Specialist dog behaviour assessments for child fostering and adoption.
Supporting social workers, fostering agencies & adoptive families across Lincolnshire and surrounding counties.
Helping you make safe, confident decisions for children and family dogs.
Welcome to Pet Potential
If you’re a social worker, fostering agency, or adoptive parent, you want to feel confident that a family dog won’t pose a risk to a child’s safety or wellbeing.
At Pet Potential, you’ll get specialist dog behaviour assessments to support clear, informed decisions, whether you’re managing safeguarding concerns, preparing for panel reviews, or navigating the adoption process.
Led by Clinical Animal Behaviourist Alison Winters, Pet Potential combines expert insight with a compassionate, family-focused approach, so you can move forward with peace of mind.
Clear Assessments. Informed Decisions. Safer Outcomes.
Helping you move forward with confidence, whatever stage you’re at.
Whether a child is about to be placed or concerns have already arisen, you need clear answers and practical guidance you can trust. I assess each dog with care, always considering the individual child, home environment, and context. My reports are clear, evidence-based, and written with safeguarding in mind so you have the insights and documentation needed for panel decisions, matching conversations, or future planning.
For adoptive families, I offer sensitive, supportive assessments that help you meet requirements and prepare for a confident start to life together.
Ready to take the next step?
Get in touch to arrange a behaviour assessment or ask any questions. I’m here to help.
What’s Included in a Behaviour Assessment
Every assessment is tailored to the family’s unique situation, but typically includes:
A home visit to observe the dog in their own environment, where they feel most at ease.
A conversation with caregivers about daily routines, concerns, and any past incidents.
Gentle observation of how the dog responds to visitors, children, and everyday changes in the home.
Respectful interaction, including feeding, play, touch, and handling, to understand how the dog communicates and copes in different situations.
Practical, tailored advice that takes into account the dog’s behaviour, the home dynamics, and the fostering or adoption context.
A clear, compassionate written report with recommendations that can be shared with the social worker, fostering agency, or local authority.
Most assessments take around two hours, and the written report is delivered within seven days.
About Me
I help families and professionals make confident, compassionate decisions about dogs and children living together.
Hi, I’m Alison. I’m a Clinical Animal Behaviourist and full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC), with over 16 years of experience working with dogs and families.
Most of my work involves assessing dogs in foster and adoptive homes, helping make sure children are safe, and families feel confident about their dog-child interactions. I truly believe every child deserves a safe, nurturing home… and every dog deserves to be understood.
People often tell me I’m calm, clear, and easy to talk to, especially when things feel a bit overwhelming.
Whether you’re a social worker needing a reliable safeguarding assessment, or a family in the middle of the adoption process, I’m here to support you.
What My Clients Say
I’m proud to work with a wide range of clients, from families going through adoption to professionals in fostering and social care. Here’s what some of them have shared about their experience of working with me.
Prospective adoptive parents asked by their agency to provide an assessment of their beautiful sighthound:
“We enlisted Alison’s help as part of our child adoption process, and didn’t know what to expect, it was the first time our dog had ever been assessed this way.
We needn’t have worried. Alison was warm, friendly, and clearly experienced. The home visit felt relaxed and respectful, and the comprehensive report she provided was of the highest standard, perfect for sharing with our social worker.
If you’re looking for a professional, stress-free, and timely assessment, we’d absolutely recommend getting in touch with Alison.”
Mr & Mrs K, Hull
Fostering social worker working with a multi-dog household:
“Alison’s input was invaluable during a particularly complex case involving a foster carer with multiple dogs where concerns had been raised. Her assessment was thorough, child-focused, and clearly explained, which made it easy for our panel to understand both the risks and strengths of the situation.
The report was detailed, promptly delivered, and exactly what we needed to support our recommendation. I wouldn’t hesitate to involve her again.”
Fostering Supervising Social Worker, Doncaster County Council