Great Pyrenees Rescue Adoption Application

Hello! This questionnaire is prepared for your benefit, the prospective Great Pyrenees owner, and any Great Pyrenees Rescue Dog you would plan on adding to your family. Please provide us with all the requested information below.

Before completing this application, please be aware of some of our policies:

  • A fenced yard is required of any family with children under 16 years old. Young children can not effectively manage an adult Great Pyrenees on lead. A dog-friendly home includes a fenced yard. Fences make good neighbors.
  • Homes with another canine must have either a fenced yard or an appropriate style/size kennel.
  • We prohibit the use of electronic fences (invisible fences) on our rescue dogs, since these devices do not safely contain the Great Pyrenees breed.
  • Adoptive families are required to enroll in a formal group obedience training course within 30 days of any adoption. All responsible dog people, regardless of what breed they ‘fancy,’ will tell you that. For more information on how to select a trainer in your area who employs humane training methods which are not harmful to the dog and/or handler, please visit the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
  • We can only consider applicants who live in Illinois, Southeast Wisconsin (Madison & Milwaukee South), or Northwest Indiana (South Bend & Rensselaer West). We do not adopt dogs to families who live outside this geographical area and we do not "ship" rescue dogs. All applicants within this geographical area must be able to physically travel to northern Illinois to meet/adopt a rescue dog. We like to keep our rescue dogs near us for peace of mind and post-adoption follow-up. There are shelter dogs in every state dying for good homes, therefore it is not practical for us to go through extraordinary efforts to place a dog several hundred miles away. We do not make exceptions to this policy under any circumstances.
  • We do not place our rescue dogs as working dogs (Livestock Guardian Dogs). Please understand we have NO way of knowing if one of our rescues is a failed farm dog. It’s always possible that any one of our dogs is an escaped livestock guardian dog, or they were dumped because they did not perform as desired. Since none of our foster homes has livestock, we are unable to take that chance with either rescue dog or livestock.
  • We are unable to process any application that does not meet these criteria.
  • Please note: The information submitted in this form is transmitted via e-mail, and there is always a risk that third parties may unlawfully intercept Internet transmissions. If you are submitting sensitive information, we invite you to download the application at http://www.gpcgc.org/adoptapp.doc and send the completed version to us by mail. After we receive your application, we will make our best efforts to protect your personal information.
     
