The draft of the application Jerrad and I did to adopt Beckett.
I was 18, going on 19. Jerrad was 20. Pretty much every rescue (TG included) asks for adopters over 21. But, being the strong-minded, tunnel-vision person I am, I applied anyway.
Our application (or at least the saved draft)
Are you 21 years of age or older? Not quiite yet. I am 18 3/4 and my fiance Jerrad will be 20 in June. Why are you considering adopting a dog? We are considering adopting a dog for companionship. Where would the animal be primarily housed? Inside with us. Where would the animal stay when you are not home? Loose inside. Perhaps crate-trained, but it would certainly depend on the dog. Is there a particular dog of ours that you're interested in? We are very interested in Poncho or Beckett. If either of these are not suitable to our lifestyle, we would be willing to look into any greyhound/husky or collies mixes, or most medium-large range dogs. Animals can be expensive to care for (estimated average annual cost is $750 for one dog). Are you willing and able to provide adequate food, shelter and medical care, including yearly checkups and vaccinations, for an adopted animal? Of course. We have been looking for a furry companion for about three months now while we await moving into our dog-friendly place the last week of April. We have set aside $1000 a year to care for a dog, but are flexible up to $1200. Adopter's Name: Emily Garland and Jerrad Bryan City/State/Zip: Victoria, BC Number of children living in the house: None Do other children visit? No Does anyone in your household have allergies to animals? No Does your entire household know that you are considering adopting a pet? Yes Household setting: Suburban Do you live in a house__ apartment__ mobile home___ townhouse___ Other In a week we will be moving to a gorgeous first-level/upper basement of a house. We will be renting from a landlord that loves pets and have a year contract that we will be able to renew as long as we are good tenants (which shouldn't be any problem). There is a fenced medium sized backyard (although it is only about 3 feet high)that we have access to. We live in the very quiet Fairfield (closer to Oak Bay than downtown) location that is only a two minute walk to the beach and a 15 minute walk to the dog park. We believe this is a great area for a dog to be social, enjoy the water and enjoy the great climate of Victoria. Do you own? If you rent, you MUST provide proof of permission to have a dog on the premises If renting, landlord's name and telephone number: Unfortunately our landlord is off for summer holidays at the moment. Previously we had thought about adopting from the SPCA, and we had the needed proof in our contract agreement, with our Pet Deposit paid and a note in that section from our landlord. Hopefully this would be enough for verification, and could possibly be scanned, or be seen upon a home visit. Just let us know what you need. If a phone number is the only way, I'll definately find a way to get you in contact with him. Describe your yard: fenced If fenced or kennel run, describe material used: wood If fenced, height of fence and approximate size of fenced-in area About three Feet, possibly four. If fenced, number of gates: One Gate Are the gates always securely latched and/or locked? Yes, there is a latch. If the animal is outside other than for supervised activities, describe what shelter would be available for it: The dog would only be outside for supervised activities. What problems would make you return an animal? barking___ housebreaking___ chewing___ scratching or climbing on furniture These concerns would only be if it were major. Since we're renting, and have a landlord just upstairs, barking would be a major concern. Of course, dogs do bark, but we do need one that would be a quiet indoor companion. We would be able to cope with minimal housebreaking, chewing/furniture destruction, but in excess it might not be the type of dog we are looking for. To help resolve problems, are you willing to 1) use a crate___ or 2) take an obedience class___ Of course. We plan to take a few doggy obedience classes for us to become better dog owners and to bond with our new pooch. Crate training would also be an option for us. Under what other possible circumstances would you return the animal: none that I know of Describe your home's activity level: or quiet occasional guests Do you feel that a pet should be spayed/neutered? Yes Approximately how many hours each day would the animal be left alone? Three or four at the most a day. I take one two-hour course a day, and work part time at night. Jerrad works full-time, early mornings, so he is home by the time I head to work on the nights I work. Please list all animals that you presently own (other than fish, rodents, and reptiles We currently are petless. Name and telephone number of current veterinarian, if any: Since we have no current pets we have no current veterinarian. But we are open to talking to one/consulting one before we get our dog. Perhaps during a home visit we could get some more information on veterinarians in the Victoria area. Please list animals you previously owned (other than fish, rodents, or reptiles) and describe what happened to them: Emily: I have owned one cat (Magic), which passed away during my grade 