What to expect from a home visit (rescue adoption) (how much, shepherd, shepherds)
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I posted a little bit ago about the fact that we are considering adopting a dog and had a ton of questions at that time.
We have decided to move forward and take the plunge and I've been looking into what I will need to change in our home.
What kinds of things should we have ahead of time and what will a rescue need to see in our home? We don't have a fence but I'm hoping that won't be a problem since we spend most of our days outside and usually walk 6 miles a day (to and from school, rain or shine!), go to the parks on the weekends, etc.
How long typically is the time between a home visit and when you get the pup (if approved)? I'm wondering how much time we'll have to make any recommended purchases/changes to the home after the visit.
i do home visits for a rescue here in st. louis and i will look around for things that could be potentially hazardous for a dog.... ie: reachable poisonous plants, sewing kits, easily accessible trash can(s), cleaning or other chemicals in easy reach, electrical cords laying out and about, lots of little knick knacks within dog reach. etc..... .... i also check out the yard (if there is one) and the fencing.... is it in good repair?? easy to jump over or dig under?? what kind of plants are in the yard?? but not having a fenced yard is not a deal killer for me....
dog-proofing your home is similar to baby or toddler-proofing it....
i typically spend as much, if not more, time talking with the prospective adopters.... i want to get a feel of whether they are "dog-wise" of if they are green about dogs, whether they have the willingness to put in the effort to become dog-wise.... we all have to start somewhere.....
i am pretty good at picking up a sense of people.... and that is what i rely on as much as anything .... if i do identify concerns, are they receptive to suggestions??
i am not looking for the "perfect" home .... they don't exist..... i am looking for whether i get the sense that this person or this family will give this dog the best and safest and most comfortable and loving forever home possible.....
once the home visit has been completed, i would imagine you will hear from the rescue group pretty quickly.... either way.... and if approved, a mutually convenient time will be set up for you to get your new family member......
First - thank you for deciding to help a rescue animal!
There are a few things that a rescue looks at when doing a home visit (HV). First of course are the people that live there, second is the home environment and third would be any pets that already reside in the home. If you already have a specific dog in mind, the person doing the HV looks at whether you are familiar with the breed characteristics, whether your energy is suitable for the dog's energy level and whether any children in the home would be compatible with the dog. Of course they also look at whether you seem earnest and would be committed to the time and the money it takes to take proper care of a dog. As far as the home, they look at the living conditions the animal will be living under, whether the yard is fenced (sorry but in our rescue, an unfenced yard is a deal breaker in 99% of the cases) and if the sq footage of the home is appropriate for the size of the animal. Finally, care and condition of any existing pets would be reviewed and a call to the vet for a recommendation and confirmation of care is usually done.
Best advise I can give is to be honest, ask questions and don't worry. Rescues are always looking for good people to adopt their dogs. If you are putting in an application for a specific animal, don't be discouraged if they decide to give the dog to someone other than you. It does not mean that you are bad or unfit, it just means that in their opinion someone else is a better fit for that particular dog. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Rescue groups don't want the dog to come back (sometimes with bad habits and problems they didn't have before) so yes they are careful.
I would ask yourself (and maybe I would ask these if I was a HV person) ok so you walk everyday. How often do YOU go to the bathroom a day? You need to plan how your going to potty your dog that many times a day without a fenced in yard.
You spend your days outside - do you want to spend them holding a leash?
Where will the dog spend most of its days?
I did the rescue HV thing for a short time. I must say I was dismayed by the number of dogs in rescue because "now we have a real kid" (Lord how many times have I heard that) or "the kids take too much time and its not fair to our now 8/9/10 year old dog" or "we want to move and can't get into the school district neighborhood we want with the dogs because the HOA doesn't allow it" - that's a true story - two 7 yr old Australian Shepherds, kicked to the curb. Thus I personally tend to be leery of people with no kids. At least someone with a kid knows what they are up against with adding to family, furred and human.
First - thank you for deciding to help a rescue animal!
There are a few things that a rescue looks at when doing a home visit (HV). First of course are the people that live there, second is the home environment and third would be any pets that already reside in the home. If you already have a specific dog in mind, the person doing the HV looks at whether you are familiar with the breed characteristics, whether your energy is suitable for the dog's energy level and whether any children in the home would be compatible with the dog. Of course they also look at whether you seem earnest and would be committed to the time and the money it takes to take proper care of a dog. As far as the home, they look at the living conditions the animal will be living under, whether the yard is fenced (sorry but in our rescue, an unfenced yard is a deal breaker in 99% of the cases) and if the sq footage of the home is appropriate for the size of the animal. Finally, care and condition of any existing pets would be reviewed and a call to the vet for a recommendation and confirmation of care is usually done.
