Dog Adoption Application Form: Fill & Download for Free

When I moved in with my future husband, he almost immediately said “no dogs.” I asked him why he said that. He told me he didn’t want his shoes chewed up and dog crap all over the floor.So, for the first couple of years, we were a dogless couple. Then one day, I had a nagging feeling to go to our local Petsmart. I don’t know why, I just had to go. I asked a friend to come with me.It was a Saturday, and an animal rescue organization was holding an adoption event. We walked around, looked at all the dogs and cats that were in cages and exercise pens. Nothing caught my eye or tugged at my heart.Hans Egan - my Scooter Dog. photo courtesy of Diane EganWe started walking away when I noticed a Miniature Schnauzer at the end of a leash. I asked if I could pet the dog, and the human at the other end of the leash told me it was okay. I stooped down and looked at the dog’s eyes. It was like I could almost see into his soul (if dogs have them - please, no debate here). I was telling the dog’s human about my aunt who owned a Miniature Schnauzer, and it was the smartest dog I had ever seen. I asked the man how long did he own the dog and its age. That’s when he told me it wasn’t his dog. He was volunteering, and the dog was available for adoption.I couldn’t believe it! My friend took pictures of the dog and me so I could text them to John. He sent back a one-word reply. “NO.”That wasn’t the first time he said no and I did what I wanted. It’s better to ask forgiveness than permission…or something like that. I filled out the adoption application and met the dog’s foster mom and the woman who was going to have the final say if the dog was a good fit for us.They wanted to do a home inspection the next day and bring the dog with them to see how my future husband got along with the dog. When I got home, I told him what I had done, and he said “we’ll see”, which is usually a good sign.I told him the dog’s name was Hans. He was nine years old and was missing seven teeth. Hans was housetrained, too. It was too good to be true! I told John “Honey, he’s out of the puppy stage! He’s missing teeth so he can’t chew your shoes. AND he’s housetrained, so he won’t crap on the floor in the house!”Things were looking up! Our house had a screened-in pool, and when Jackie and Dorma brought Hans the next day, that’s where they interviewed John. Hans walked over to John’s chair and laid on the ground next to him. After a half hour, John looked at Hans and said “He’s just like me. He’s a couch potato.”Hans moved in that day and became part of our family. The office where I worked was a dog-friendly place. Hans started going to work with me every day. When I bought a Honda Reflex scooter, I put Hans in a harness, fastened him to a laundry basket, and then attached Hans and the basket to my scooter. It took a couple of days, but when he calmed down and stopped shaking, we’d make the 20-mile drive to work every day, rain or shine.Hans and me during a practice ride - photo courtesy of Diane EganHans was extremely food-motivated. Every morning, John would put Hans in a chair at the dining room table so they could share John’s bagel and cheese. He loved it when I gave him haircuts. We’d sit on the floor, and Hans was stretched out like he was getting a massage.Mealtime with Phillip, Hans, and John - photo courtesy of Diane EganOne night when Hans and I were walking, he suddenly sat down in the grass. He started trembling, and his head was turning like Linda Blair’s did in the “Exorcist” movie. The vet said he probably had a stroke, but he seemed fine. Except for the perpetual head-tilt that wouldn’t go away.One Saturday morning, I noticed blood on the kitchen floor. I could see it was coming from Hans’ mouth, so I rushed him to the vet. The vet told me to come back in a few hours and he would have some news for me. Thirty minutes later, the phone rings. It was our vet, and he wanted me back right away.Hans had a cancerous tumor on the roof of his mouth, and it burst, which explained the blood on the kitchen floor. The vet said Hans was in pain, and I should think about letting him go. I couldn’t let him suffer. It wouldn’t be fair.I never thought there would be another dog like Hans. I cried every day for months. Hans gave us five fantastic, fun years. It was a blessing to have found him.Five months after Hans was gone, we adopted our Buddy, and another story began.

