Experiences of a home check for rescue dog?

[leftyvegan]

Just wondering if anybody had experiences of a home check? After losing our Ddog recently, we’re hoping to rehome from a rescue that rehomes strays from Europe etc. But general home check experiences and how they went etc are welcome.

Tia

We've had a couple, they've both been very laid back and reasonable. They tend to ask things like where will the dog sleep, how will it be managed around work and other requirements, where will it be walked, which vet will you use. It's more to see that you have given thought to these things rather than to see if you give the exact right answers. They also checked the garden for fence height and security.

One bought a dog with them, presumably to see how we responded to it. The dog was lovely and I wanted them to leave it with us (it was their beloved pet so no danger of that!)

I've found them to be very dog-minded people who like to come and chat about their dogs, your dogs etc. I've never had anything to worry about from them.

Good luck and hope you have your new pooch soon.

I've had a home check for rescue cats and it was exactly as pp said - just making sure the environment will meet the needs of the animal and you've planned for all the logistics.

Lovely lady popped in to see us. Had a quick look at the garden. Absolutely fine. Said she would answer any questions if we had any. All they are doing is checking that the home can be a permanent place for the dog to settle. Poor things have had enough turmoil. Good luck x

It varies. Some rescues use a network of home-checkers who work with various different rescues, others only use their own.

In my experience, they all check/ask about sleeping arrangements, veterinary provision, local walks. They also generally ask about work commitments, how long the dog is likely to be left, if at all and usually want to meet all members of the household. They will want to see your garden to check for fence height/any gaps in fencing.

We’ve always had another dog at home, which I think makes it a little easier, as they are able to see your set up and assess it’s suitability. We’ve never had one bring their own dog, but I have heard plenty of people who have.

I believe some rescues are doing video home-checks at the moment. Not sure how they work, unless you have to walk around your home with a laptop or phone camera on!

I have had rescues going back 30 years and have never had a bad experience with a home-checker. They’re usually lovely people who just want the best for the dogs they are helping to rehome. Quickest and most cursory one was from the DogsTrust, which was still the NCDL back then (showing my age now). Last one (8 years ago) was a local home-checker from a national network of volunteer checkers, acting for a small independent rescue. She was more interested in our house’s architecture and age than anything else, although still did the main checks re fencing, bedding, vetsetc and ticked off her list as she was chatting with us.

Nothing to be worried about at all.

We had a video home check.
It was an interview about vets, exercise, working patterns - all the usual stuff followed by a walk around our house and garden.
I've only every had one in person before but it was fine. They just wanted to make sure the garden was fenced and secure, the house was dog safe, where she would sleep and I suppose make sure there were no hazards.
I also had to ask questions about how I would introduce guests to our new dog, how we would handle the first few days, how we would afford unexpected vets bills etc.

I home check for several rescues. Most are being done by video at the minute.

We like to meet all family members
Check the garden has secure fences (usually over 6ft but not always)
Check garden gates are secure
Check general house safety eg open plan rooms and open staircases etc.
Check doors and what they lead out onto and hallway doors
Look at general suitability of the house - usually no issue except the house with an open well in the kitchen!
Talk about other animals in the house
Talk about working hours
Discuss local trainers and vet
Check working hours and what they would do with the dog when going on holiday
Ask where the dog would sleep.
Discuss exercise requirements and what you are able to do.
Discuss where you would walk the dog
Discuss how you would transport the dog

It looks like a long list but it does not need any hugely special requirements.

I adopted a former stray Rommie. They just wanted to check my yard was secure

I’ve had a couple of them...including a video one.

But, all the questions about working hours, vets and what have you were done before the home check tbh. The home check was the very last part of applying - so it was very much just a, you definitely live here, there’s nothing worrying that didn’t come up during the application process and is the garden secure.

We are adopting a dog from Cyprus - she arrives in the early hours of Monday morning. The home check was very thorough - the rescue has contacts all over the UK, and asked their local,one to visit.

She was at great pains to talk us through all the issues and problems that a rescue dog could have, and asked how we would deal with them. We talked her through all the practicalities - where the dog would sleep, food, vet care, pet insurance etc - and how we planned to,introduce her to our current dog.

She checked that the garden was secure.

Our dog, Coco, did her best to make a good impression too, and I think she could see Coco was a contented, happy, well-cared-for dog.

If you are interested in a dog from Cyprus, I can heartily recommend Apollo’s Angels - you can find them on FB.

I'm in the process of adopting from abroad too - our home check is a video of the house and garden we have to send them. Like others have said, I think they just want to be sure that we have the space, and that the garden is secure.

Up until recently I did on-site ones and two things stick in my head for those that adopt….

1. Dogs to talk but only to those that that listen

1. It became a stipulation for the charity that back garden boundaries of adopters were as a minimum 6ft high and that the front was as secure as possible….so many stories of dogs wanting to try and escape to go back to their familiar territory

All of my ‘meets’ were very similar to @PollyRoulson.