Best advise I can give is to be honest, ask questions and don't worry. Rescues are always looking for good people to adopt their dogs. If you are putting in an application for a specific animal, don't be discouraged if they decide to give the dog to someone other than you. It does not mean that you are bad or unfit, it just means that in their opinion someone else is a better fit for that particular dog. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
the necessity of a fenced yard depends much on the dog and its size and energy level.... same with the s.f. of the house.... although my house is smallish (1400SF) and 2 dogs 55 and 65 lbs, 2 cats and 2 humans are just fine.....
i didn't have my yard fenced until about 2-1/2 years ago..... bailey was just fine walking on leash or on a lead with me in the front yard.....
the necessity of a fenced yard depends much on the dog and its size and energy level.... same with the s.f. of the house.... although my house is smallish (1400SF) and 2 dogs 55 and 65 lbs, 2 cats and 2 humans are just fine.....
i didn't have my yard fenced until about 2-1/2 years ago..... bailey was just fine walking on leash or on a lead with me in the front yard.....
Thats why I said only 99% instead of 100%. Very few rules are set in concrete - there are always exceptions. Chessies are normally high energy, high intelligence and have a stubborn streak a mile wide. (yea - all that and I still love their wooly little behinds!) Unfortunately, they also can be very territorial so there are liability issues to consider for the rescue if a dog goes to a family with no fenced yard.
Rescue groups don't want the dog to come back (sometimes with bad habits and problems they didn't have before) so yes they are careful.
I would ask yourself (and maybe I would ask these if I was a HV person) ok so you walk everyday. How often do YOU go to the bathroom a day? You need to plan how your going to potty your dog that many times a day without a fenced in yard.
Uhh, let's see...I use the potty about 3-4 times a day. But, just because we only walk 2-3 times a day doesn't mean I wouldn't take the dog out when they had to potty. If they needed to go out I'd take them out. Personally, I feel that dogs need supervision (like a child) so even if I had a fence yard, I'd still be in the yard when the dog is out.
You spend your days outside - do you want to spend them holding a leash?
Why not? Usually I'm just sitting on the steps watching my children, walking the cul-de-sac talking to neighbors, picking weeds, playing with the kids...etc. I could use that time to interact with the dog as well.
Where will the dog spend most of its days?
The dog would be indoors. When I'm inside the dog would be inside. When I'm outside the dog would have the option to come outside (obviously if he/she wanted to lounge I wouldn't force him/her outside).
We have neighbors that put their dogs in the yard for hours at a time. They are well mannered dogs but they have no human interaction. In this sense I don't really think a fence is a good thing. I would hope most rescues doing a home visit would take our lifestyle into consideration more than a fence in the yard.
We thought of putting a fence in before a dog but that would really be a waste of money. I'd rather get the dog and determine the best type of fence to install depending on the dogs needs. My neighbors on either side have a 3 1/2 foot fence so ideally I'd just bump up to their fences, but what if we wind up with a young dog that we love and then find out that he/she can scale a fence of that height when they reach full adult size?
I did the rescue HV thing for a short time. I must say I was dismayed by the number of dogs in rescue because "now we have a real kid" (Lord how many times have I heard that) or "the kids take too much time and its not fair to our now 8/9/10 year old dog" or "we want to move and can't get into the school district neighborhood we want with the dogs because the HOA doesn't allow it" - that's a true story - two 7 yr old Australian Shepherds, kicked to the curb. Thus I personally tend to be leery of people with no kids. At least someone with a kid knows what they are up against with adding to family, furred and human.
I know there are a lot of factors that rescues have to consider. We have thought long and hard about this decision and have waited a good number of years to make this addition (didn't want to do it until our children were all school-aged). Our pets are pets for life and are members of our family (yup, they get special dinners on holidays, Christmas Stockings, we celebrate their birthdays...etc). I can't think of any reason I'd have to get rid of a pet...my kitties are like my kids and we treat them as such, a dog would be no different. We are not lazy pet owners and realize a LOT of work will go into adding a dog to our family and we are now ready to take on that responsibility.
If we have issues adopting through a rescue we will look into shelter adoption. A rescue is our first route because we like knowing that someone is familiar with the dog enough to determine if it would be a good fit for our famiily. We do have a friend that is a trainer/vet-tech so if we cannot find a dog through rescue my friend has offered to come with us to the shelters to help make the best choice with the limited interaction we would get there.
We are just trying to determine what exactly a rescue looks for in a home and if it's a total waste of time due to the fact that we do not have a fence. I'm sure that depends on the rescue and we would have to research their criteria before deciding to work with a particular rescue.
My suggestion is to have the house clean but don't worry about it being spotless. I don't want to worry that one of the dogs I"m adopting out will have an accident and you'll freak. The spotless, flawless homes actually worry me more than one that's got dust on the top of the door frame.
I check to make sure the information on the application does match what I'm actually seeing. I had one person apply and say they lived in a 5,000+ sq ft brand new home on a lake and had a boat on the dock out back. When I got there, they lived in a duplex on a canal. Now, I have no problem with someone in a duplex on a canal adopting a dog from me. But I do have a problem with a liar.
Be very open about everything. Don't try to come off as someone that knows all there is to know about dogs / specific breed you're looking to adopt. I'd rather someone have only basic info and be willing to ask questions.
Show them the dog bed you've purchased and where the dog will sleep and spend it's days. Just make sure you're house looks as ready for the dog as you do.
And be excited! I want to know the people adopting are thrilled and eager to be bringing a new family member home. Don't try to 'play cool' like you could care less either way.
And let us know how it goes!!
Last edited by SouthernBelleInUtah; 05-16-2010 at 01:27 PM..
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