Doing a home visit (non pug)

I'm doing a home visit tonight here in MN for a rescue that I help out with in Louisiana. I've only done HV several times for other groups. I normally do them for rescues that I volunteer with locally or am fostering the dog/cat myself. This young dog could be consdiered special needs. Her and her siblings were thrown on a highway. She was the only one that survived,but did sustain injury and has a limp and a bit of a deformity. I already feel like my inner protective lioness is coming out. They have no fenced in yard. Being the dog is part beagle/terrier she could be a door charger if she sees a squirrel,etc. I know I can be picky,anal and over protective(Virgo) The family that is interested in adopting Eden went and volunteered with their church group at the rescue in NOLA. When I fostered pitbulls I would have to check with the potential adopter's insurance to make sure they were allowed to have a bully breed. So that's where the anal and pickiness comes from,plus of course it was my fosters at the time.

Any pointers from the pros? Also keep your fingers crossed that there won't be a horrendous storm,like the weather man predicted.

Trish

Biggest piece of advice: Go with your instincts and ask the tough questions. Good luck!

Personally, I won't adopt to a family that has a yard that is unfenced. Some where on the property has to be fenced as I just don't trust that people will be vigilant about having a dog on leash. We've made few exceptions to that--but in both instances the folks had a house across the street from a fenced off leash park and did eventually fence in their own yard.

AND I would never, ever adopt a beagle mix to any home without a fenced yard. Ever.

I don't think that every dog-owning home needs to have a fenced yard-- I didn't have one when I adopted Sammy, but have since fenced it. But I would be very skeptical about a beagle/terrier mix without one. I'd ask for their plans for exercising the dog and/or providing mental stimulation if his/her physical status would make exercise not possible or a great option. (You might need to have the mental stimulation discussion anyway.) And I'd discuss your concerns about prey drive/charging the door/wanderlust. That could be as simple of a solution as a home layout that would allow for a baby gate inside the house keeping the dog out of the entryway, which would serve as an airlock of sorts.

So in short, I wouldn't write them off entirely, but I'd have the difficult conversations. If they seem like they're aware of the risks and working to find a solution, that says a lot to me. If they're oblivious and unwilling to make changes, then I'd say that's not the right fit.

I do think it's possible to be too strict with fenced yards. One of my best friends has adopted several beagle rescues over the years. They were rejected once because they lived about a mile and a half from a major road. This was in spite of the fact that they had a secure high fenced back yard. I mean, really, when your rescue is in the suburbs of Washington DC, who's not going to live close to a major road???

I think everyone has a "rescue was unreasonable or too rigid" story to tell--just as all of us in rescue have "people can't be trusted" stories to tell. But most of the rules come because of bad experiences. I don't know most of the people who apply for my fosters and my job is to eliminate the risks I can eliminate and an unfenced yard is a risk. Maybe they are the most responsible people in the world, but I don't know that and their assurance just isn't enough for me. I've been assured by all kinds of people that (1) they would never get rid of a dog because they had children (we've had three dogs returned this year--all had been with the family for more than a year--because adopters had a new baby), (2) would never over crate or use crating punitively (two of the returned dogs were being crated for 18 hours a day once the new baby arrived) or (3) leave a dog out unsupervised or in the heat (I did a home visit recently where the resident dog was sunburnt from being left on the deck for the afternoon). My lack of trust comes from experience. And all of these adopters were thoroughly scrutinized--home visits, reference checks, follow up checkins, etc.

The one and only time I ever adopted a dog to a family with an unfenced yard, he was run over by a garbage truck and killed. Lesson learned.

Obviously, if you're in an apartment or a condo, you may not have a yard and then I'm not going to refuse you--but folks who have yards that can be fenced, then I'm always going to go with a fenced yard over an unfenced one.

Trust your gut, Trish.

The home visit is complete. I have to admit I am very impressed with them,especially the seven year old boy. He's very sweet and respectful towards his pets. I do have some concerns. I will be talking with the rescue tomorrow. If I had met the dog in person,this would be much easier to judge the situation. The potential adopter told me that she is very non reactive when at the shelter when all the other dogs were barking. Nothing really phased her. I've only been told she's a beagle terrier mix and haven't even seen a picture of her. So she might not even be this. I did have some serious talks as far as me being concerned about their cats and having a safe spot for them or escape route in the house. Quite often when dogs in NOLA have been roaming in packs,they will kill and eat cats for survival. So I need to know for sure that this dog has been cat tested. The other thing is they do have an invisible fence. I am iffy about those. I was also told the dog would never be outside unsupervised and would be going for walks 3-4 times a day and to a fenced in dog park. She would also be outside whe they were outside,tethered to the owner. I also suggested to her about the super long lunge lines that are used for training. She also asked if it would be okay for her to call me for any advice that she may need. They live off of a quiet dirt road on about 8-10 acres and some wooded. they also get wild critters in the yard,which is another concern I have.

Thanks for everyone's advice,I appreciate it.

Trish