Dear Prospective Dog Owner:

Thank you for inquiring about our Maltese and other Petite Paws available for adoption. Lil’ Paws Maltese Rescue is an all-volunteer private rescue organizationfunded by donations, fundraisers, and adoption fees. Our goals are to educate pet owners about responsible dog ownership, particularly with Maltese and other petite paws, and to place homeless dogs in new, forever loving homes.

Our application is designed to match dogs with the best possible homes in order to ensure a lifetime of happiness for both the dog and you, the owner.

Potential adopters must follow our adoption process, which includes adoption application, an interview, reference check and a home visit. If you live outside of the Austin area and wish to follow through the application process, you must be willing to drive to Austin to meet with a volunteer from our group and meet the dog that is best suited for you and your family. Also be aware that in order to complete the adoption process, we must have volunteer resources in your area to do the required home visit. Adoptions cannot be completed if we cannot do a home visit.

Before completing the adoption application, you should consider the following:

Lifestyle (house, apartment, single, busy schedule, etc.)

Preference of male or female dog

Desired personality and energy level (playfulness, calm, dominant, needy, etc.)

Appropriate age for your family

Ages of any children you may have. Ordinarily our dogs are not suitable for homes with children under 5.

OUR ADOPTION PROCESS:

Submit an application. Please allow 1 week for your application to be reviewed

Initial interview by phone will be made within one week after receipt of your application.

If application is approved, we will schedule a home visit. All members of your family must be present.

After home inspection and upon approval, you will receive the Lil’ PAWS dog for a two week (14 day) trial adoption. The trial adoption will allow you to decide if the dog you have is a good match for you and your family. If you decide that it is not a good match, the dog will be returned to us. If you decide that the dog you have is a good match, we will then move on to the last step of the adoption process of finalizing the adoption and making the dog officially yours. When finalizing the adoption, you will sign the adoption contract in order to transfer ownership, receive the dog’s adoption file with all of its medical records, and pay the adoption fee. Standard Adoption Fees are $200. Please note: Adoption fees for puppies, elderly, and special needs dogs are determined on a case by case basis and will be posted in their bio.

We are a non-profit organization and all of the fees that are collected go directly to the care of our dogs. We are entirely staffed by volunteers and there are no paid organization members. Many dogs that are taken into rescue are in need of medical intervention in addition to the regular series of shots and spay/neuter. All of our dogs are seen by a veterinarian, are up to date on their shots, have been checked for heartworms, have been either treated or on preventative, and have been spayed or neutered prior to adoption. When other medical intervention is necessary, dogs are treated accordingly by a veterinarian. Examples may include heartworm treatment, treatment for skin conditions, treatment for ear and eye infections, cardio diagnostics, orthopedic evaluations and subsequent surgeries, etc. Therefore, depending on the dog and its condition, medical costs can often be excessive. Adoption fee's rarely cover all of the costs involved in caring for these dogs as a whole. Any amount that you can donate in addition to the fee is greatly appreciated.

A SUCCESSFUL APPLICANT MUST:

Provide a loving, humane and safe environment for the Lil’ Paws, which includes keeping the dog as an indoor house pet for the remainder of his/her life.

Provide veterinary care including regular vaccinations, heartworm testing and preventative year round, and comply with all local laws regarding licensing.

Be over the age of 21

We do not adopt our dogs to homes that have intact (not neutered or not spayed) animals.

Provide veterinary care including regular vaccinations, heartworm testing and preventative year round, and comply with all local laws regarding licensing.

Provide a safe, fenced in yard while the Lil’ Paws dog is outside supervised by you or a family member.

Agree to keep the Lil’ Paws dog on a leash when outside a fenced area and not allow him/her to roam free at any time.

Return the Lil’ Paws dog at anytime if the owner is unable to keep him/her for any reason or if lifestylechanges make the owner unable to maintain above conditions. The dog may not be sold, transferred, orgiven to any individual or establishment.

Lil’ Paws Maltese Rescue

ADOPTION APPLICATION

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Name(s) of applicant: ______

Street Address: ______Apt #: ______

City: ______State: ______Zip: ______

Home Phone:( ) ______Mobile: ( ) ______

Work Phone: ( )______

E-mail Address: ______

Occupation(s): ______

QUESTIONNAIRE:

Name or type of dog seeking: ______

______

Reason for selecting this particular dog or breed: ______

______

Name and ages of all household members, including yourself.

