very reasonable Adoption Fee ($350 to $500) is charged for each Rescue Whippet in order to defray the expenses associated with vet care for each dog. Most of our dogs come to us needing some amount of vet care, and individual expenses per animal can range anywhere from nothing (very rarely!) to thousands of dollars (for those poor guys who have come out of a shelter and have needed extensive dentals, bloodwork, altering, etc.). We charge the Adoption Fee in order to at least attempt to cover some of those expenses, some of the time. Rescue Whippets are NOT Throw-Away dogs and the Adoption Fee 'purchase price' reflects a very small part of the value these dogs have.
I have a whippet that I can no longer keep. Can you help me?
If you must give up your whippet and you would like them to enter our program, please contact the Rescue Team at (ncwfarescue@sbcglobal.net) and we will promptly get back to you. Please note that we will often ask for photos and will always ask you questions about where your whippet came from (ie: where you purchased or adopted them from). NCWFA Rescue makes every effort to contact the breeder of a possible rescue whippet and give them the option to take their dog back into their home. NCWFA Rescue only rehomes purebred whippets - we do not place mixes (see below).
A NOTE ON WHIPPET MIXES: NCWFA Whippet Rescue's mission is to rescue and rehome purebred whippets. The vast majority of our potential adopters are only interested in adopting purebred whippets, with the looks and traits that are predictable to our breed. The reality is that the vast majority of dogs who are listed as 'whippet mixes' by shelters and other rescue organizations most often do not have a drop of whippet blood in them (this does not mean that they are not perfectly wonderful dogs, but long legs and being fast does not a whippet make, and our mission is to rescue and rehome purebred whippets...). We are limited in both our financial resources and available foster homes. Due to these factors, we will not be able to take a whippet mix into our system. However, we are happy to assist you in finding resources for rehoming a mix, including possibly posting them on our website, posting their info to various whippet lists and boards on the Internet, and facilitating contact with rescue organizations in your area who place mixes or assist in their placement.
Northern California Rescue Contact
- For information on Whippets, questions about how rescue works, to receive a rescue application, for information on giving up a whippet to Rescue, or in regards to a dog you are already in the process of adopting, please contact Guin Borstel, Kellee Livingston, Delia Zarges & Donna Wilhoyte of the NCWFA Rescue Team at ncwfarescue@sbcglobal.net.
- WRAP (Whippet Rescue and Placement) is the National Whippet Rescue organization. They have representatives in almost every state, and more locally have reps in Southern and Central California, as well as Southern Oregon & Northern Nevada..
- List of Whippet Rescue contacts in the U.S. There are WRAP representatives located all over the US, including Central and Southern California, Nevada, Oregon, etc.. Some of the representatives would consider adopting a dog out of their general area to the right home.
- There are also other independent whippet rescues in the state, operating mostly in Southern California, who occasionally have dogs to place. Mary at All Breed rescue in Yucaipa is the rescue arm of the SCWA & her website (which also features other sighthounds and some really neat mixes too) is All-Breed Rescue. The Greater San Diego Whippet Association also does good work for whippets & their webpage is here
