Home Check

Thank you for volunteering your time to conduct a foster or adopter home check for HARTT! We appreciate you representing HARTT in a positive light to interested individuals or families and making certain that our HARTT animals will be safe, secure and loved in their new homes. Visits normally take 1 hour.

YOU play a critical role in the foster or adoption process – we value and need your candid feedback about whether the environment you will be visiting is suitable for this dog.

BEFORE YOU GO:

Familiarize yourself with everything about the dog – the families will ask questions and expect you to know much of this information. Know the dog’s age, breed, temperament and health status. If you don’t know the answer to a question, don’t guess or make anything up – refer them back to our Rescue Coordinator. Be sure to know the dog’s “back story” – this information may be available from a post on the HARTT site. If you are unsure, ASK before you go (don’t wait until the last minute)!
Carefully review the foster/adoption application. Make note of anything you want to ask about or need clarification on, or items you are concerned about.
Do a “virtual” review of the property location before you arrive. Input the address into Google Maps – you should be able to get a general idea of the property, maybe the fencing, whether it backs to a busy street or the desert, if there is a swimming pool, etc.
Input the home address into any internet browser – if the home was bought/sold in the last 10-15 years, there is a good chance you can see actual pictures of the inside of the home and yard on sites like Realtor.com, Redfin.com or Zillow.com. Of course, there could have been changes made to the features of the home (and certainly the décor) since the photos were taken, but this might help you to formulate your plan for your visit. This is an easy way to ask questions ahead of time or even save a drive if you see something that’s a major concern (ie, short, 3’-4’ walls, large gaps between wrought iron fence slats, no fence at all, etc.) that could rule out the placement altogether.
STUDY this checklist so you know in advance the items you will look for, and the sequence.
BRING: a measuring tape; a clip board; this checklist; a pen; a clean, printed, color copy of the “Escape Proof your Dog” document; and information on the dog. Take pictures/video!

WHEN YOU ARRIVE:

Be professional, warm and engaging – remember, this is a BIG DEAL for this family – they are hoping to welcome a new animal family member into their home! Be courteous but don’t make any statements that make them feel they are either “approved” or “denied”. We don’t want to create false hope, however the person doing home checks usually isn’t the person with final approval authority.

While you spend time with the family, be observant and be an active listener. Notice things around the home, notice the interactions of family members, and listen to what they say – make a mental note of any concerns. For example, you may see a food bowl on the floor with food in it – they may “free-feed” their existing pets(s), but that’s a bad idea when introducing a new pet who may try to compete for food. Or, you may hear them talk about inappropriate training techniques, such as teaching housebreaking by “rubbing their nose in their business”. These types of comments could be red flags.

POINTS TO COVER:

Dogs need time to figure out this is their home. It’s best not to ask anything of the dog for the first week or so. Encourage and welcome them to join in with the family, however give them time and space if they feel overwhelmed. Try to err on the side of quieter household activities for the first few weeks (no loud cheering for TV sporting events, no rowdy play, no loud music, etc, so as not to overwhelm the new dog.

If the family has any special ideas or questions about any of the following, or similar topics, please refer these questions to HARTT’s Rescue Coordinator (and notify her when you leave the home, so she can follow up quickly):

crate training
house training or obedience training
resource guarding
introducing the new dog to a family dog or cat
medical questions about the animal beyond the information you’ve been provided
whether or not they are “approved” or would be a “good choice” for the dog

Emphasize that fosters/adopted dogs should not be taken outside the home for at LEAST 1 month.

Make sure they resist the urge to take their dog (ESPECIALLY nervous, shy or fearful ones) on neighborhood walks, to the dog park, to the pet store, or to the coffee shop. All of this can wait! The dog needs to acclimate to the home environment and understand she is safe here first, before going on an outing. The vast majority of dogs who go missing are lost within the first few weeks when the dog is still a significant flight risk.

Explain that collars (the traditional buckle or clip type) and tags STAY ON 24/7. No exceptions. However, Martingale collars that are used to keep dogs from backing out on a walk or when frightened should NOT be left on the dog – they should be removed and stay attached to the leash, when the pet is not leaving the property. When going on a walk or on an outing, the dog wears BOTH collars but the leash is attached to the Martingale, not the collar with the ID tag.

Thank the family for allowing you to visit and tell them that our Rescue Coordinator will be in touch with them within a day or two.

