SFRA - Schnauzer Friends for Rescue and Adoption

SFRA Adoption/Foster Application

We are pleased that you have decided to begin our adoption process. Before beginning, please be aware of some basic policies.

We have a limited adoption area that covers Ohio, southern Indiana, central and northern Kentucky. Please check in advance if in doubt or if you have a question about areas covered. Adoptions are dependent upon completion of a home visit, so even if within these areas if we are unable to establish contact with a rescue volunteer to help us with a home visit, we would be unable to complete a placement.

Adopters must complete the adoption at the residence of the foster parent. We do not transport or meet halfway.

Adoption fees are $250. This is payable by check, money order, or cashier’s check, or PayPal (in advance of adoption day). Adoption fees must be paid at time of adoption in full. Rescue dogs are up to date on vaccinations, heartworm negative and on HW preventative, spayed/neutered, and microchipped.

Because rescue dogs are often strays from shelters and of unknown backgrounds, we generally will not place a dog in a home with children under the age of 6 in residence. Occasionally we will have surrendered to us a dog that has been raised with small children, but this is a rarity, as more often we get in dogs that are surrendered to us for snapping at children, not for being good with children. Occasionally the age requirement is a higher minimum because of the dog's temperament.

We match dog to home/lifestyle. Therefore, if we feel you are qualified for an adoption, but that the dog you have applied for is not the best match, we may suggest another better matched dog for your home. Please do not be hurt. We are in rescue to help the dogs find the best home possible for them. We're trying to make the best match possible so that you and the dog will be happy for the rest of the dog's life.

We do not often have puppies, but do have a long list of people who are waiting for them. The more flexible you are on your "wish list" for a dog, the less time you will likely have to wait to find that special companion. The most common dog in rescue is 4-7 years old -- they make great and grateful companions for years. However, older Miniature Schnauzers make wonderful companions and we have a Seniors to Seniors adoption program available for dogs over 10 years old for Senior Citizens over 70 years old at special reduced adoption fees.

Our adoption process is a step by step process that begins with the Application to Adopt. There will be a telephone interview, vet reference check, and home visit, in that order. If all steps are completed and both parties wish to move forward with an adoption, the adopter may then meet the rescue dog in his foster situation and complete the adoption. We are not a shelter and do not have public hours. Only qualified adopters that have been through this pre-qualifying process meet the rescue dogs. The entire process can take 2-3 weeks. We are 100% staffed by volunteers who must also work full time jobs and manage families. If you are not willing to wait that long, then a trip to the shelter is perhaps your best route. Likewise, we cannot hold a dog once adoption has been approved and deny another needy dog a much needed foster home spot. If you have vacation trips planned, or are busy with other activities, then please wait to file your application until you are at a point that once approved you will be able to complete your adoption in a timely manner once approved.

So, if you're ready, please submit the application to adopt and let's begin! Please make sure all questions are answered. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please consider your answers carefully to each of the questions in the application. If you say yes, for example, to being willing to use a crate if it were necessary for the dog's well-being, then we expect you to follow through. We are going to tell you all that we have discovered about the dog while he or she has been in foster care; both healthwise and temperament-wise. This is not necessarily everything, but we do our honest best for a successful match for each and every dog. We expect truthful answers in each instance from each applicant. These questions have been added to our application for specific reasons and your honesty can only benefit you. It is heartbreaking to spend weeks (months, in some cases) combing through applications interviewing potential adoptive parents, performing home visits and finally deciding that a home would be fantastic for one of our little ones, only to find out that the adoptive home is not prepared to follow through with answers supplied on the application and in interviews, or not willing to really commit for the lifetime of the dog. Or…that they were seeking pets from 2-3-4 rescues---how unfair to all of the organizations involved and the dogs. We suffer like most rescues from a shortage of foster homes and spend many hours with each dog getting to know it, working with it, and finding what we feel will be the perfect home. We ask that as an applicant you live up to what you put on your application and commit to the dogs for their lifetimes, living with the bad as well as the good. Your honesty and willingness to follow through with your responses is central to this relationship. Please consider each question carefully before you answer.

SFRA is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
and is NOT associated with any other
Cincinnati-based rescue organization.

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What is the name of the dog you are applying for?
How did you hear about us? If from a different website, please let us know which one.

