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09/09/19: Spoke to Anne again and sent her Dash’s blood test results. She said she was going to go over them with her vet.
09/17/19: I let them know that Dash is not for them; he is not comfortable around small children and he’s 88 lbs. But we’ll keep them on Approved list.
On Sep 15, 2019, at 4:31 PM, Christine lamb
Hi Bay,
Harry and I had the home visit with Carla and family today.
They are a lovely couple with a very lively three year old boy. They also have a young Schnauzer rescue which they adopted in South America before moving here a couple of years ago. They are committed to rescue.
The family met Harry and I outside so that the two dogs could meet. It did not go well. Harry loves dogs above anything else so we were both surprised that the little dog was very aggressive and only stopped when Carla picked her up. It was the same when we went into the house and backyard.
The main reason they are interested in getting another dog is as a companion to the Schnauzer.
We talked a lot about what would be best for the Schnauzer (sorry I didn’t understand her name!) and Carla said that they still want to adopt but maybe later rather than sooner and Joe said that they needed to do more research on Airedales.
Let me know if you have any questions.
ChristineSent from my iPad
On Sep 11, 2019, at 11:23 AM, Barbara Reese YagerHi!!!
Yes you should go ahead. I did not get in touch with her to schedule one
myself so I would really appreciate your help!Bay
—–Original Message—–
From: Christine Lamb [mailto:cslamb27@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, September 09, 2019 10:21 PM
To: Barbara Reese Yager
Subject: Carla Home VisitHi Barbara,
I’m just back from vacation and I’ve got a note on my calendar to meet with
Carla on Sunday for a home visit. I know that Susan has talked to you about
that situation, so I just need to know if my visit is still on?Thank you,
Christine09/16/19: Home Evaluation from Andrea Beasley:
HOME EVALUATION FORMTo the Home Evaluator: This form can be used when doing a home visit to evaluate a potential family for a rescued Airedale. Adoption or foster applicants you are visiting have already met preliminary criteria by having their Adoption Application accepted and have passed the telephone interview.
When doing a home visit, please attempt to get as much information as asked for on this form. Ask questions, where appropriate, and get as many details as you can about the home environment. Some of the questions on this form may not apply to this home so use your own judgment.
If possible, bring a friend or another rescue volunteer with you on the home visit. This helps both for the purpose of having another pair of eyes and ears to assist you in making a complete evaluation and for your own personal safety.
________________________________________APPLICANT
Karen Lounsbury
614 Boyd St.
Spartanburg, SC 29302
7045308548
klounsbury1965@gmail.com
Size of Home [estimate square footage if possible]:Setting [check all that apply]:
Rural
Semi rural
XSuburban
Semi urban
Urban
Wooded
Open acreage
Waterfront
Highway frontage
Neighborhood street frontage
City environment
Property bordering on park/fieldCondition of Home [check all that apply]:
Immaculate
XWell-kept
Lived in but clean
Exterior untidy
Interior untidy
Exterior unkempt/poorly maintained
Interior trashed/dirtyDescribe the home interior:
[Include type of furnishings, flooring, and general appearance. For example, “antiques with museum atmosphere,” “shabby furniture,” “brand new furniture and/or carpet,” “badly stained carpet,” “hardwood/ vinyl flooring with some carpet/rugs,” etc.]The flooring throughout the home is wood, however owner, Karen, placed rugs in each room to provide security for any pet. Karen home is decorated nicely, and she has doggie bed and toys place neatly in a bin for a fur kid to enjoy immediately. The living room has a leather sofa with 2 comfy leather chairs. You can tell that Karen thinks of pets comfort and safety in her home.
Accommodations:
[Describe what accommodations the home has for a dog and where the dog will be left when the owners are not at home. For example, “crate in kitchen/laundry room,” “baby gate across kitchen,” “no crate planned,” “pen in basement,” “pen in garage,” “outdoor run,” etc. Include complete description of any pen or kennel [chain link run, dirt run with chicken wire, etc.]. Will the dog ever be left chained out or left unattended in a fenced-in yard? Describe the fencing, if any, and consider security of fence.]Karen definitely accommodate any pet in her home. She welcomes pet throughout her home. She plans for the fur kid to sleep in her room on their bed. She will only use a crate if that provides comfort and security. She truly wants the dog to be able to roam and find comfort anywhere is the home.
The feeding bowls are designated in the kitchen.
Outside she recently installed a chain link fence that provides ample space for a dog to run and play.
Children:
[Give ages of children, if any, and pay special attention to the behavior of the children, the parents’ responses and method of discipline, and the children’s interactions with other pets. Note whether parents always supervise young children with other pets and if the parents seem to expect the child/children to be “responsible” for the care of the pets.]Karen has an adult son, Patrick, aged 25 who loves dogs and appears responsible.
