Volunteers are needed to meet with prospective adopters and complete a questionnaire and home inspection. Prospects can be located in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Nebraska, Ontario, Colorado.

Why does ATRA need home visits?

ATRA needs to personally see the homes and visit with the families who will be adopting our rescue Airedales.  There is no better way to determine if an applicant should be approved or declined than to see where and how our rescue Airedales will live.  Home visits are also a great way to see how a family interacts with an Airedale.  Coordinators and foster homes need this input to help them make good decisions when matching our rescue Airedales with forever homes.

You need to be willing to take your Airedale and visit with a family you most likely don’t know.  Talking with strangers can make some people a little nervous; just remember you have Airedales in common.  Your Airedale usually provides a focal point for conversation.

Once the home visit starts, you are there on ATRA’s behalf to ask questions and make observations, not to make a decision about this applicant.  The state coordinator should have explained this to the applicant ahead of time.  Observations include such things as how the applicant answers questions and how the applicant and their family react to your Airedale.  Let us know what you observe concerning the applicant's home and yard as it relates to a possible rescue Airedale living there.  Your observations could end up being more useful than simple answers to questions.

ATRA has a Home Visit Checklist with some general questions to ask and some general observations to make.  Your state coordinator also may have some specific questions or observations based on the application.  You also may come up with your own questions as the visit progresses.

Most applicants are more than happy to show you their home and point out how their new dog will be a part of the family.  They will want you to see the new dog bed, where the dog will eat, the dog yard and other things.  As you walk around with applicant, make mental notes of safety related items such as the condition of the applicant’s fence or small items laying around that an Airedale could get into.  Also look for safety issues, like access to a swimming pool.  Be sure to walk the yard and fence to note possible escape routes.  You may want to take a digital camera so other coordinators and foster homes can get an idea of what the yard and house look like.  Some families may even want a photo of your dog with their family! Check out the other animals in the family to see if they looked well-cared for and loved.  Lastly, ask yourself this question:  “Would I let this family adopt MY Airedale?”

You will be the one to schedule the home visit when it is convenient for you and the applicant.  Keep in mind that it should be scheduled when the applicant’s family is available.  ATRA needs to know how the whole family feels about bringing a rescue Airedale into the family and how they react to your Airedale.

The results of the home visit are only one part of the approval process.  The state coordinator has checked references and done a telephone interview with the applicant.  The state coordinator will put all of these things together to come up with a final decision on the approval of an applicant.