Doberman Rescue Minnesota Adoption Policy:

Please read our policy carefully before applying to adopt from Doberman Rescue Minnesota (DRM)! If you have any questions regarding our policy, please contact us.

DRM adopts to the following areas: Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Applications from outside this area will not be considered.

The adoption fee serves to reimburse Doberman Rescue Minnesota for a portion of the care invested in your new pet through vetting, feeding, microchipping and training. All adoption fees are payable to Doberman Rescue Minnesota, or DRM. If you return your adopted dog within the 2-week trial period, your adoption fee may be returned or applied toward another adoption. Should you return the dog after the two week trial period, the adoption fees will not be refunded. Since we are a non-profit group, this fee is deposited into our pool of funds to help the next animal in need of our assistance.

Research and know what kind of dog you are deciding to adopt before applying!

While we think the Doberman is the best dog around, Dobermans are not the right fit for every family. Please be sure to visit the DPCA website for great, up to date Doberman breed information. Pay careful attention to the health section, as Dobermans can have several inherited medical issues.

Outside of adoption events, potential adopters must be approved before meeting a Doberman in their foster home.

After the application is received, we do require a home visit for all applicants. We will require ALL people that will be living with new Doberman be present for the home visit with our volunteers, or this may delay the application process! All homes must be within a reasonable distance from the Twin Cities metro area, or an available volunteer, for home visits and follow up care. We do have a wide network of volunteers throughout Minnesota, Iowa and beyond but we cannot get to all locations. Please contact us via email at info@dobermanrescueminnesota.com if you are not sure of your location!

It is our goal to place the right dog in the right home. Not only do we want you happy but we are committed to making sure each Doberman we care for is also happy.

Fencing is preferred but not mandatory.

We require adopters to have a secure area in which the Doberman can have adequate room to exercise in a safe environment. Young Dobermans must have a fenced yard; older, adult Dobermans, with good recall, may be placed in homes without fenced yards. We will consider some electric fencing on occasions, depending on the Doberman, the home, and the experience/training of the owners in regards to electric fencing.

Adopters must be at least 21 years old and independent.

All adopters must be 21+ and not living at home with parents.

Adopters must preferably own the property where the adopted dog will reside.

In some cases, we will consider those who rent. We will have to contact the landlord and get a documented insurance policy for the property. The landlord will have to agree to allow a Doberman on the property. Why? Most insurance companies will not insure rental units that house Dobermans. Please check with your landlord BEFORE applying or getting any type of dog.

All Dobermans must live indoors as loved family members. Under no circumstances will we place our Dobermans into homes where they will be forced to live outdoors, tied up outdoors, kept in an outdoor kennel unsupervised or used as guard dogs.

Children under 6 years old? Here’s our policy:

We will rarely place adult rescue dogs in homes with children under six years old. Dobermans are large, active dogs that can knock down small children. Even the kindest of dogs can injure another person or animal if provoked, injured or in pain. Because we adopt rescue dogs, usually with unknown histories, it is safest for our dogs to go to homes with older children.

We do encourage families with children under six to apply for any puppy that we take in!

All resident dogs must be at least 12 months old.

Face it, you have a puppy and in the puppy’s best interest you need to dedicate your time to it exclusively! If your pup needs a playmate ask for a puppy play date with a neighbor, or take it to the dog park for socializing. Doggy daycare is a great option also and we highly encourage all owners of young dogs to get their pups into doggy daycare to reduce energy and help with socializing. Dogs under one year old require a greater amount of time and energy to devote to bonding and training. Due to this, we feel it would be detrimental to the resident dog to introduce a new dog before one year of age.

All resident dogs must have been in living residence for at least six months.

Dogs new to the home should have adequate time to bond with the family before adding a subsequent dog to the home. It’s not fair to either dog if you are adding another.

Applying for a male Doberman? 

It is our policy to not place a male Doberman in homes with other resident male dogs. Dobermans are loyal to their pack, which includes us, humans. They also are driven to an instinctive hierarchy status within the domain that is their pack and may fight with other males for alpha status, as they become mentally mature, which is approximately 2-4 years old. Male Dobermans, in general, have rather pronounced dominance issues with other male dogs and the successful integration of a male Doberman into a family with other male dogs is relatively rare.

Spaying and/or neutering of existing dogs is required.

It is our policy not to adopt our rescue Dobermans out to homes with existing intact dogs, male or female unless there is a sound reason they are not altered.

All DRM dogs are placed under a contract which we strictly enforce.

Our contract requires, among other things, that the owner keep the dog up-to-date on all vet care, including all vaccines, provide monthly heartworm prevention, medical care, yearly veterinary exams and completion of an obedience course with the new Doberman. We also require that if the new owners should not, for ANY reason, be able to keep and care for the Doberman, the dog MUST be returned, by the owner, to DRM.

We require our adopters to enroll in an obedience class with their new Doberman.

Dobermans need socialization, structure and a way to stay active and out of trouble. Obedience, agility, or a form of structured training is highly desired for every Doberman throughout the Dobermans entire life. These are working dogs that need a job and an owner that will be committed to offering an activity to them on a daily basis. We will not accept “training them on my own” as a form of formal obedience training! You will need to take them to a formal class within 2-6 months after adoption, with other dogs, people, and a trainer!

Our dogs are rescued. What this means for you: 

While we do endeavor to begin a basic obedience training regimen with our rescue dogs, our most important goals are to restore these unfortunate, abandoned Dobermans to physical and mental health. Rescue dogs are a work in progress, you must be willing to commit to their training as we have committed to finding them the best, most suited forever home!  In addition to various illnesses, many come to us with behavioral issues such as shyness, fearfulness, excessive energy, etc. and we begin the process of healing for them. That process must be continued by the adopter.  If you are not willing to work with your new dog to help him or her continue on the road to happiness that we have promised all our rescue dogs by continuing healing, behavior training so they can become a happy and confident pet, please do not apply with us! We are not merely a resource from which an inexpensive Doberman can be acquired. Adopting a rescue dog is, first and foremost, an act of kindness and compassion for a creature with vast potential that simply needs patience, love, structure, training and a place to call home with a family of his/her own.

All Dobermans in our program are vet checked, up to date on vaccinations, micro-chipped, on heartworm preventative and spayed or neutered before being adopted.