Foster Home Check

Address being homechecked *
Check fencing height and stability, note different heights and any holes in fence, what fence is made of, are there any items in the front/back yard which a dog may be able to easily climb to get over the fence *
Is there any wandering jew or karaka trees? *
Is there any items the dog might injure themselves on (scrap metal etc) *
What is the condition of the lawn? Lots of grass? Muddy? *
How big is the lawn? (suitable for high energy dogs? Big dogs? Little dogs?) *
Is there shade or shelter outside? Verandah/deck with shade sail or pergola or awning etc *
Is there stock nearby? *
Is the outdoor area tidy and are any gardening sprays/soils/fertilizers away? *
What type of access is there between the secured outdoor area and inside? *
Is it easy to access the yard from the street? *
Indoors - Any hazards? (low placed salt lamps, sharp objects, open fire or fire with no safety guard sewing or craft area where the dog might eat sharp things or choking hazards) *
Where will the dog sleep? *
Is there a cat/dog door? *
Does the person seem confident? *
Does the person have a dog already – if so, observe and make notes about behaviour, is the dog allowed on furniture/beds, do they jump up, bark continuously etc
Observe and make an educated guess about whether this person can confidently set appropriate boundaries with a rescue dog. It is very important our fosterers don’t baby the dogs and overcompensate for a dog’s past situation by allowing them to rule the roost. Boundaries are super important! *
Get them talking about their previous experience with dogs, maybe ask them if they have ever had to deal with a difficult situation (dog fight, barking, chewing etc) use open-ended questions like “Have you ever had a dog that has chewed things they shouldn’t of? How did you handle it?” *
Ask about their favourite training methods, enrichment methods and exercising off & on lead walks/areas/parks *
Who lives at the home and/or frequents the home? *
Ask them about their neighbours. Do they get on with their neighbours? Do their neighbours have animals? What is their relationship like? *
Take lots of pics and send through, and add lots of notes. Also advise next steps.
Name of homechecker *