Family Environment:
[Describe the behavior of the adults among themselves, and to any other pets or children. Are they respectful, hectic, noisy, loud, quiet, commanding, etc.?]Her son Patrick appear respectful. Recently ended a relationship with girlfriend whom they shared a Golden Retriever that he loved and had to leave behind. He also grew up with 2 Airedales and they both had very different personalities and he enjoyed/loved them equally.
Life-Style Compromises:
[Has the applicant thought through life-style compromises pet ownership will require? Give details.]YES! Karen travels quite often this year and plans to not travel as much in 2020 but stated she has the support from her son (who resides with her), her daughter (who lives outside the home) and her friend Pam who trains pet and owns a therapy dog named Cassie.
Other Pets:
[Describe number, type, age, and gender of the other pets and give complete description of their apparent health and well-being. Things to note would be skin or flea problems, condition of nails, overweight or underweight, type of collar, id tags other pets have, etc.]N/A
Owner Interaction with Other Pets:
o Describe the relationship all family members seem to have to other pets.
When discussing her daughter’s pet, Lola-Doberman, who visits once a week, Karen treats like family. She gave stories about Lola and how she cares for her.
I actually talk with Karen several times before this interview while walking my fur kid, Coltrane. Whenever I am walking the neighborhood she would immediately stop her car or come off her porch to pet Coltrane. She always spoke about her deceased Airedales and how petting Coltrane provides comfort for her; you can tell the amount of loved she had for her 2 Airedales.
o What role will the dog play in applicant’s life? Companionship.
o Are the other pets treated like family members? Most Definitely – YES
o How do the other animals behave? N/A
o If applicant is looking for an additional dog, why does applicant what another? N/A
o Does applicant believe that the new dog will “train” old dog or vice versa? N/A
o Has applicant ever owned more than one dog or cat at the same time? YES
o Is applicant prepared for the increased work, expense [including vet cost], and commotion? YES. Karen is very aware of the cost to maintain an Airedale and has made plans to do training with her friend Pam.
o How committed is adopter? Very Serious.
o What are the owner’s responses to behaviors good and bad? We shared our story when adopted Coltrane and the difficulties and she expressed if there are any bad behavior she will use a trainer. She shared stories of how LOLA (daughter’s pet) would pee in her bed recently and her patience with dealing with that seemed impressive. Also, when she rescued her second Airedale gave her the necessary experiences to be a great candidate to adopt.
o Do owners demand perfection or have unreasonable expectation regarding behaviors? Not at all. She expressed that it took 6 months after she rescued her 2nd Airedale to fully adapt to their home.
o Do other dogs in the home obey happily? It appears base on her stories and my fur kid laid out in the middle of her living room and took a nap during the interview.
o Are the other dogs out of control and undisciplined? N/A
o Do the owners appear to know some basic training techniques? YES
o How do the animals react to the owner’s response? She seemed very calm with interacting with my fur kid.Important Question to Answer:
o Explain that re-homing a dog is stressful for the dog.
o That often the rescued dog they want to adopt or foster may have training accidents, even if they are housebroken, while they are in their new home or foster care, for the first few weeks.
o Ask the applicant what they would do or how they would react to the new dog having an accident.What was their reply?
Karen is very knowledgeable about re-homing a dog. I shared our story as well as she did base on her past experiences. Due to her profession as a preschool trainer/educator Karen possess a lot of patience and understanding for a dog to have accidents or needing training.She expressed she will use professional training to correct any behavioral issues.
Additional Information:
o Please describe any additional information about the home environment that you feel is pertinent.
o Is there anything in general or specifically that would cause you to feel uncomfortable about placing a dog or cat in this home? N/A
o If so, what? N/A
o “Gut feelings” are considered important. Would you feel comfortable leaving your own dog with the applicant? Absolutely
o Explain. I strongly feel Karen will be a great candidate for adopting a dog. She has enough knowledge about the breed and love to give for a displaced animal. Her home has enough space for the dog to roam and feel comfortable. She wants her home to feel like a home to her newly adopted Airedale. Karen is truly committed to the process.Conclusion:
X Approve Applicant
Do not approve applicant
Approve after additional counseling of applicants
and/or
Approve after modifications to the home environmentPlease describe:
Additional comments:
Home Evaluator’s Signature: _______ANDREA BEASLEY_________________________
Date: ______September 16, 2019_______
Contact information: Email & Phone No.: ___dabeasleys@gmail.com / 248-416-0934__
Additional Suggestions to The Home Evaluator:
• If you need to take notes during the visit, please do so discreetly on a small note pad, rather than on this form. It is preferred that the applicants feel at ease with you and to be themselves. Complete this form after the visit is over, when you are not in the presence of the applicants.
• Qualities to note are sincerity, commitment, tolerance of normal animal behavior, honest representation of the home environment, children’s behavior with other pets, and expected role of the children in pet care. Obtain explanations about the absence of any family members during the visit. Feel free to ask leading questions to begin productive conversation. Often good conversation will reveal far more than questions.
