Rescue homecheck

[Clutterfreeintraining]

I've tried searching the forum but it keeps saying no!!

I've been considering getting a dog for several years and think now might be a good time to go for it.
Several friends follow a local-ish rescue centre on fb so I see their updates quite often and would like to approach them about rehoming one of their dogs.
Can anyone tell me what's involved in a homecheck? Is it a standard check or does each centre have their own checklist? I've never owned a dog and want to check we'd even be considered before getting ds' hopes up - he's desperate for a dog!!

Each rescue will have a slightly different criteria but a lot of it will be similar stuff. They will want to check your garden is secure and fences high enough, they may want to see where the dog would sleep. They may also ask questions about how long the dog will be left and children visiting/in the household (unless this sort of thing has been asked).

Hi OP, I do homecheck, every rescue has their own way but on the whole, it’s secure garden, your experience, expectations, plans for the dog etc, it’s not about your decor.
If you want to PM me I may know the rescue and it’s policies 😉

Thanks for the replies.
Will pm you bookworm.

I've both had a homecheck and done them for that rescue (a grand total of 2 so I'm no expert!) but it sounds like you haven't approached them at all yet? Do that first, explain your circumstances and see what they say. In my experience we were turned away by a few- we went breed specific- but found one that allowed rehoming in our circumstances (small kids being the issue). You'll usually do the bulk of it over the phone/ by visiting them and the homecheck is mainly to verify that what you say is true- that you have a suitable home/ garden/ space etc. They do ask questions but you'll be going over what's been discussed already. You'll unlikely get a home check first, it takes time from volunteers usually so would be a last hurdle rather than the first. There's a dog ready to go at our rescue that's been 'placed' and the HC is the very very last thing before collection. If you tell the truth on your application you're unlikely to fail a homecheck.

Thanks for the reply.
I've been messaging the lady who runs the centre this evening and she's said she'll contact a local homechecker tomorrow.

I'm not sure my garden is secure enough - the wall on one side is about 4 feet high and no option to change that.
Also, I'm a childminder so there are small children around most days. However, ds (17yrs) is home for a lot of the day and I have a retired relative living next door so I am confident that we'd manage just fine.

I do home checks for a couple of rescues
I work to a checklist and the security of the garden would be a concern, as would the children to be honest.
It’s not about having no risks at all though, it’s about knowing there are risks and how to mitigate them

I think you might find the childminding an issue, in my limited experience(!) rescues tend to only rehome to homes with older children....they also requested that our whole family met the dog on a few occasions before we could take him home.

I thought they were very strict. They want people who don’t work, no small children, and a very secure garden.
They also asked about where the dog would sleep, and where it would be kept if you go out for a short amount of time without the dog.

It made me think that we probably aren’t suitable for rehoming a dog.

In the end we bought a puppy. I work 3 days a week. We have a dog walker who comes into our house when I’m at work to take her for a good walk. Or a play in our house if weather is really bad.

We went away for a week. Our dog walker looked after our dog at his house, she was spoilt rotten. We missed her so much !!

I got the impression that you are more likely to pass the check if you don’t work or are retired and have the time to give to a maybe traumatised dog. Which ruled us out. We failed because of garden security. Which we have since rectified for our dog.

Good luck!

Our homechecker was mostly interested in the security of the garden and access via the front door to a main road.

A rescue dog will have very high needs and I am not sure that, as a childminder, you could give the dog the peace it will need. I wonder if you have asked the parents what they feel about bring a Rescue into the home. I would not like small children around it and would probably look for another minder.

Thanks for the replies.

Re the childminding - I'm out of the house for much of the day and there are areas of the house that are kept childfree. Ds is only out of the house for max 2 hours at a time and I have a retired relative next door who is also keen for us to get a dog.

I'm assuming that a reliable rescue centre would carefully match us with a suitable dog. Several local childminders have rescue dogs so with careful planning/risk assessing, it can work. Also, I plan to only have school children in the not too distant future so we might just have to wait until then to be matched with the right dog.

I am only going on my experience with my Dog, so cannot speak for all Rescues. She came to us after spending 8 years in a loving home and was used to children and cats. We found that she was very clingy and insecure. We planned to let her sleep downstairs but she cried so much that she now sleeps in the bedroom. After 2 years she is so much better than she was but still has to be just a few feet away from us at all times. She is quite possessive of me and will occasionally growl at DH. She is good with my GCs, but they are used to dogs and know that she is not a dog ever to be fussed over. She does not like being touched.

My advice would be to go for a relatively small dog and avoid working dogs or terriers as they are very high need. Whippets and greyhounds seem to very good with children. I agree that it will be better to wait until you have school age children as they are able to understand the rules of being around a dog.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm waiting to hear from the rescue centre so will discuss all potential issues with them and go from there.

I regularly do home checks for a local breed specific charity. My main concern when viewing a potential home is the garden and ensuring it has adequate fencing. For us we won't rehome to anywhere with less than 6ft fencing, but other rescues may be more flexible depending on the breed you're looking at.

My next focus, particularly with first time owners is ensuring they fully understand the commitment that is taking on a rescue dog. I'll always try to keep this light and conversational, chatting about our own dogs and things that surprised us or that we've learnt since owning the breed. Essentially I'm wanting to see that you've thought about how the dog will fit into your life, what your plans for the dog are when you're at work - have you thought about the costs of daycare/dog walkers if necessary and can you afford it, what will you do if the dog is injured/sick and again are you aware of the costs, will you insure or not, how will you deal with toilet training/general training/behavioural issues etc, where will the dog sleep, essentially just ensuring the potential owner has considered all aspects of owning a dog and that the dog you're considering will fit with your lifestyle.

In your circumstances I would want to know what your contingency would be if your nearby relative was no longer able to help out. I'd also want to know how you plan to keep both the dog and children safe when you're childminding but depending on the specific dog this wouldn't be a total deal-breaker.