What Are The Steps to Adopt from GLLR?

Application – which can be completed on-line from our web site or a hard copy must be completed and mailed to Great Lakes Lab Rescue (GLLR).

Pre-screening – once the application is received, a Board Member will call the applicant to talk in detail about the application. (i.e. previous pets, work schedule, beliefs in obedience training and crate training, etc)  A reference check may also be conducted.  Once Great Lakes has established with the applicant that a Lab would be suitable to their home, a home visit is scheduled.

Home Visit – A Great Lakes Volunteer will schedule a meeting with the applicant and all family members at the applicant's home.  A copy of the application will be emailed or faxed to the volunteer for reference.  Volunteers may bring a dog to the applicant's home to see how children and/or any other pets in the home react to the dog. The volunteer will type up the HVR and submit it to the board for approval.

Approval – Once a family is approved, the Volunteer will work with Board Members to find a good match between the adoptive family and the potential dogs. At that time, the foster homes will be contacted and asked to speak with the applicant about their foster dog.   The foster home plays an important part in the adoption process, as they know the dog the best.  Specific details that only the foster home could know about the dog are provided to the potential adopters and any questions are answered. It is sometimes hard for a foster dog to adapt to a new environment; the foster family get to know the dog and what type of situation will result in a successful placement. If the applicant would like to meet the foster dog, arrangements are made for the family to come to the foster home.  The foster family will work with the volunteer who did the home visit and the Board to determine if the dog and the family are a good match. Placing the right dog to the right family is our most important part in Lab Rescue.  With all of us working together, our goal is for the next home for this foster to be a permanent one!

Adoption Contract – When a dog and a family are matched and all parties approve of the adoption, an adoption agreement must be completed and the adoption fee collected at the time of adoption.  The Volunteer will keep the original signed agreement, and the adopter gets a copy.  The foster family will provide the adoptive family with information about their new dog. We ask that the adopters return the collar and id tag once the foster is adopted for other foster dogs to use.  The adopters must have their own leash to take the dog home!