• Do not make any promises to the applicants or indicate whether they will be approved to adopt or foster. Please refrain from discussing any animal presently in rescue that may become available for adoption.
________________________________________09/14/19: Craig Lincoln called me this morning. Their boy Miles (fka Cy) that they adopted from us in April ’18 is in isolation at the vet’s and will be put down on Monday because he viciously attacked a friend of theirs on the 29th. The man is a friend who they’ve known since the 70s and was in town from Chicago spending a long weekend with them. Craig was at work, Chris and the friend were in the pool. He’d been there for several hours and everything had been fine. The man got out of the pool to get something from the garage, walked back toward the pool and kind of bent down to greet Miles, and Miles attacked his face. He knocked him to the ground (the man is 6’3″), and kept attacking, getting him on the neck and the arms. Chris jumped out of the pool and grabbed a big mug of tea and knocked Miles on the head and Miles stopped. She put Miles in the house and had to call an ambulance. Part of the man’s lip was lying on the side of the pool. Craig was in clinic and met them after he got out at the ER. Craig said it was horrible. The man had to have surgery immediately and the next day was transferred to Vanderbilt where they did plastic surgery. Then on Monday he was transferred to Northwestern in Chicago where he has undergone more surgery. They were able to create a lip so that he can eat and drink and close his mouth. Fortunately, the man will have no deficits as a result of this, and loves Craig & Chris and do not blame them. But Craig said he would have been dead had Chris not been there.
Craig said that 6 weeks ago Miles bit him when he was leaving for work one morning and the kitchen was dark and he reached over Miles muzzle to rub off an eye booger and Miles got him good on the hand. Craig thought maybe his eyesight was going and that it startled him. Since that time, they have muzzled Miles when new people come over. In fact, when the friend from Chicago came, Miles was muzzled, but after a few hours, Miles was fine and friendly and they went out to the pool, and Chris took the muzzle off.
Craig talked to their dog sitter who is an experienced breeder of show dogs and she was incredulous. She brings her young niece over when she dog sits and has never had any problem at all.
Craig just needed to talk to someone who knew these dogs and to see if I’d ever heard of this happening before. I gave him the short version of what happened with Charlie, and told him we have had situations where we had to euthanize because of aggression, but it is rare. The Lincolns, of course, are questioning what they could have done, what they may have missed in his behavior. In their 36 years together, they’ve had 11 Airedales — the first from a breeder, the rest as rehomed dogs from friends or vets, and ARG in the last however many years. Craig says he can’t bear to go see Miles in isolation. He loves Miles and Miles sleeps on his chest when he comes home from work. He and Chris are both having nightmares.
It’s just so horrible.
09/13/19: Got a text from Teresa Hopkins who was the volunteer at Columbus Animal Shelter who contacted us about Sara. Janet Hinson from the Shelter had contacted her to tell her we never paid his vet bill.
I wasn’t aware of a vet bill. Terry & Ruth Church are the ones who picked her up from the shelter and I had no contact with them. They then took her to a kennel and I had no contact with the kennel. I’ll check w Christina to make sure she didn’t pay for anything.
I called Columbus Animal Shelter and left a message for Janet Hinson who is the one who contacted Teresa.
09/11/19: I spoke to Jenn Jarman. She’s a little difficult (for me) to understand. She speaks very fast and – trying to describe – clips her words. She’s not very forthcoming or emotive. She continued to mention that her husband used to breed Airedales and though I asked her 3 times, I could never understand the name of his kennel. Frankenfaust??? Sounds like a messy divorce, but she knew Airedales. They had 1 that lived inside but she died right after Jenn moved out in April. Jenn has no vet that she’s seen in GA.
Her address is 35 Willow Tree Terrace (not just Willow St.). It’s a cul-de-sac in a subdivision. Busy road not too far away. She has no fence and would always take her Airedale out on leash because they like to run. There’s a park nearby that she would like to take her Airedale to.
Her adult son and daughter live with her and the son works just 10 minutes from home and goes in later than she does and comes home earlier than she does. They all want an Airedale and would share in the care.
She would take an Airedale to training if he needed it. Never has trained, though she watched her husband and knows how to walk them.
The house has a deck upstairs and downstairs and is enclosed and an Airedale could be contained on the deck, though she was hesitant to say yes to that. She plans to buy a house soon – her husband was supposed to give her “her” money the end of July but he hasn’t yet. She said she hopes to move in the next 2 months.
Overall, it was hard to get a good read from her but I guess the home visit will tell us more. I’ll find someone for home visit.
09/10/19: Art Gardner notified me in mid-August that he has adopted a 1-year-old Wire Fox Terrier and is no longer in the market for an Airedale. I just forgot to update.
09/10/19:
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