I bought my dog.Why? Because the shelters all made it very difficult for me to get a dog.Let me explain.I got both my cats from a shelter as we have a stray cat problem. When I got them there was hundreds to choose from and the application was reasonable. My dog however, I bought. I would have loved to adopt an adult dog and I tried for a while before buying one. My area doesn't have many dogs in shelters. The local humane society only had, I believe, 4 dogs come available this entire year. Due to the lack of dogs in shelters, most of the dogs are adopted quickly and It's almost competitive to get one. A couple have waiting lists. None of them are first come first serve and they all have a lot of requirements to even be considered.I was told I had to be 25 by one shelter or they wouldn't consider my application. I was 22, owned my own home, and knew I could afford a dog but they still wouldn't consider it.Another shelter said I had to have a fence, which is understandable. However, this was in winter when the ground was frozen and I had plans to put in a fence in the spring, only 2 months away. I had even already bought all the fencing, it was just waiting for the ground to thaw. They said that was not acceptable.So when I saw the ad for my dog, I bought him. His mother was a farm dog and he was an accidental litter. He's walked twice a day and taken to the dog park at least 5 days a week but usually more. So the 2 months without a fence was not an issue.This is my reason for buying a dog rather than adopting. I hope to adopt any future dogs, if I can get past the applications.My shelter cats:

Yes, and she is the best thing that ever happened to us.Lilly was the dog nobody wanted. She was a stray, she has a “pit bull head,” who had had a litter of 9 that were just old enough to be getting adopted out themselves, and everyone who visited the shelter was infatuated with them. I can’t say I blame them, those were adorable puppies.But when we saw Lilly and were told that she was the proud mama, she caught my attention. When I asked to meet her, I was told that she had had several visitors and everyone seemed to love her, but no one had even filled out an adoption application for her. My heart broke.This was the picture of my girl that we got to see before we met her. When they brought her into the meeting room, she instantly walked up to me, then put both her front paws in my lap and started licking my face like I was the best person in her world. After a minute of this, she walked over to my boyfriend and did the same to him.(As a side note, he did not want another dog at all. I had set us up to foster a Min Pin/Pomeranian mix and when it fell through, I was crushed. He agreed to go to the shelter “just to look” and swore we wouldn’t get another dog. The second Lilly jumped in my lap, his facial expression was “well now we HAVE to have this dog.”)I took the adoption application home to fill out and as I was completing it, my boyfriend began saying “well, I don’t know if this is a good idea, maybe we shouldn’t get another dog, I don’t think you should fill out that form.” after hearing this, I told him “you heard that lady. Everyone loves her. No one has even turned in an application for her. I’m not leaving her there.” And promptly took the application right back to the shelter to submit it.This was on April 29th, 2018, I was told it would be approximately 2 weeks before I heard from them. On May 1st I got a call asking if we still wanted to adopt her. We set it up to get her on the 5th, the next day we both had off to go get her.Throughout the week between meeting her and bringing her home, I asked every question I could. I was told they knew nothing besides that she had a litter and they had spayed her. The day we go to pick her up, however, they then tell us that she’s both heartworm and Lyme disease positive. We were crushed by the news but determined to help this girl. (Several hundred dollars of testing later, they had given us information about the wrong dog, but managed to ruin the joy of her adoption day entirely.)This picture was how I announced to our mothers that they were becoming fur-grandmas again.Bringing her home broke my heart at first, because Lilly was terrified to get in the car with us. It was so hard to get her into the vehicle that it has us both convinced she was dumped from a car, or found in a high-traffic area. With much patience (and many treats) we got her used to the car, and she learned that leaving with mom and dad always resulted in coming home. She loves car rides now!At first she was quiet and shy, but if she came near you she would absolutely shower you in love and affection. Now, she’s a sweet, smart, loud-mouth, huge personality lady and I could not love her more.She has bonded to me as “her person” and as long as I’m home, she’s right beside me. She never wants to miss a moment with her mama, and I don’t want to lose out on my Lilly.She has two little Big Brothers. We already had litter mate boys that are about a year older than Lilly. She absolutely adores her brothers, especially our runt, Paxton. She treats him almost like a puppy. I always say that’s the mama in her.Our Lilly May has brought so much love and joy to our lives, I could not imagine my life without her. Shelter dogs are by far the most loving, amazing babies you can bring home. Even on the rare occasion she does act up, Lilly is still my heart and soul in living form. My sweet flower baby 🌸(Edited to correct spelling errors).