Looking for a cavapoo rescue to adopt a homeless cavoodle?

Normally you would address a breeder if you are hoping to get a new cavapoo puppy, but it’s not the only way, and not always the best way for everyone. Every year a certain number of cavapoo rescue dogs ends up in various rescue organisations. It can be a sad thing in the life of a dog, but sometimes unavoidable as their human’s life circumstances change and there is just no place for a dog in it anymore.

People change where they live, get busy jobs where they can’t afford time and energy to their cavapoo. People relocate to non-pet-friendly places. Families often break up and cavapoo care becomes something of an afterthought (not to judge!)

Another reason there are always cavapoo rescues available is that sometimes people develop new allergies to their pets, or old, milder allergies flare up and become too much to tolerate. Cavapoo are designed to be the least allergenic of many other breeds, but no dog is truly hypoallergenic. (Not even pure poodles).

With stress and other environmental factors on the rise, it is no wonder that sometimes pet allergies get out of control and the number of sufferers is growing, as well as allergy severity. In such circumstances, people simply make the best choices for them – and sometimes the choice is to part with their lovely cavapoo.

Yet another reason why cavapoos end up in rescue is potential behavior problems. Cavapoo are bred to be wonderful family pets – affectionate, loving and well-socialised. However, sometimes a dog may have some undesirable traits – whether from birth or developed during its life. It could be anything from separation anxiety, aggression (in general or towards children, for example), excitability or a penchant for chewing on furniture.

A good cavapoo owner would never send their cavapoo to rescue for any of these reasons and rather work with the cavapoo to improve the situation. But some new cavapoo owners underestimate the work or are not ready to invest time in building a better relationship with their cavapoo and instead decide to sever it altogether.

One thing to mention here is that if a person has purchased their cavapoo from a reputable breeder, it is normally stated in the contract that the breeder would accept the dog back in case the new owner can’t keep the dog for any reason. This is perhaps why the number of cavapoo rescues is not as big as it could be, and it’s a great thing for the dogs. However, not all breeders are a 100% conscientious, and bad situations still happen when a cavapoo ends up in rescue.

It’s honorable that you want to find a cavapoo rescue that needs a home, who could be an older dog, or a dog with behavioural issues, or simply not a cute puppy anymore (although cavapoo are cute at any age.)  The good part for you is that the cavapoo rescue will cost much less than a cavapoo purchased from a breeder. The good thing for the little cavapoo rescue is, well, he or she gets a new life!

How to find a cavapoo rescue available for adoption?

Look online

Everything is online nowadays, and there is a big chance you will find your sweet little cavapoo rescue on one of the local sites or social networks. Check your local classifieds websites, such as craigslist and kijiji. Simply enter “cavapoo” or “cavoodle” or even “cavadoodle” in search and see if there is anyone needing to re-home their cavapoo. You might just find the right person and both of you win.

Note: be cautious with breeders advertising on craigslist. While it’s not impossible, most breeders have their own websites and long wait lists. It’s unlikely that a conscientious breeder would advertise their puppies on classifieds website.

Check a social network site like Facebook as well 

Did you know that Facebook, like Google, can be now considered a search engine? That means you can actually search for things on Facebook. Simply type cavapoo, cavoodle or cavadoodle in the search bar and see if any local groups, organisations or posts come up. You may just find what you are looking for.

Go to SPCA website

Check out your local SPCA website and see if there is a cavapoo / cavoodle needing a new home. You can also check other websites like Petfinder, Adoptapet or local dog rescue sites in your area to see if there is a cavoodle available anywhere close to you.

What to do if you found a cavapoo rescue available for adoption

So you found your cavapoo rescue on a local website or Facebook group? Congratulations!

First of all, be cautious and don’t rush into anything, no matter how exciting it may be. You may have already seen the pictures of the little cavapoo needing a new home and you feel like you are falling in love?

First, double check everything. Ask the person who is giving the cavapoo away (or SPCA if it’s an organisation) all the questions you need to ask to know as much about the animal as possible. Why is the cavapoo in rescue? How long have they been in rescue?

What was their situation in their old home? What behavioural issues, if any, do they have? Is there anything wrong with their health? What type of temperament do they have? Are they good with children (if you have kids). Do they have separation anxiety? Do they need lots of therapy / work before they can be better?

All of those questions are very important to ask before you make any decisions. They will help you understand if you and the little cavapoo rescue are indeed a good match. If anything bothers you, or troubles you, don’t be afraid to hold off. Don’t feel bad for the dog.

Yes, it’s sad that they are in rescue and need a kind person to take them in and help them, but can it be you? Will you really be able to handle the issues the dog might present?

Try to consider your abilities and commitment with as much objectivity as possible. There are lots of other people looking for a cavapoo rescue to take into their homes, and they might be better equipped to help this particular dog than you. For example, if a dog has separation anxiety, and you have long hours at work, the cavapoo will be better off going to some older lady’s home who is retired and would love to spend most of her day with the dog.

If you feel like you are a good match to the dog, request a visit. Go see the dog before you decide on taking it in. Play with it, watch it’s behaviour, see if you can build rapport with it. Your intuition will likely tell you if this little cavapoo is for you or not.

Be careful with people requesting any financial transactions online. Don’t send money for anything before you see the dog and decide on taking it in, not even small adoption fees that some people ask for. A lot of people ask for an adoption fee to make sure you can actually afford the cavapoo and all the care that it may need, so adoption fees are not necessarily a bad thing.

But a less honest person could simply use “adoption fee” trick as a way to scam you out of some money, so just be careful. Most likely you won’t get tricked into anything and will simply end up with a sweet new cavapoo companion, so don’t let me intimidate you. But it never hurts to be cautious.

Cavapoo adoption

If you do take in this new cavapoo home – our congratulations and now you have some work to do. Prepare your home for the new puppy. You can read about how to do it on this website. Ask the previous owner about the puppy’s / adult cavapoo diet, what they are used to, what their bad (and good) habits are. Most likely they will tell you everything you need to know about the dog as they are probably as interested in the dog’s well-being as you are.

You might get a little stressed in the first few days if it’s your first dog or a first cavapoo. A new dog can disrupt a family’s normal life and it’s always a stressful thing to introduce a new member of the family into the home. Don’t despair.

Give it a few days, let the dog settle into the new routine and get used to you and the rules in your home. Realise that it is likely much more stressful for the dog to be in an entirely new place, surrounded by the new people. It probably misses its old owner too. Any behavioural issues can be very normal at this stage, such as whining or a bit of separation anxiety or frightful behaviour.

Try to comfort the dog as much as you can, and in a few weeks you will realise it’s just part of your family now and you’ll wonder how you have lived without it for so long.

We hope your search of cavapoo rescue is successful and thanks for wanting to adopt a cavapoo from rescue!

Check out other cavapoo breeders out there, such as Reputable cavapoo breeders UK, Cavapoo breeders in Ontario, Canada, and Cavapoo breeders in Alberta, Canada. You can also learn about Cavapoo Pros and Cons in our article here. 

PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH ANYONE OFFERING PUPPIES AND ESPECIALLY ASKING YOU FOR MONEY. DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY FOR ANYTHING UNTIL YOU SEE THE BREEDER PERSONALLY!