Preparing for a home visit

[Mama_Wolf]

After doing a lot of searching, we finally found a rescue place near us that seems to do a pretty good job with their huskies. We've decided to fill out the application and see if we can bring home one of their girls. Juneau needs a friend. Even though I play with her throughout the day and walk her, she is just bored!

Anyways, part of the process is a home visit. While I think it's a good thing, I'm unsure how to get ready for one. Our house is kind of cluttered, so I've been making sure the past few days to pick things up, throw stuff away that needs to be, etc. The three bedrooms in the house are completely locked off and Juneau is not allowed in them. One is our bedroom, which is a disaster area *sigh* The cats usually stay in there, sleep on the bed, have their water there, etc. The other room is my hubby's junk room, which is filled with God knows what :eek: The last room is a guest room/library. ALL of the animals are kept out of the last two rooms. Except for a gate into the bedroom, we keep the other doors closed. Would they need to inspect these rooms on a home visit? If so, *sigh* I doubt my hubby will be able to clean his junk room . . . I was just planning on making sure all doors were closed and stating that the rooms are off-limits for the dogs.

As far as the backyard, we just need to take a weed whacker to it and everything is fine. Since we have a 6-ft. fence and we're going to block off the hot tub area on Saturday, I don't see an issue with it.

On a side note, what are your thoughts about dog doors and huskies? Juneau is starting to get in the habit of not asking out and sneaking down the back hall to poo. In the morning, when we do force her out, she comes back in pretty quickly, settles down, and waits before she poos in the hall. (Also, hubby isn't always attentive when I go to bed, so . . . ) I was thinking about blocking her off in our laundry room and putting a dog door there for her to access during the night; however, my dad voiced some concerns about a dog being outside unattended.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[Rosemary]

I am not sure as I have never had a home visit (I'm in SA), but I would think they would need to see the whole house. Whether they (the dogs) are allowed into that room or not - accidents do happen. A door can be left open and they could make their way into that room without you even being aware of it.

I know my two occasionally get past our kiddy gate and into the bedrooms - I find them when they are having the time of their life jumping from bed to bed I think in the case of your hubbies junk room - could you perhaps lock it, so that it is definitely husky proofed?, as they can, and will open doors if they want to.

I am sure someone with experience of home visits will be along shortly to help, but good luck with the tidying up

[Charley]

Honestly not sure hun, I can't remember who it is as Ive been away for a while but there is a member on here who is part of a husky rescue that would probably be able to help - if I remember their name I'll tag them for you. Good luck x

[jules dief taz tor]

we just let the home checker do what they wanted , we have 3 sibes so we were pretty much sibe proofed anyway lol

[Shadow-Kodah-Drako]

when we had our home visit all they done was ask questions about our life styles, if we worked, how long would the dog be left on their own, with all the talking going on shadow our first husky lay next to her. As we already had a husky & she could see how we take care of him we got accepted straight away with another.Our home visit didn't even look around our house but we just showed her our garden, hope this helps:D

[BingBlaze n Skyla]

when we got home checked for bings they just checked to see if our garden was secure really

i know hes not a sibe but im sure they will look for the same thing - n u already have a sibe so that helps

[mike_p]

I'm not part of a husky rescue but I am a trustee of a German Shepherd Rescue. So I commission homechecks and make decisions based on the homecheck reports. (Though clearly there are certain things that need to be checked differently for a husky compared with a GSD.)

First thing is don't tidy your house for the home check. We 're not there to award prizes for good housekeeping. In fact when I do homechecks, if a home is too neat and tidy, it will go against the home. (A house proud mum is liable to want to evict a mess making furbaby!)

We want to make sure that your life style is suitable. If you want a puppy yet the puppy is going to be left at home all day alone, then you're going to fail. Some people stupidly try to lie about such things, but an alert homechecker will notice inconsistencies. If you think you need to cheat the homechecker, it probably means that you know your home isn't suitable.

I ask our homeheckers to carefully look at the behaviour and condition of existing dogs in the home. If the dogs look in good condition and happy, that tells you most of the story!

If there are a few minor problems arising, we'll normally advise the home to get them sorted: eg fix holes in fencing.

Thats just a few points for you to consider. If anything else comes to mind I'll post again.

