​​Pre-Application Self-Evaluation Process

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Most dogs, with good care, can live to be 10 to 15 years of age or older. Before you adopt, please ask yourself these questions:

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• Please consider how old you will be 15 years from now. Will you still be able to care for a dog?

• How many times do you think you might move in the next 15 years? Are you willing to move your dog, too, and restrict your choice of housing to places where pets are allowed?

• What major changes might happen in your life in the next 15 years? Marriage? Children? Retirement? Travel? Relocation due to work? Are you willing to continue spending time, energy and money to care for your dog when taking on new responsibilities or going through life changes?

• Are the other members of your household as interested as you in adopting and caring for a dog? What will you do if your partner, roommate, spouse, children, grandchildren, or parents can't get along with the dog?

• If you are getting a dog for your children, how old will they be in 15 years? Will you still want this pet after the children have grown up and moved out? Do you realistically expect children under age 16 to care for, bathe, trim nails, exercise, train, and clean up after a dog?

• Have you previously owned a pet that didn't live with you for 10 years or more? If so, what happened to it? What will you do differently with this pet to prevent a similar situation from occurring?

• What if a few weeks after adoption the dog develops health or behavior issues? Are you willing (at your own expense) to bring in people with the expertise to help you manage or reverse the situation? Have you looked into pet health insurance?

• Are you expecting the dog you adopt from us to be perfect and adapt to your life within a week? If so, do you think this is a realistic expectation?

• Are you applying for a dog simply because of its looks or breed? If so, have you read the bio and did it seem to fit well with your preferences in a dog? Can you handle it's needs or are you just looking past that and falling in love with a face, hair color or texture, etc?

• Have you read this book yet? If not, please do so before adopting any dog.