Available for Adoption

If you are interested in adopting, please submit an adoption application. If you have any questions or concerns, please email adoptions.tcf@gmail.com.

Have questions about adopting with The Cantu Foundation?

The Cantu Foundation is a 100% volunteer-run team of passionate dog advocates. We do not have a facility in San Diego and operate entirely on donations/fundraising. We do our very best to keep things running efficiently, but to save our time (and yours), please read through our frequently asked questions about adoptions and only contact our team if your question is not covered below.

Adoptions FAQ

  • We would love to have you meet one of our dogs! The first step is filling out an adoption application. We won’t be able to set up any meet & greets until this is complete. There is a field in our application where you can note whether you are interested in a specific dog(s) or applying in general.

  • As a foster based rescue, we do NOT have a central facility in San Diego for our dogs. All of our dogs are in wonderful foster homes, getting loved on and waiting to meet their forever families. The best place to meet multiple dogs is at an adoption event. You can also note which dogs you are interested in on the adoption application.

  • Once your application has been submitted, please be patient as our adoption team reviews — we aim to follow up within 24-48 hours. If your application was selected as a potential adopter, we’ll notify you to begin the meet and greet process. You’ll be introduced to the dog’s current foster to coordinate a time for a meet and greet. We’ll move on to the next applicant if there is no coordination for a meet and greet within 24 hours, so please diligently check your email once you have applied for a dog with us. To okeep our adoptions process timely, meet and greets must be held within 4 days of our email. If you’re unable to accommodate these timelines, please let us know on your application or ASAP.

  • Once a meet and greet is scheduled, we ask that you bring all household members (human and canine) to the meet and greet. If you have a resident cat, just let us know and we can discuss the best step forward to ensure everyone is set up for success. It’s important everyone is on the same page about bringing in a new family member, and we can see how the interactions go with resident animals, young children, etc.

  • Our fees typically range from $100-$600 and are dependent on the specific dog (fees are listed in each dog’s bio, Petfinder listing, and email communications). All of our dogs receive their first year of vaccinations, a microchip, spay/neuter, and are medically cleared prior to adoption – all of which is included in the adoption fee.

    We are a 501c3 nonprofit rescue - our dogs are not “for sale.” We ask for an adoption donation for each dog, which helps cover some of the cost of the vetting we do. We spend thousands of dollars rehabilitating most of our dogs, as a big part of our mission as a rescue is pulling dogs from the streets of Rosarito, Mexico. We take dogs in grave medical need, pregnant moms, etc. Your adoption donation directly goes back to the care of the next dog that we are able to take in.

  • Fees cover a wellness check, the DHPP vaccines series, Bordetella vaccine, Rabies vaccine, microchip, and spay or neuter. For those adopting puppies, note that some may have a remaining round of vaccines that must be completed at our partnered vets in the local San Diego area (included in the adoption fee). Any other medical care is at the responsibility of the adopter once the adoption is completed.

  • No, unfortunately we do not have a facility to hold dogs. We require meet and greets to happen within 4 days of our intro email and, if successful, processing takes another 3 days after the meet & greet before pups are cleared to go to their new homes! Please only apply if you are prepared to adopt and take your new furry family member home.

  • Yes. Please follow our Instagram for regular event updates or check out the events page of our website. If you’re interested in meeting a dog at an event, please stop by! We kindly suggest you leave your resident animals at home, as that can be a bit overwhelming for all involved. If you make a connection with a dog, we will schedule a proper meet and greet for the whole household after you complete an application!

  • No, we do not believe dogs should be given as gifts. It is a lifelong commitment and the responsible party should be an active participant in the decision.

  • We do not offer adoption trials for the majority of our dogs. There are some exceptions, but we will make it clear via email if the dog you apply for/your situation qualifies for a trial period. If you are interested in getting to know a dog before adopting, our dogs in Mexico are available to foster to adopt, you can check them out on our foster tab! Fosters get first dibs on adopting a dog and are able to see how a dog settles into their home to decide if it’s the right fit.

  • While most of our applicants live in San Diego, we do adopt out across California. We do not ship or transport our dogs, so you would need to travel to SD for the meet and greet. We generally do not adopt out of state.

  • No. As a rescue, we’re committed to decreasing the overpopulation of unwanted dogs that end up homeless or euthanized each year. Every one of our dogs is spayed/neutered and we expect the same with our adopters, unless there is a medical reason for an unaltered resident dog.

Processing Your Application FAQ

  • We’re in close contact with our fosters and receive quick feedback on whether they felt it was a match. Our team will also reach out to the applicant and ask how the meet went and if they’d like to move forward. If both parties wish to move forward in the process, an Adoptions Processor will reach out to conduct a virtual home check, vet check, and reference check. Our Processing team ensures the home is a pet-friendly, safe environment for the dog — not all dogs have the same needs, so we don’t have a generalized “standard home” in mind!

    The team will also ensure your resident animals are up to date on important vaccines and receive wellness exams. Processing your application is typically completed within 3-4 days.

    Next, we will let the applicant know their application is approved and send the adoption agreement. Once the contract is signed, the pup is officially adopted! You’ll receive an email from a team member that your contract is complete, and you can coordinate hand off with the foster ASAP to bring your new dog home.

  • Yes, your application is processed the same for dogs of all ages. When puppies are born in our care, they stay with their mama & litter mates until they are 8 weeks old, which is when they can receive their first round of vaccines. We typically list puppies on our website when they are done with their first round. You are welcome to apply for a puppy as soon as you see him/her on our Instagram, but know we do not formally adopt out until after 8 weeks of age.

Coming Soon

These are the dogs in San Diego and are not on the website yet. You can still apply to adopt.

Nursery (pregnant mom and litters)

Find your furever dog.