aaagh, being home checked tomorrow - fence height

[kitsmummy]

Being home checked for a rescue boxer cross puppy tomorrow. We have a large garden, all fenced in at the front and sides and a wall along the back.

When I filled in the adoption form I was abroad and guessed at fence height being 1m 50cm at lowest. We've come back from hols, put fencing up along the back of the garden and in some places the wall that it's up against is much lower than I remembered, meaning the fencing is 1m 10cm at lowest point.

There is a 5ft drop the other side of the wall into a field and up to this point we've never had a fence there at all and neither my dog nor any of the other 10 or so dogs that have visited in the past couple of years have jumped over the wall and down into the field.

But now I'm panicking that the home checker is going to say that the fencing isn't high enough. Does anyone have any experience of this and any idea whether the fence will pass the test? In every other way I'd say we're a great home for the dog - we live very rurally, fields all around, we have another very happy dog.

thanks

When we were home checked recently the checker seemed much more interested in the fact that our existing dog is happy and obviously well cared for than anything else. Ditto our friends who were checked last year by the RSPCA - they have a communal garden and the guy who visited them was not bothered at all. It seems to depend on the rescue, and if they do have a problem can you just offer to put some trellis up to increase the height a bit?

thanks, I'm really hoping that they'll look at the overall picture and realise it's a lovely home for a dog. It's not like it's totally open or anything, it's just not the 1m 50cm that I thought it would be. I don't think we could add trellis as it's wire fencing (think chicken wire but stronger) and it's attached to the top of 5ft posts already so wouldn't have any more wood to hammer into if you see what I mean.

Just cross your fingers for a sensible checker then! We know loads of people with rescue dogs and none who have had to change their fences to satisfy the rescue centre. No doubt there are one or two who are a bit anal, but I hope that they are few and far between. Good luck!

will update tomorrow!

We had our garden checked last week. The volunteer made a bit of a fuss about the fence height, it's about 4ft. She failed to spot that the puppy could get under the gates at either side of the house!
She reported her findings back to the RSPCA and they weren't concerned, we picked up our Labrador cross puppy last Friday. The gates now have chicken wire across the bottom.

Good luck!

We got our rescue dog from a private home because Springer rescue insisted we needed a 6 foot fence! Apparently they can jump anything lower. We live in rented accommodation so couldn't alter the fencing. We already had a very happy springer, worked from home and lived very rurally.

I now have 2 springers and a 3 foot fence and they could get out but don't as they're trained. Wouldn't pass a homing test, but my dogs are happy and well cared for.

I don't actually think you need a secure garden if you offer plenty of exercise and supervised/tethered garden time.

Good luck, hope you get someone sensible and not a jobsworth!

It depends very much on the breed and their escaping tendancies/capability, along with the age/temperament of the dog you are being assessed for.

I homecheck for sighthound charities - we insist on high, solid walls for very good reasons. Even then, if it's an elderly dog, say, who is known not to be a chaser, then things may relax.

Homecheckers are committed volunteers and don't appreciate being called "anal" or "Jobsworths" because we care about the safety of the dog and of other pets/livestock who may live nearby.

Good luck with your homecheck and your new puppy.

Fair point, sorry.

We rescued from rspca, lady didnt even really look at the boundary, just said ooh its a lovely size, i take it its fenced at the back. That was it! Good luck, i remember how anxious i was!