Adoption Assessment Form

Introduction

Ned’s Wish is a committed advocate for the proper care and handling of retired police and military service dogs in Canada. Most often, a retired dog will remain with the working handler to live out the remainder of their years. There are many scenarios, however, where this is not possible and the dog must be placed in an adoptive home. This process is not as simple as picking a pet out at the shelter; Special care and attention must be paid to ensuring any potential adopter has the experience, skills, patience and motivation necessary to become a guardian for one of our heroes. Potential adopters are heavily vetted in a multi stage process at the sole discretion of the Ned’s Wish Rehabilitation and Rehome team. The purpose of this assessment is to gather detailed information about your lifestyle, training/handling experience, and expectations. We use this information to build a comprehensive adopter profile allowing for thoughtful and responsible placement of dogs as they become available. There is no one size fits all scenario for these dogs, so please remember there are no wrong answers. We seek to ensure the best possible match between dogs and their future homes to create lasting, positive relationships between adopters and our retired heroes. At all times we strive to prioritize public safety and the unique needs of each retired dog to ensure the best possible match.

Please fill out all the fields below in as much detail as possible:

Personal Information

First name

Last name

Telephone

Address

City/Town

Province

Postal Code

Preferred Method of Contact:

Occupation

General Motivation and Expectations

Please describe your goal in adding a new dog to your home. Include information on timing, intended use/activities, and any other information you think is helpful:

Considering what you answered above, why are you seeking to adopt a retired police or military dog, specifically? Be as detailed as possible:

What is your expectation of what living with a retired police or military dog will be like?

Are there any dealbreakers or behaviours you are unwilling to deal with? We see a wide range of dogs with varying issues and degrees of severity, so please be as detailed as possible.

Do you have any preferences for a potential dog with respect to breed, gender, age, personality, or anything else? Please be detailed and include information on why you have that preference:

What is your understanding of what a retired police or military dog needs to be successful in a new adoptive family?

Household specific

Please describe, in detail, what a potential dog would be expected to tolerate in your home. You should include details on the makeup of persons living in your home, other pets, visitors, children etc the dog may be exposed to, and anything else you feel is important:

Tell us about who will be handling the dog, and in what capacity. Be as detailed as possible including any additional members of the household, family, or visitors who may interact with or handle the dog.

Please provide us detailed information about your home environment. This should include size of property, own/rent, existing or planned infrastructure like fencing or kennels and any feature you think would be important for us to know (like a potential hazard or potential asset feature):

Take us through a day in the life of a dog placed in your home. Be as detailed as possible and take us through what the dog would experience from the time he wakes up until the time he goes to sleep.

Describe your plan to exercise and entertain a potential dog. Be as detailed as possible with activities and length of time devoted to those activities. If there are differences in how often you plan to do things (ie daily, weekly, etc) please discuss.

Describe your plan for the dog if you go on vacation or become incapcitated. Be detailed and include any contingencies you have considered.

In the case of multi person households, describe any communication between the household members to prepare for a potential dog. Be detailed in how the decision was made to move forward with an adoption application.

Veterinary Care

Explain your understanding of what constitutes routine veterinary care for a dog.

Explain your understanding of what Ned's Wish covers under the medical fund for veterinary care:

Who is your current veterinarian? Please provide details on name, practice and contact information. Will this veterinarian provide a reference for you? Why or why not?:

Relevant Handling Experience

Please describe any experience you have that you feel is relevant to owning a retired police or military dog. Be detailed in what the experience is and why you feel it is relevant.

Please tell us about the animals you have owned. If that animal is no longer with you, please provide detail on what happened (ie rehomed, surrendered to a foster/spca, passed on etc). In a situation where an animal was rehomed, provide an explanation of the circumstances.

Please describe any knowledge you have about police or military dogs and how you came by this information. Include information on your understanding of how they are trained and what they are used for.

Describe any exposure to or experience with a retired police or military dog. Include the circumstances and be detailed as to your understanding of the dog and your experience handling it (if applicable).

Do you have any experience with canine behavioural problems? If so, what were they and how did you deal with them?

Relevant Training Experience

What is your approach to dog training? Please be detailed on methods used, where you learned them and your experience employing those methods.

Are there any training techniques you aren't comfortable with and why?

Do you have a trainer you have worked with in the past, or plan to work with if you are successful in adopting a dog from us? Please include name, business and contact information. Would this trainer provide a reference for you? Why or why not?

How would you respond if you encountered an issue with your new dog after arrival? What steps you would take, and how you would seek to resolve that situation?

References and other information

Please provide three references, other than your veterinarian or trainer, that we may contact regarding your suitability to adopt a dog.

Is there anything you feel we have missed, but think is important for us to consider as we assess this application?

By clicking box, I give Ned’s Wish permission to utilize this information and contact me in the future regarding my interest in potential adoption of a retired police or military service dog.

I understand completion of this form does not guarantee adoption approval or placement with a dog