11 year and have cared for a few family cats (Merlin and Mingo) Jerrad: Has kept care of the his family dog, a Large Mix Wheaten Terrier (Scruff), which was his responsibility. His family lives in Regina, and he left the dog with them when we moved out to Victoria. Unfortunately, they had to give the dog to a work-friend due to the fact that without Jerrad the family didn't have enough time to keep care of Scruff properly. Individuals who adopt a TGARS Rescue dog are contacted periodically for an update to help ensure that the animal successfully adjusts to its new life. If you adopt a TGARS Rescue dog, do you consent to home visits before and/or after adoption? Of course, we want all the best for TGARS dogs, whether they are our perfect fit, or someone elses. What is the best time to call you at home to check on how the adopted animal is adjusting? Around supper time seems to be the time we are together, however, during most of the day (despite perhaps 10:30-12:30 when I'm at class and Jerrad is at work) someone should be available. If one cell phone doesn't pick up, just try the other. Some other information about us to help you find the perfect fit for us. We are an active couple that enjoy walking/hiking and swimming around Victoria. We usually go for a long walk in the morning and one at night, and usually once a week go up to Elk/Beaver lake and so a walk around -a good two ish hours depending on the speed-. We are very thrifty with our money (some don't understand how we live so happily without many material things) but we love hanging out together and enjoying what Victoria has to offer (mostly free of charge). Despite the fact that we have a modest income (myself on part-time and living off my education fund while I attend university -which even in regular semesters my program allows me only to attend two-three hours per day-) and Jerrad working full time as a delivery driver, we make ends meet very well. Despite the fact that we are young, I feel that we have a lot to offer a dog in our setting and with the activities that we do. The only other thing to note is that our vehicle is an 88 Tercel Hatchback -great for getting around Victoria, and a lovely backseat to share with a pooch-, but I'm not completely sure it could make it to Surrey and back. Thank you very much in advance for reading through our application, and if lovely Poncho or Beckett (or possibly Marlowe) are not a good fit in our lifestyle hopefully you'll keep this application on file. We would love to hear of any other medium-large sized dogs that would fit into our lifestyle. We also realize that renting might not be the ideal situation, however, our landlord has said that if he needs us to move for any reason he'll give us a few months notice, which will allow us to find another pet-friendly place. Pet-friendly places are a bit sparse, however, with two-three good months of hard searching, I'm sure we'll be fine. -It took us a good one and a bit months to find the place we're currently moving in to. So, on a closing note, we will be open to a home visit the starting week of May or thereafter. We want to get the home ready for our new friend, and should be completely unpacked by then. Again, thank you very much, Sincerely, Emily Garland and Jerrad Bryan If at any time an adopter cannot keep the animal, it must be returned to TGARS Rescue. If the animal is not spayed or neutered at adoption, the adopter is required to alter the animal and provide a veterinary certification of altering to TGARS Rescue by the date specified in the adoption contract -- animals unaltered by the contractual date may be seized. In addition, each pet adoption is assessed a non-refundable tax-deductible donation, varying by animal to help pay veterinary/other expenses. By signing below, I acknowledge that I completely read this questionnaire, comprehend it fully, know that applying does not ensure approval and that untruthful answers or failure to comply with the requirements of this application or the adoption contract can result in the forfeiture of any TGARS Rescue dog adopted by me. Signature: ______________________________ Date:________________ Reviewed By: __________________ Please return this form to a TGARS Rescue representative at Turtle Gardens Animal Rehabilitation Society Rescue, PO Box 230, Topley, BC V0J 2Y0 Questions? Ask a TGARS Rescue representative at turtlegardens@hotmail.com or (250) 696 - 3188
Would you have considered adopting to us? Regardless the answer, I'm very glad TG decided to have faith. Because reality is, if we didn't get Beckett, not only would I not be fostering, I wouldn't be working with my now good friends at K9HQ, or being that girl with the off-leash trained husky.
I'm sure eventually we would have found a dog, but I think things work out the way their supposed to. One Sheriff dog, two teens, and 3 years later, over a dozen foster dogs (since March I might add) through the doors and onto happy homes.
So, without further ado, thank you Yvette, and thank you Dave, and thank you everyone in the TG fleet. And thank-you to whatever other greater power is out there watching out for us. You saved Beckett for us for a reason. And we hope to be of as much help as possible in paying it forward.
Most sincerely,
Emily
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