Adopting from a shelter: the paperwork checklist

Quick answer: Leave with: adoption contract, vaccine summary, rabies certificate, spay/neuter certificate, microchip number and registry name, medical history, and behavior notes. Within the first week: transfer the microchip into your name, schedule a vet visit, and start your own records folder. Most adoption headaches three months later trace back to missed paperwork on day one.

Most adoption paperwork is straightforward; the gotchas are the optional documents nobody mentions. Asking explicitly — “Can I get a copy of the intake notes?” — produces records that make the first six months noticeably easier.

The paperwork to collect at adoption

• Adoption contract. Your copy of the legal agreement.
• Rabies certificate. The signed original if vaccinated, including the lot number and expiration.
• Vaccine summary. All vaccines given during shelter care, with dates.
• Spay/neuter certificate. If the surgery was done at or before adoption.
• Microchip number. Plus the registry name (e.g., HomeAgain, 24PetWatch, AKC Reunite) so you know where to log in.
• Medical intake notes. Initial exam findings, deworming, parasite treatment, any treatments during stay.
• Behavior notes. Kennel behavior, social observations, known triggers, food preferences.
• Foster contact if the pet was in foster care — an invaluable resource for the first few weeks.
• Date of birth or approximate age as estimated at intake.
• Adoption fee receipt.

The first-week paperwork tasks

• Transfer the microchip into your name. Log into the registry website with the chip number; add your phone, email, and address. This is the single most missed step.
• Schedule a vet visit. Within the first 1-2 weeks. The shelter records go to the new vet at this visit.
• Put ID on the collar. Engraved or QR — before the second walk.
• Create or update a digital pet profile. Photo, contacts, vet, microchip number, any known notes.
• Check pet license requirements. Many cities require dog licensing; some require cat licensing.
• Look into pet insurance if relevant. Pre-existing conditions matter; if you are going to enroll, sooner is better.

Questions to ask before you leave the shelter

• What is the pet currently eating?
• What is the feeding schedule?
• How are they with other pets, kids, strangers, men, women?
• Any known fears or triggers?
• What medications are they on?
• What enrichment did they respond to in the kennel?
• Were they returned by a previous adopter? Why?
• Who can I call with questions in the first 2 weeks?

Where Driyu fits, honestly

Day-one ID, transferred microchip, current photo, and the shelter behavior notes — a Driyu profile holds all four in one place. For the broader 48-hour playbook, see new rescue dog: the first 48 hours at home.