Applications....

As a dog rescue group we take applications for the dogs we have for adoption.  It is kind of like a job application I guess you could see.  You write down all the information we ask, we review, check references (vet and personal), if you have a land lord we call them to make sure you are able to have a dog, we run checks on the internet to make sure you are who you say you are and that the house  you claim to own you really do own and sometimes we do home visits and sometimes we do drive by.  

We do all these for several reasons:

#1.) To make sure the dog or dogs you are interested in are actually a good match for you.

#2.) You are serious about adopting.

#3.) You are a responsible dog owner... this is where reference checks come in a lot of the time

#4.) Home visit or drive by.

#5.) So your time or our time isn't wasted.

#1.) Ok so to explain the about things a little more.  I would say 50% of the time people do not read the bio's we have up on the dogs. They see the picture of the cute doggie and that is it.  They want it.  They have 3 cats and yet the dog is a cat killer.  "oh they say" after you tell them the dog they are interested in is a cat killer. "That won't work then" they say.

If it wasn't for the application, the family would have take time out of there day to come visit with a dog that they weren't going to adopt anyway because it is a cat killer and the volunteer would have wasted an afternoon.  So now you have 2 disappointed families/people.

Believe it or not people have gotten angry when I have said "I don't believe the dog you are interested in would be a good match for you."  WOW do some, not all people take serious offense to that.  I sometimes I just want to scream at them and say "OK, come get the dog and be miserable and upset when he kills your cats and then return him DAMAGED because you probably were mean to him when he did EXACTLY what I told you he would do and then I can put him to sleep because he is now SO aggressive towards people from the way you treated him.  Good Idea!  I mean we wouldn't want you to NOT get EVERYTHING you wanted always!"

UGH!!  I refrain from saying that even though I really want to.

#2.) Then you have the people who actually fill out an application bug you and bug you because they want to come RIGHT NOW!  TODAY!!!  To see a dog that is up for adoption... You tell them that is not possible until after their application is approved.  They get all whinny.. but my husband doesn't work today and we want to come today....blah blah blah.

Then 2 days goes by and you contact them, "your application has been approved for you to meet the dog you are interested."

"Oh" they say "well we thought about it and my husband decided he doesn't want a dog that size"

REALLY LADY ARE YOU F-ING KIDDING ME??? 

Could you imagine what would have happened if they would have come THAT DAY to see the puppies, they would have gone home with one and then where would we be in a few days... buyers remorse, that is where we would be.

My favorite is the lady that filled out an application, was scheduled to come see the dog and 2 days before.. so at least they gave me notice.. said I am sorry my child has to move so we have her dog and cats.  Then her next message to me was "hinting" around that they are going to need to find a home for her child's pets.  She didn't come right out and say it but "hinted"  I DID NOT REPLY!

#3.)  It is SO unbelievable how many people LIE  on their applications.  Yes, my dog is fixed...call the vet, um.. no sweet heart it isn't.  Or other things they lie about... I have a fenced yard.. you do? Really?  When I drove by last night you sure didn't have a fence!  Just silly thinks like that.  It is amazing how much you can find out about someone on the internet too.

#4.) We don't care if you are rich or poor all we care about is will the dog have a good SAFE HOME!  And I learned a lesson, I don't care how good of an owner you seem if you live in a neighborhood where I know that dogs have been stolen from YOU ARE NOT GETTING ONE OF MY DOGS.  I am not going through what I did last weekend, loosing sleep and spending nearly $200 to find a stolen dog.  No thank you!

#5.) We are 100% volunteer group and the dogs live in our homes.  So really this is two fold.  I am not having every Tom, Dick and Harry come to my house when they feel like it so they can LOOK at dogs/puppies.  I don't want you to know where I live so you can tell your friends whose house to tie a dog they don't want to.  I don't want you to come to my house and decide 'Hey we could rob this place'  although at my house anyone who thinks that is CRAZY and STUPID!  4 dogs in the house 3 of which can be aggressive towards strangers when frightened, 24 hours security system that can't be turned off because it isn't connected to electricity and 3 concealed carrier permit holders.  Ya probably not to your best interest.  

BUT the main part is, I am busy.  I work full time, I have friends and family I would like to spend time with, I have animals to take care of.... I don't have time for you to come over and spend an hour LOOKING just because you don't have anything better to do that day.  THEN when you fill out the application and are not approved you do something to my house or try to steal the dog.  NO, that is ok I am good on that thanks!. LOL!