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Your Name (First, Last)
Address
City, State, Zip
Are you planning to move in the near future?
Home Phone
Cell Phone (if none, enter none)
Work Phone (if none, enter none)
May we call you at work?
Please be advised that we will call collect if it is not a local call.
Email Address
Often our first contact with you will be by email to set up a time to talk about SFRA and our rescues, so please make sure your email address is permanent and accurate and is one that you check for emails often
Are you married or living with another adult (any person over 18)?
If yes, does your spouse/other adult approve of you adopting this dog?
Your Age
Spouse/Partner's Full Name
Spouse/Partner's Age
All Other Adult's Full Name
All Other Adult's Ages
(If not applicable, enter NA)
Your Occupation
Spouse/Partner's Occupation
All Other Adult's Occupation
(If not applicable, enter NA)
Do you work outside your home?
How many hours a day do you work outside your home, including commute time?
Spouse/Partner: How many hours a day does your spouse/partner work outside your home (including commute time)?
Other adults: How many hours a day do they work outside the home (including commute time)?
Does your job or someone else in the household have a job that requires frequent trips out of town?
How many days at a time, how often?
Do you travel frequently for pleasure?
How many days at a time, how often? Ex: How many trips did you take in the previous calendar year?
Number of Children (under 18) in your Household
Age of your Children in the household (if none, enter none)
Do you often have children that visit? (your children's friends, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc.)
If yes, what are the ages of these children?
How often do these children visit?
Do you have plans to have any more children in the near future?
Do you or anyone else in the household have a conviction for animal abuse?
Who will be the primary caregiver for your new pet?

HOME INFORMATION
What type of home do you live in?	Other Explain
Do you own or rent your current residence?
If you rent, do you have landlord's permission to have a dog?
Landlord's Full Name or company (if applicable)
Landlord's Phone Number (if applicable)
If you live in a mobile home, do you own the mobile home?
If you live in a mobile home, do you own or rent the lot it is on?
Do you have a securely fenced yard on all four sides?
What type of fence?	Other Explain
Height of your fence at the lowest point:
Do you have an in-ground swimming pool?
If Yes, is the pool fenced?

If you do not have a fenced yard, how do you plan to exercise the dog?

Does your home have a doggie door?

If so, do your pets have access to the doggie door when you are not at home?

How do you handle those short potty trips out that are frequently needed throughout the day?

Schnauzer Friends for Rescue and Adoption does not consider an invisible/underground fence appropriate fencing. Miniature Schnauzers are terriers and have one track minds. Seldom will this type of fence stop them should they decide they need to go after something. These fences do not keep other dogs/harmful elements out of your yard and your Miniature Schnauzer could be badly hurt. It is for this reason that we cannot place a dog that requires a fence in a home that has one. For this reason, if it is felt that a particular dog requires a fenced yard, we will not place him/her into a home with only an invisible fence on the premises.

Please list your current dogs (Breed, Age, Gender, Spayed/Neutered)

Breed (if none, enter none)	Age	Gender	Spayed/Neutered

Please use the "Comments" box at the bottom of this application to complete any additional dogs.

Please list any other pets in your household (Cats, Birds, Rodents, Other)

Species (if none, enter none)	Age	Gender	Spayed/Neutered

Please use the "Comments" box at the bottom of this application to complete any additional pets.

Please list any previous dogs that you have owned as an adult. Please include if the dog died and what from.

Breed (if none, enter none)	How long did you own this dog?	How old was this dog?	What happened to this dog?

Please use the "Comments" box at the bottom of this application to complete any additional pets.


DOG HANDLING/CARE
How many hours per day would your adopted dog be home alone?
Where will your dog stay when you are NOT home, as when you are at work?
Where will your dog stay when you ARE home?
How many hours per day do you realistically view that you have to spend with your adopted dog (excluding sleeping)?
If you work outside your home, how will your dog be cared for while you are away from home or on errands, etc?
How will your dog be cared for while you are away for a weekend?
How will your dog be cared for while you are away for a vacation?
Do you have an emergency plan in place should you have to leave unexpectedly for a few days?
Will you allow your adopted dog on the furniture?
Are you willing to keep your dog on leash while it is not confined to your house or a securely fencedyard?
Under what circumstances would you allow your dog off leash?
Please provide the names and ages of any other people in your household that will have contact with this adopted dog.
Often when a dog’s routine is disrupted or he/she is stressed, they may have potty accidents or act out until a new routine can be established or re-established, as in cases of moving from foster care to a permanent home. How will you handle this? (Please explain what you will do to correct/eliminate these behaviors.)
Why are you interested in adopting a Rescued dog?
What are some traits you do NOT want to find in a Miniature Schnauzer?
Have you ever owned a Miniature Schnauzer before?
If “no” to the above, what investigation, research, and experience do you have with this breed?
Are you prepared to be committed to caring for this dog for its lifetime (10 to 15 years)?

Please consider this carefully—often adopters find that they want to go back to school and suddenly don’t have time for the dog they adopted or they have children involved in multiple sports activities and organizations and the dog is left alone at home, or any host of lifestyle changes. Elderly parents are moved into the rescued dog’s home and bring another pet and these animals do not get along. Please consider that dogs need human interaction on a daily basis and that a lifespan of 10-15 years means a commitment to this for a number of years.

