Payment Policy

Last updated: 2026-06-20

What we accept

• Cash in person at the meeting.
• Cashier's check from your bank, made out to NorCal Shiba, in person at the meeting.
• Zelle to our verified business account, only after you have contacted us and we have replied with the account details.
• Bank transfer (ACH) to our verified business account, only after you have contacted us and we have replied with the routing and account details.
• Wire transfer for transactions of $5,000 or more, by request.

What we do not accept

• Credit or debit cards. We stopped accepting cards in 2026 because card transactions are reversible. We are a small operation. A chargeback after a dog has been placed means we lose the money and the dog.
• Venmo, CashApp, Apple Cash, Google Pay, PayPal friends-and-family, or any other peer-to-peer payment service. Ever, for any reason. P2P apps are the most common impersonation channel scammers use against rescues. We will not contribute to that pattern.
• Personal checks. Bounce risk. Cashier's checks only.
• Cryptocurrency. Not accepted.

How to send payment

We do not publish our Zelle handle, bank account, or mailing address on this website. To send any payment, contact us first and we will reply with the right details for the method you chose.

When payment happens

Money does not change hands until the written Agreement is signed and the dog (or service) is confirmed. The sequence is always:

1. Application, screening call, and approval.
2. Match and in-person meet-and-greet scheduled.
3. Agreement reviewed (Adoption Agreement, Surrender Intake Agreement, Boarding Agreement, or Training Agreement, whichever applies).
4. Agreement signed in person at the meeting.
5. Payment in person at the same meeting via cash, cashier's check, or Zelle to the account we shared with you by direct email reply.

Deposits paid before the meeting (when applicable) are sent only to the account details we share by direct email reply after you contact us. Never to a link, DM, or text we send you.

How to verify a payment request is really from us

Scammers impersonate rescues. We do not. Here is how to tell the difference every single time.

What we will always do

• Talk to you on the phone or by email from norcalshiba@gmail.com before discussing money.
• Send payment details only from the email address above, in plain text, in a reply to an email thread you and we are already in.
• Confirm the amount, the dog's name, the meeting date, and the meeting location before any deposit is sent.
• Direct you to this exact page (/payments/) for the contact-first process.

What we will never do

• Publish our Zelle handle, bank account, or mailing address on our website, social media, or in DMs. Any account details you see online claiming to be NorCal Shiba are fake.
• Send a payment link by SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram DM, Facebook DM, or any social platform.
• Ask you to pay via Venmo, CashApp, Apple Cash, Google Pay, or PayPal friends-and-family.
• Ask you to pay a "vet bill" or "transport fee" up front before you have met us in person.
• Ask for gift cards. Ever.
• Create urgency ("pay in the next 30 minutes or you lose the dog").

If you think you are being scammed

1. Stop. Do not send anything.
2. Verify directly. Call us at (707) 718-3579 or email norcalshiba@gmail.com from your own email address. Ask us to confirm the amount, the dog, and the meeting.
3. Any account details you were given online are fake. We do not publish account details anywhere on this website. The only legitimate payment details come from a direct email reply we send to a thread you started.
4. Report it. If you have already sent money to a scammer, contact your bank immediately and file a report with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Refunds

Priority Waitlist deposit is $200, fully refundable if we never find you a Shiba match, and fully credited toward your adoption fee if we do. Refunds are returned within 30 days of you asking to leave the waitlist. See the Priority Waitlist explainer on the adoption page.

Lifetime Placement Promise fees are non-refundable except where the written Agreement says otherwise.

Adoption fees are non-refundable except in cases where NorCal Shiba determines a placement is not appropriate before the dog is transferred.

Surrender Concierge fees are non-refundable once intake or matching work has begun. If we have not yet started work, a full refund is available within 7 days.

Foster incidental reimbursements are paid within 30 days of receipts submitted, per the signed Foster Agreement.

Boarding and training payments follow the terms of the signed Agreement for those services.

Why we changed from credit cards

We accepted credit cards through a verified Stripe link until June 2026. We stopped because card transactions are reversible for up to 540 days under card-network rules, and chargebacks after placement leave us with neither the money nor the dog. Cash, cashier's check, Zelle, and bank transfer are irreversible by design, which protects the operation and the dog. We considered this carefully and prefer to be upfront about why the policy changed.

Questions

Email norcalshiba@gmail.com or text (707) 718-3579. We respond within one business day.