The baseline: two documents
Matching stays locked on Forming Paws until your dog has two things verified: a veterinary wellness exam dated within the last 12 months, and a record of core vaccinations.
That is the floor, not the ceiling. It exists because an introduction between two dogs is a decision with consequences for animals that cannot consent to it, and the least we can do is confirm a professional has recently looked at both of them.
Where these come from
Both come from your veterinarian. A wellness exam is an ordinary appointment. You do not need to ask for anything special or mention breeding to get one.
If you have moved practices, your previous clinic can usually send records directly to your new one. Ask for the exam summary and the vaccination history as separate documents; it makes review faster.
What our reviewers check
A person reads every document. They confirm it names your dog, that it comes from a veterinary practice, and that the date falls inside the window. They are not making a medical judgement about your dog.
Anything unclear goes to manual follow-up rather than a silent rejection. If a document does not pass, you will be told why.
If your dog does not pass
Not passing is not a rejection of your dog. The most common reasons are an exam that has aged past twelve months or a document that is missing a date.
We are building a network of partner veterinarians so owners who need care to reach the baseline can get it affordably. That network does not exist yet, and we will not pretend otherwise, but it is the next thing we are building.