Miniature Schnauzers are a high maintenance breed when it comes to coat care. Do you have the necessary time to groom the dog or the financial resources to have the dog professionally groomed every six weeks? This entails brushing/combing of coat and dental care on a regular basis at home, not just the trip to the groomer. You must be willing to commit to an hour or two a week yourself to brushing for coat maintenance and avoidance of mats beyond what your groomer does. Please check one or both of the statements below:
I have time and skill to groom dog myself (including baths, clipping, nail care, ear care, and frequent brushing; or
I have adequate resources to pay for professional grooming
Routine Veterinary care (yearly shots, teeth cleaning and heart worm check/preventive) can cost up to $400 or more in some areas. Do you have the financial resources to afford the bills, routine and emergency?
Can you handle emergency and unexpected veterinary costs should they occur ($500-$2000)?
These can be conditions such as foreign object in an eye, HGE, pancreatitis, injuries, accidents. Yes, these things really happen and can be costly. How will you handle this?

We strive to do our best in seeing that each Miniature Schnauzer Rescue that is placed is in good health and disclose to all adopters any health problems the dog may have that we are aware of. However, chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, cushings, SARDS, pancreatitis, breast cancer, heart disease, or emergencies can strike at anytime. Please tell us how you will handle a chronic illness should it strike your new family member?

What arrangements will be made for your Miniature Schnauzer when you go out of town?

Would you be willing to obedience train a dog that you adopted if it was recommended or required as being in the best interest of the dog?
Would you be willing to use a dog crate if it was recommended or required as being in the best interest of the dog?
Do you intend to use a crate with your new companion?
How do you handle feeding time or plan to handle feeding your dog(s)?

PREFERENCES
The average rescue dog is 4 to 7 years old. Puppies are rare and there is usually a waiting list for one. We also do have older dogs 8-10 years old that make wonderful additions to your home.

What age range do you prefer?
What gender do you prefer?
Is this an absolute?
What color do you prefer?
If we receive a dog that fits your requirements in every aspect except gender should we call you?

Do you currently have a veterinarian?
If YES, please provide the vet's name and phone number:
May we use this vet as a reference?
If NO, please explain why not
Please provide your previous vet's name and phone number, if you are not currently seeing a vet
(If not applicable, enter NA)

Please provide 3 Personal References of people NOT related to you nor living in the same household with you.

Name:	Phone Number:
Name:	Phone Number:
Name:	Phone Number:

Have you applied to other rescues?

If so, which ones?

What were the outcomes of those applications?

Would you allow an SFRA member or representative to do a brief home visit?

Please add any other information you wish us to consider in placing one of our Miniature Schnauzers with you. We would appreciate it if you would give us a little insight into the expectations you may have for this new addition to your family.

Additional Comments or Questions you may have. You may also use this section to complete additional pets where space was not provided above.

Thank you again for completing our application. All information gathered is confidential and used to aid SFRA in better matching a dog to your home/lifestyle. Unfortunately, due to a severe shortage of foster homes, this limits the number of dogs we are able to take into rescue and, therefore, adoptions are limited by those numbers. If you are not selected for an adoption, it does not necessarily mean you are not a good home, but just that we select what we feel is the best home for a particular dog. Please continue to check our website for others that may interest you. Should your application follow down the path toward adoption after a phone interview, REFERENCES WILL BE CHECKED, both personal and veterinary. All data is transmitting over a secure server and maintained on a secure server.

By submitting this application to SFRA, I/we certify that I/we are at least 21 years of age and that I/we will be the legal owner/owners and ultimately solely responsible for the caring for and well being of any dog I/we adopt from SFRA. Any misrepresentation of the true facts in this application will be grounds for rejection of the application or termination of the adoption process or of a completed adoption if such misrepresentations are discovered in future.

Submission of this application electronically is acknowledgement of agreement to the above and is in lieu of a signature.

You must enter the code shown below in the box below:
Please Note: The Captcha Code is Case Sensitive and must be completed exactly as it appears in order to be accepted.

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Parts of this application may not be reproduced or used without prior written permission. Copies of this application or parts of this application MAY NOT be submitted to any other rescue for consideration of adoption under their criteria. Such re-distributions of this application will be considered as violation of copyright and subsequent to prosecution under copyright laws.

If you are unable to complete and submit this online application, please CLICK HERE to download a Word version of this application. To submit the Word application, re-save the completed application to your hard drive, then submit as an attachment in an email to: schnauzeradopt@gmail.com

Please answer all questions. If a field is not applicable, enter NONE. An incomplete application will not be considered.

Please make sure you have read through the information at the top before beginning this application. It will answer many questions and explain adoption policies. Please remember that an application must be complete to be considered for adoption.