So, you've been thinking about adopting an American Pit Bull Terrier?

Our hope is that in reading through this, and other web sites, you have learned that owning a Pit Bull is not for the novice owner or faint of heart. Breed bias is high right now and pit bulls AND their owners are under a lot of pressure to be "perfect". We have a HUGE responsiblitiy in owning these dogs! Because we know how tough it can be to own this breed, we ask that you fulfill these requirements in order to adopt one of our dogs:


1. Your current pets must be spayed or neutered and current on all vaccinations.. We will not place dogs in homes with intact animals. (Exceptions may be made on case by case baisis with veterinarian letter stating that the animal cannot be spayed/neutered due to medical reasons.)


**Did you know that spaying/neutering your pet has been proven to reduce the incidence of prostate, ovarian, and testicular cancer, venereal disease and mammary tumors.


2. Be at least 21 years old.


3. Must be willing to travel to the Charleston or Columbia, SC area to meet with us and the dog you are applying to adopt. (NHPBR will NOT ship dogs.)


4. Complete an adoption application and impress us with your breed savvy! (We will not arrange appointments to meet dogs until we receive your application.)


5. Show Solid References.


6. Must Own Your Home or Have Landlord Approval. (We will check.)


7. Be Interviewed by one of our Reps.


8. Show that you have a clear understanding of the breed challenges.


9. Be willing and able to commit to being a responsible Pit Bull owner for the life of the dog.
* While NHPBR will reclaim any dogs that, by no choice of their own, need to be placed back into our program, we ask adopters to be the BEST owner they can be by keeping your new dog well trained, well socialized, and always have him on a leash in public places. You'll learn how to talk to more people than you ever thought you would have to about the myths and hysteria surrounding Pit Bulls. In a sense you'll become part PR person, part educator, part dog training expert (if you're not already, that is!). By proudly owning and showing off your dog, you'll be making the world better for Pit Bulls everywhere.


10. Agree to a homecheck BEFORE and AFTER adoption.


11. Everyone in your household needs to agree to the adoption.


12. Pay a $175 - $225 Adoption Fee
* Adoption fees are used to offset the cost of caring for the dog while in our program. It generally costs from between $400 - $800 to care for one dog!


13. Sign a Legally Binding Adoption Contract.


Note: We RARELY place same sex pit bulls in the same home.


Fill out our Adoption Application  


Live too far from us to adopt one of our dogs?
No worries! Find a Pit Bull near you! Check out Pit Bull Rescue Central or see our Pit Bull Rescue Alliance page for a list of organizations we highly recommend.

What kind of dogs does New Hope look for?

New Hope Pit Bull Rescue follows the Rescuer's Code of Ethics

We look for dogs with rock solid temperaments: gushingly affectionate, eager to please, happy to be handled and eager to learn.


We handpick for the great qualities we expect in this breed and place the dogs in home foster care situations. In these settings, we learn a lot about the individual dogs and they learn a lot of doggie manners in return.


Our foster dogs are well socialized, house trained (or started if young pups), spayed/neutered, given all necessary vaccinations, microchipped, and given basic obedience training. They've been exposed to every setting imaginable - with all kinds of people including children, other dogs and cats, on leash on busy sidewalks within crowds. Dogs that fail any of our tests are not put up for adoption. Some amount of dog-dog aggression is normal and acceptable while human aggression is never tolerated.


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