Ordinarily our dogs are not suitable for homes with children under 5.

Name / Age / Relation to You

Who will be caring for this pet? ______

Describe your current pets (type, age, sex, spayed/neutered): (Due to the many health benefits accruing from spay and neutering, as well as to prevent accidental liters, we require that all resident pets must be spayed/neutered.)

What animals currently live in the household?

Name / Breed / Male/ female / Spayed/
neutered / Age / How Long Owned / Where Kept

Please list all dogs you have owned in your adult life and explain what happened to them.

Name / Breed / Age / How Long Owned / What Happened to this Dog

How many hours will pet(s) be alone during the day? ______(In Hours)

Where will the dog be kept during this time: ______

______

When I am home, my dog will mainly be: ______

______

Where will the dog sleep at night? ______

Do you have a fenced yard? ______What kind of fence? ______Height? ______

If you currently have other pets, or if you previously had pets in your adult life (within the past 5 years), please provide your Veterinarian’s information:

Veterinarian Name: ______Phone Number: ______

How long have you lived at your current address? ______

Do you live in a: Single HouseTown HouseApartment

DuplexTrailerOther

Do you Own or Lease? ______

If you lease do you have written permission from your landlord to have a dog? Yes No

Landlord’s Name: ______Landlord’s Number: ______

Any restrictions on pets? Yes No

Explain:______

Do you ever have relatives or friends visit with their pets? If so what type of animals visit? Please be specific:______

Are you planning on moving in the near future? ______

If you move, what would you do with your pet? ______

Do any members of your household have pet-related allergies? ______

Please list 2 personal references including phone numbers:

1) Name: ______Phone #: ______Relationship: ______

2) Name: ______Phone #: ______Relationship: ______

Have you adopted any pets from another rescue or animal shelter in the past? Yes No

If yes, which one(s)? ______

Have you volunteered with a rescue or animal shelter in the past? Yes No

If yes, which one(s)? ______

I am interested in a (check all that apply) : Puppy Adult Senior Male Female

How long have you been looking for a pet? ______

I want a pet because: ______

______

What is the activity level of the dog you are looking for? ______

______

What do you consider undesirable traits? ______

______

What would you do if you saw some of the above listed traits displayed in the pet that you have adopted?______

What will you do if the dog displays bad behavior such as barking, digging, chewing, etc? ______

______

______

What time period do you require to prepare for your new dog? _____ days ____none, ready now!

Do you or any of your neighbors have livestock? Yes No

Who will be responsible for the socialization, medical care, and training of this animal? ______

______

Would you be interested in attending training sessions? Yes No

Who will be housebreaking this pet? ______

Describe your method of housebreaking: ______

______

In what manner will you be transporting your pet in your vehicle? ______

______

What brand of food will your dog eat? ______

What grooming requirements do you feel are necessary for this particular dog?______

______

Are you familiar with heartworm disease and its devastating effect? ______

What brand of Heartworm Preventative do you currently use? ______

Where do you or will you purchase your heartworm preventative? ______

On average, how much do you expect to spend annually on this dog? (Including heartworm preventative, flea/tick preventative, vetting, toys/treats, grooming, etc.)______

Are you aware of the cost of taking care of a dog each year (vet care, food, toys, obedience training - minimum $300/year)?______

There are times when unexpected and often very expensive medical conditions occur. What will you do if this happens to your pet?______

Would you be willing to allow a representative of the shelter to visit your residence?

Yes No * Please note that our policy is to complete a home visit prior to adoption.

How did you find out about our Organization?

_____Newspaper Ad _____Internet ______Friend _____Volunteer with our group

Would you consider volunteering for our group? Yes No

If you can help, in which of the following areas?

___ Foster___ Adoption Day Helper

___ Transportation to Vet Appointments___ Home Visits for Potential Adopters

___ Personal Interviewing of Adoption Candidates___ Computer Data Entry

___ Telephone Interviews___ Computer Web Updates

Fundraising Other?

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. We hope that by going through this process, we will increase the chance of an appropriate match both for you and for our dogs. If you have any comments regarding this adoption application or our adoption process, please feel free to let us know as we are always looking for ways to improve. Again, thank you for saving a life by considering a rescued pet.

I, the undersigned, do hereby certify that the information above is truthful and correct.

______

Signature Date

1Lil’ Paws Maltese Rescue

PO Box 201192, Austin, Texas 78720-1192

Fax 512-853-2575