Volunteer information

Name(Required)

First Last

Phone number(Required)

Email(Required)

Adopter information

Name(Required)

First Last

Address(Required)

Street Address City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code

Name of pet(Required)

Front yard

Visual observation from the street only at this point, as you arrive. Is the home on or near a busy road? Quiet road? Does it back a desert area? Is the front door propped open?(Required)

Is the front yard relatively orderly?(Required)

From initial observation, is the gate leading from the back yard to the front yard secure? Any visible gaps under the fence, as viewed from the street? Is the gate propped open or ajar?(Required)

Does the fencing on the front yard side of the back yard appear at least 5’ tall? Taller? Describe:(Required)

Describe the front door area – is there a courtyard? If so, is it fenced and gated? How high? Is there a screen/security door at the front door? Does the front door itself seem to open and close securely?(Required)

Inside

Greet the family and introduce yourself. Explain that you are a volunteer, and the purpose of your visit is to get a feel for the environment where this dog would possibly be living, to identify any potential hazards, and to discuss basic techniques for keeping the dog safe. Explain that you would like to walk around the inside, then the outside, of the home. Let them know, BEFORE you walk around, that you will share this information with the Rescue Coordinator who makes the final decision about placing our HARTT animals. You can explain that everyone has clutter and not to worry about that!

As you enter the home, does the home have an open floor plan, or is there an easy way to create a secondary barrier between the front door and the living room? NOT required, but nice to have. Sometimes a small, walled entryway can be a handy place to add a gate.(Required)

Is the house excessively cluttered, or even dirty? We ALL have clutter and we don’t want families to feel like they have to live in a model home to gain our approval. But, it is reasonable to expect a clean, hygienic and reasonably tidy home for our HARTT animals. Make note of any concerns or observations here.(Required)

Is there another door that opens to a side yard or garage? Discuss the same precautions with these doors. The general rule with garage doors is that no one should open the house door until the big garage doors are fully shut – and vice versa. “Two barriers between the dog and the outside world” is a good rule of thumb!(Required)

Are there existing pets in the home? Have the family describe to you the daily routine of their dogs/cats. Where do they eat? Is there a doggie door? Where does it lead? Where do they sleep? Where do they stay when no one is home? How long are pets home alone? Do they expect to use a crate? If so, we may need to condition the dog to this first.(Required)

Outside

Walk the back yard of the property. Walk EVERY inch of fence line and inspect every gate.

How high is the fence? Use your own height as a gauge, or measure. In general, we would like to see solid, 6’ fences. 5’ fences may be ok in some cases.(Required)

Are there any GAPS in the fence where a dog can squeeze out? Don’t underestimate the ability of a determined dog to squeeze out of relatively narrow openings. Take pictures and measure any areas you are unsure about.(Required)

Are there areas under the fence where a dog, given boredom or curiosity and 15-30 minutes unsupervised, could dig out? Take pictures and measure.(Required)

Are there areas where a dog could squeeze out or under a single gate or a double/RV gate?(Required)

Is there a lock on the gate(s)? Required!(Required)

Ask about landscapers or pool service workers – do they come at the same day and time every week? Dogs need to be locked indoors with NO access to a doggie door on these days. Gates need to be checked and secured/locked before dogs are allowed outside. And, providers need to be now told that there is a new dog in the home, and they must close the gate behind them EVERY TIME they come and go from the yard.(Required)

Are there objects up against the fence that the dog can use as a “ladder” to get up and over the fence? Items like stacked building materials; AC units; pool equipment; old cars; BBQ grills; raised flower beds – all can quickly make a 6’ fence into a 3’ fence. When in doubt, take pictures!(Required)

Are there any hazardous objects which could pose a danger to the new dog? Sharp tools laying around, broken glass, rodent poison, electrical cords a puppy could chew on, etc?(Required)

Swimming Pool – Is the pool fenced? Is there direct access to the pool area via a doggie door? Is there a pool cover?(Required)

View fencing – what is the measurement of the space between the slats? Are there any areas at the corners or other spots where the space is wider? Can this dog fit through if they really try hard?(Required)

APARTMENTS: Is there a balcony? How high is the wall? Can a dog easily go through, under, or over the wall/fence? What will the family do to prevent this from happening?(Required)

Please put N/A if not an apartment.

Sit down with the family

Ask which door the family uses to come and go from the house. In some single-family homes, the front door is never used! However, packages are typically left by the front door, and guests come and go through this door. So even if this door is normally “low-use”, it doesn’t mean they don’t need to take precautions against door-dashing. Ask how they will do this and make recommendations. These can include: 1. Putting the dog in another room when they intend to open the front door 2. Putting a secondary barrier in front of the front door 3. Leashing the dog and holding him in place while the door is opened 4. Teaching and reinforcing a “stay” command and making sure the dog is a good distance from the door before opening it, then squeezing out the door carefully 5. Supervising the comings and goings of all visitors in and out of the front door

Are there children in the home? How will they teach their children about opening and closing doors quickly and carefully and keeping the dog away from the area? What about their children’s friends?(Required)

Ask about any visitors to the home – Contractors? Housekeepers? Grandchildren? Neighbors? Discuss how they plan to manage these visits and keep their new dog safe. Casual/infrequent visitors will be MUCH less vigilant than regular family members.(Required)

Are there dog toys or bones on the floor? Toys + new dog = resource guarding. We recommend discussing with the family that for at least the first few weeks, all dog toys and other high value items should be removed so there won’t be a competition for resources.(Required)