If you have any concerns about the homecheck, do talk about it to the rescue involved.

[Sabien&Abs]

I would think that they would want to check your garden is secured. I wouldn't think they would look around your whole house, it will also be about talking to you to find out about you and your lifestyle. My mum had a home check recently with the RSPCA for a cat (I know it's not the same as a husky) and they did not look around the whole house. Good luck, hope it goes well and let us know how you get on.

[Mama_Wolf]

I'm not part of a husky rescue but I am a trustee of a German Shepherd Rescue. So I commission homechecks and make decisions based on the homecheck reports. (Though clearly there are certain things that need to be checked differently for a husky compared with a GSD.)

First thing is don't tidy your house for the home check. We 're not there to award prizes for good housekeeping. In fact when I do homechecks, if a home is too neat and tidy, it will go against the home. (A house proud mum is liable to want to evict a mess making furbaby!)

We want to make sure that your life style is suitable. If you want a puppy yet the puppy is going to be left at home all day alone, then you're going to fail. Some people stupidly try to lie about such things, but an alert homechecker will notice inconsistencies. If you think you need to cheat the homechecker, it probably means that you know your home isn't suitable.

I ask our homeheckers to carefully look at the behaviour and condition of existing dogs in the home. If the dogs look in good condition and happy, that tells you most of the story!

If there are a few minor problems arising, we'll normally advise the home to get them sorted: eg fix holes in fencing.

Thats just a few points for you to consider. If anything else comes to mind I'll post again.

If you have any concerns about the homecheck, do talk about it to the rescue involved.

Thanks for the advice! Although, coming from a midwestern family, the house is to be CLEANED before company. It's all in my breeding Aside from getting the hot tub fenced off (which is scheduled for this weekend!!) and weed whacking the backyard, I think we're actually doing really well!!!

w00t! Off to fill out application!

[Sarah]

One other thing to consider is cats - some rescue's won't rehome to a house that has cats - even if a husky is already present

[26nikita]

First thing is don't tidy your house for the home check. We 're not there to award prizes for good housekeeping. In fact when I do homechecks, if a home is too neat and tidy, it will go against the home. (A house proud mum is liable to want to evict a mess making furbaby!)

I have to say I have a problem with this statement. I'm like Mama_Wolf, it's taught into some of us that you clean a house before company. In fact, I "spring" clean once a week becuase it makes me feel good to have a clean home. That doesn't mean I will get rid of a dog. Dakota has been in my home for almost 11 years now. I'm sure you didn't mean it as the deciding factor, but I just don't agree that it should be a negative for the potential adopter.

[mike_p]

I have to say I have a problem with this statement. I'm like Mama_Wolf, it's taught into some of us that you clean a house before company. In fact, I "spring" clean once a week becuase it makes me feel good to have a clean home. That doesn't mean I will get rid of a dog. Dakota has been in my home for almost 11 years now. I'm sure you didn't mean it as the deciding factor, but I just don't agree that it should be a negative for the potential adopter.

I don't see any difficulties. What you have described is cleaning as part of your normal routine, not cleaning specifically because it's a home check.

[Husky42]

One other thing to consider is cats - some rescue's won't rehome to a house that has cats - even if a husky is already present

I think I need to send them pictures of Kodi and jack then... :-)

[26nikita]

I don't see any difficulties. What you have described is cleaning as part of your normal routine, not cleaning specifically because it's a home check.

Yes, but as you say, if a house is too tidy it's a negative. I keep my house very tidy when I have company over. I would clean specifically for a home check. I clean before anyone would come over. So how do you know the difference in a potential adopter? All I'm saying is... even the clean freaks love having dogs in their home.

[Kissu & Aara]

I dunno. I'm sure he would line it up with other things, instead of just walking in and seeing how clean it is and saying no. A close friend of my aunts is a home checker for a sheltie rescue here. Obviously they don't shed half as bad as huskies, but houses that are too clean raises concern. My aunt was declined cause of how clean her house was. Her friend told her that in most cases when a house is extremely clean, they either end up returning the dog or attempting to sell it for profit. Same excuse always being "I wasn't aware keeping the house clean would be this difficult with a second/third/fourth dog".