Please complete all fields
1 Name:
2 Address:
3 City, State ZIP:
4 Daytime phone number:
5 Evening phone number:
6 Best time to contact you:
7 E-mail address:
8 Type of residence: House  Apt.  Condo  Townhouse 
Trailer
9 How long at present address? Rent  Own
10 If renting, landlord's contact info:
11 Occupation(s) of household members:
12 Employer(s):
13 Have you read the policies at the beginning of the Adoption Application (above)? Please understand we are unable to process any application that does not meet the stated criteria. Yes  No
  If no, why not?
14 Names and ages of all people who will be living with the dog:
15 Does anyone in your family have any known allergies to animals? Yes  No
  If yes, please explain:
16 If you have children, are you willing to accept the additional responsibility of a Great Pyrenees? Yes  No  Not Applicable
17 Are you willing to teach the children the proper way to handle and respect a live animal? Yes  No  Not Applicable
  Please elaborate:
18 How did you hear about Great Pyrenees Rescue?
19 Describe the characteristics of your "ideal" dog:
20 What other breeds have you considered?
21 Have you applied to other RESCUE groups? Yes  No
  If yes, which groups?
(Please understand not all RESCUE groups are created equal. We each have our own policies, and encourage you
to ask questions.)
22 Why would you like to own a Great Pyrenees?
23 Will this be your first Great Pyrenees? Yes  No
24 Does everyone in the family want a Great Pyrenees? What members are enthusiastic? What members are not enthusiastic? Please elaborate:
25 Have you and your family discussed whether your lifestyle is such that you have the time and energy to properly care for a Great Pyrenees? Please explain:
26 Has everyone living in your home read the Top 16 Frequently Asked Questions, provided on this site? Yes  No
27 Has everyone living in your home read Is A Pyr For Me?, provided on this site? Yes  No
28 What other literature have you read on the Great Pyrenees breed?
29 What have you learned or found surprising about the Great Pyrenees breed?
30 Do you fully understand and accept the fact that a Great Pyrenees must never be allowed off leash unless within a fully fenced, secure area, and then never left unattended? Yes  No
31 Do you also understand that no amount of training can ever ensure that a Great Pyrenees can safely be off leash or unconfined, and that not strictly adhering to this restriction will place your dog at serious risk of injury, or even death? Yes  No
32 What steps would you take to ensure your Great Pyrenees never gets lost?
33 What would you do if your dog(s) got away and became lost?
34 Do you have a pool or live on a lake? Yes  No
  If yes, does a fence secure the pool area or lakefront? Yes  No
35 Have you owned other dogs before? Yes  No
  If so, list breeds:
36 Have you ever had to give up a dog before? Yes  No
  If yes, please elaborate:
37 Have you ever had a pet die at an early age or die due to an accident/mistake? Yes  No
  If yes, please elaborate:
38
List other pets you currently own:
(Please include breed, age, sex, and whether or not they are spayed/neutered.)
39 Do any of your current pets have characteristics that Pyr Rescue should be aware of (submissive, dominant, very playful, lethargic, food-aggressive, shy, etc.)?
40 Have your current dogs been tested for heartworm? Yes  No  Not Applicable
  If so, are they on preventative? Yes  No
41 What type of flea protection do you plan to use?
42 What food are you planning
to feed the rescue dog
(brand, dry/moist)?
43 If you have other animals, are you prepared to spend the appropriate amount of time required to accustom them and the new dog to each other? Yes  No
44 Name, address, and phone no. of most recent veterinarian:
45 Do you agree to take your pet to your veterinarian annually for full vaccinations, heartworm test, fecal analysis, and exam? Yes  No
46 Do you agree to have your pet on heartworm preventative as recommended by your veterinarian
(April through December)?		 Yes  No
47 Is someone home during the day? Yes  No
     Work hours:
48 Where will the dog be kept during the day?
49 Where will the dog be kept during the night?
50 Where will the dog be kept when nobody is home?
51 How many hours will the dog be outside alone?
52 Who will be the primary caretaker of this dog?
53 Do you have a fenced yard? No  Yes
Type:   Height:
54 If your yard is not completely fenced, how do you plan to contain your dog to your property?
55 Have you checked your yard for dangerous articles, plants, or anything the dog could use to climb the fence? Yes  No
56 What will you do to ensure that children will not open a door or gate, allowing the dog to escape?
57 Please describe your exercise plan for your Great Pyrenees:
58 Are you aware that Great pyrenees shed, are notorious barkers, diggers, and willful animals, and mst be confined within a fenced area (or on a leash) to prevent them from exercising their powerful instinct to establish and patrol a large territory? Yes  No
59 Are you aware that the yearly maintenance of a dog is approximately $400 (not including food or grooming)? Yes  No
60 Are you aware that Great Pyrenees should be groomed / brushed at least once a week? Yes  No
61 Are you financially able to provide emergency medical care for your dog if the need were to arise? Yes  No
62 Please describe plans for care of your dog while you are away (e.g. vacation, business travel, etc.):
  Do you have any vacation plans and/or out-of-town trips scheduled within the next three months? If yes, please list your departing and returning dates:
63 Are you willing to obtain a crate and crate-train your dog? Yes  No
  If no, why not?
64 We require all adopted Pyrs be enrolled in a formal group obedience training course within 30 days of adoption. Do you agree to complete this requirement for any Great Pyrenees rescue dog you may adopt? Yes  No
  If no, why not?
65 Most obedience courses take place over a 6- to 10-week period of time (i.e. a one-hour lesson per week), and the course fees range anywhere from $75 to $200. Do you agree to satisfactorily complete the obedience course and attend each session? Yes  No
  If no, why not?
66 Where will you take your Great Pyrenees for obedience training? Please provide the contact information (name, address, telephone number, instructor, etc.) for your training facility of choice. NOTE: It is your responsibility to research training facilities and related course schedules prior to any adoption.
67 What amount of time and effort do you expect to devote to training the new dog?
68 Do you have the time to house train a dog, if necessary? Yes  No
  Please describe your house-training method:
69 What would you do if your dog bit somebody?
70 What would you consider unacceptable canine behavior(s) which would cause you to give up your dog?
71 What is your method of disciplining a dog?
72 Are you willing to have a Great Pyrenees Rescue Representative visit your home by appointment? Yes  No
73 Have you and your family considered that a Great Pyrenees generally lives to be 10 to 12 years old? Are you willing to accept that committment? Please explain:
74 Do you understand that dogs must always be monitored when interacting with children, adults, and other pets, no matter how nice the dog? Yes  No
75 Do you understand that no matter how much these dogs are evaluated by their temporary care families, they usually come with "baggage" we don't know about, and that the transition may take weeks or even months? Yes  No
76 Rescued dogs need time to adjust to their new homes and families. How much time will you give the new dog to adjust (days, weeks, months)?
77 Sex and age preference
(Great Pyrenees Rescue dogs
typically range in age
from 1 to 8 years old):		 Male  Female  No Preference

 Age range: 
78 Is there a dog on our web site that you are particularly interested in?
79 REFERENCES: (Please provide the names, addresses, and phone numbers for two people who are not relatives and do not reside in your household)
80 Have you and your family discussed the pros and cons of owning a Great Pyrenees? Elaborate:
81 Explain how and why a Great Pyrenees will fit into your family and lifestyle. (Feel free to include any further information you feel will help us in evaluating your application:
82 Additional comments,
suggestions:

I / We certify that the information contained in this application is true and correct, and further authorize Great Pyrenees Rescue of Greater Chicago to contact any and all references, in order to verify the information provided in this Adoption Application.

     Signature: 
     Signature: 

(For purposes of this application, printing your name in one of the spaces above constitutes a signature.)


Thank you for your cooperation. This comprehensive questionnaire helps us in placing the right dog with the right family. An improper placement, or one in which all the details aren't known, can end tragically — usually for the dog. Thanks again, and we look forward to meeting you in the near future.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE OR DENY ANY APPLICATION.


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