[Mama_Wolf]

Yes, but as you say, if a house is too tidy it's a negative. I keep my house very tidy when I have company over. I would clean specifically for a home check. I clean before anyone would come over. So how do you know the difference in a potential adopter? All I'm saying is... even the clean freaks love having dogs in their home.

I understand some of the points made, but I really have to agree with you! Whenever I know company is coming over, I channel my inner cleaning maven and go on a rampage against anything that could be conceived as dirty. I guess, after they schedule a home visit, I need to make sure not to vacuum for a couple of days and leave some dishes in the sink. *shrug* But, for heaven's sake, I grew up with Norwegian Elkhounds (always two at a time), so I am fully aware, familiar, and prepared for the amount of hair a husky sheds. Really, after Juneau's last big blowout, it wasn't anything compared to living with two Elkhounds! :eek: Just because I like to keep my house clean and looking spotless with company over doesn't mean that I will be unhappy with another husky. Also, considering that we've owned Juneau for over a year, they might understand a clean house . . . ?

[26nikita]

I understand some of the points made, but I really have to agree with you! Whenever I know company is coming over, I channel my inner cleaning maven and go on a rampage against anything that could be conceived as dirty. I guess, after they schedule a home visit, I need to make sure not to vacuum for a couple of days and leave some dishes in the sink. *shrug* But, for heaven's sake, I grew up with Norwegian Elkhounds (always two at a time), so I am fully aware, familiar, and prepared for the amount of hair a husky sheds. Really, after Juneau's last big blowout, it wasn't anything compared to living with two Elkhounds! :eek: Just because I like to keep my house clean and looking spotless with company over doesn't mean that I will be unhappy with another husky. Also, considering that we've owned Juneau for over a year, they might understand a clean house . . . ?

I'm the exact same way! I'm not saying my house is spotless 24/7, just that I don't feel right having company over without cleaning the house and making sure it's tidy. I just find this a bit disheartening becuase I have already decided to rescue for any future pets and it just bugs me that my tidy house will count against me. If I left things untidy, to me, that's like lying to them becuase it just isn't how I operate. I know it's not the only deciding factor to turn someone down and this is just a small factor to the overal evaluation of a person's suitablility. I get that! I just can't help it, it bothers me.

Mama_Wolf, I wish you luck in your home evaluation! Despite having a tidy house , I'm sure you will pass and have a new furbaby soon! Please post lots of pics!!

[Mama_Wolf]

I'm the exact same way! I'm not saying my house is spotless 24/7, just that I don't feel right having company over without cleaning the house and making sure it's tidy. I just find this a bit disheartening becuase I have already decided to rescue for any future pets and it just bugs me that my tidy house will count against me. If I left things untidy, to me, that's like lying to them becuase it just isn't how I operate. I know it's not the only deciding factor to turn someone down and this is just a small factor to the overal evaluation of a person's suitablility. I get that! I just can't help it, it bothers me.

Mama_Wolf, I wish you luck in your home evaluation! Despite having a tidy house , I'm sure you will pass and have a new furbaby soon! Please post lots of pics!!

I hope so, too!! I'm afraid that they will automatically decide against us, because we have cats My hubby tells me to stop worrying, but that's like asking someone not to breathe When I hear back from them, I will let everyone know about the interview, home visit, etc. Thanks!

[jnetser]

I will comment on the dog door. I have had one for years but just this summer started letting them have access to the yard when no one is home and at night. This was a big deal for me as I am a very conservative, paranoid owner. It has been working well for the most part. We are gone about 9 hours a day and accidents are now rare. I will say, I have an 8 foot fence that is buried 2 feet, so 6 feet above ground. All gates are padlocked. My dogs are not barkers. The only problems we have had are occasional household items found outside and a few outside items found inside. We are not sure what we will do this winter as the dog door is in an unheated porch that has to be closed in the winter. If my yard was not 100% secure I would not do it. One of my dogs has fear aggression toward strangers so no one will be climbing my fence either. I think you just have to carefully look at your own situation.

[Mistyrayn]

I hope so, too!! I'm afraid that they will automatically decide against us, because we have cats My hubby tells me to stop worrying, but that's like asking someone not to breathe When I hear back from them, I will let everyone know about the interview, home visit, etc. Thanks!

sorry but i think having cats will go against you with SHCGB & SHWA