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Post by melonie on Jan 5, 2011 18:00:17 GMT -5
I've kept a lid on a possible adoption hoping not to jinx it. Tomorrow I go do a home inspection on the possible adopter. They are interested in this handsome devil:  We don't require home checks on any of our other dog breeds... just the pit bulls. And since none of our other prospects have made it this far... I haven't had to do one and I'm not very confident about what I should look for. I know what I would look for in a home if my dog were going to go live there...and heck Zeke is like my own dog and Judy is about heart broke. He will be an only dog and crated while alone. No fence yet but they plan on a fence in the spring. So any tips on what to look for would be great. |
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Post by emilys on Jan 5, 2011 18:14:55 GMT -5
"plan" on a fence is a little worrisome. Is there anything you can do to help them get the fence built before they get the dog? Otherwise: How long will he be crated during the day?... and are they committed to taking him out on a leash several times so he can at least do his business?
I would NOT judge them on housekeeping or fashion style! lol.
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Post by michele5611 on Jan 5, 2011 18:22:40 GMT -5
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Post by melonie on Jan 5, 2011 18:59:14 GMT -5
That link helps...
No fence can go in until the ground thaws. And yes, he'll have leash walks, and a tie out for business, and once a week he'll go out to the family farm where there are fenced areas to run.
I would prefer there already be a fence, but I'm not going to rule them out because they don't have one. (I don't even have one!)
The crating will be during the day... He works 3rd shift so sleeps during the day and gets up at 3/4. Wife is a teacher so she's gone from 7-4/5. I think once Zeke is trusted in the house he may end up sleeping in the bed with him.
Judy is checking his vet reference and 2 personal references.... They don't mind that we'll do another home visit after a few weeks to make sure everything is alright... and if it doesn't work for them, at any time, they can call us and we'll take him back.
I'm a bit nervous, and it's bitter sweet to see Zeke go. Judy is leaving this up to me, so I just really want to do what is best for the wiggle butt.
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Post by maryellen on Jan 5, 2011 19:44:29 GMT -5
see how they react to your dog, do they genuinely like him? how do they treat him? how do they treat each other? are they respectful of each other? do they fight with each other? bring one of your dogs with you to see how they are with him. i always bring rufus to home visits with no other dog to see how they react to a dog jumping on their furniture and walking around... that can tell ALOT about the family...
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Post by lpyrbby on Jan 16, 2011 16:31:10 GMT -5
My main concern would be the tie out....
My main premise on going to home visits are "would I trust them enough to leave MY dogs with them? Are there easy escape routes and are they aware of those concerns? Is there anything in the yard that can hurt them? Is there anything in the house that could hurt them?" along with the initial vibes, etc.
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Post by melonie on Jan 16, 2011 22:54:27 GMT -5
I ended up taking Zeke with me. Very good vibes from the family. Nice yard, not big, but more than good enough for a kid and his dog. I was fenced along the back property line, and they were planning on adding the rest of it this spring.
The house was nice, room for him to play and be silly. It is child proofed as they have a 4 yr old.
Zeke showed off his manners, his playfulness and goofiness, his obedience, his loving nature. He showed really good restraint with the little kid who wanted to play and hug etc. I am very proud of Zeke.
Unfortunately, he didn't find his forever home...again. The husband didn't feel his wife was ready to be a consistent enough when it comes to sticking to the rules, etc for Zeke.
Hopefully this year will be his year, and he'll find the perfect home!
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Post by RealPitBull on Jan 26, 2011 9:10:36 GMT -5
I just saw this thread now. Sorry it didn't work out for Zeke, but I'm keeping fingers crossed that this will be "his year"!
This is a good tread, in general. It's very helpful to have the advice of others when it comes to doing home checks and considering potential adopters. Just when you think you've looked into everything you can look into, someone brings up another good consideration. Lots of heads are better than one in this case, fer shure.
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Post by tjamison2001 on Jan 26, 2011 10:07:01 GMT -5
I have to admit I read the "planning to put a fence up" portion and literally cringed. I think it's wonderful that he has a potential home! Lets all keep our fingers crossed that they do live up to their promise of finishing the fence... because as owners... we all know how fast our little buggers can be! Good luck Zeke and please keep us posted!!
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Post by RealPitBull on Jan 26, 2011 10:35:23 GMT -5
Personally, I don't have a problem with fence/no fence. There are so many irresponsible people that have fences. A fence is not even CLOSE to a make or break thing for me. Some rescues cling to the notion of "Must have a fence!!!!!!!!" like it is the most important thing in the world. How many people have fences and never walk their dogs, leave their dogs outdoors unsupervised for hours on end, or have dogs escape through an open gate or via fence hopping? Fence or no fence, I want to know that the dog is going to be supervised when outdoors; not left alone for any length of time; walked daily and taken OFF the property to get exercise; leashed; and so on. A fenced yard is nice, don't get me wrong. I miss having one.  But a fence in and of itself should not be used to gage responsibility levels. |
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Post by suziriot on Jan 26, 2011 11:53:16 GMT -5
Personally, I don't have a problem with fence/no fence. There are so many irresponsible people that have fences. A fence is not even CLOSE to a make or break thing for me. Some rescues cling to the notion of "Must have a fence!!!!!!!!" like it is the most important thing in the world. How many people have fences and never walk their dogs, leave their dogs outdoors unsupervised for hours on end, or have dogs escape through an open gate or via fence hopping? Fence or no fence, I want to know that the dog is going to be supervised when outdoors; not left alone for any length of time; walked daily and taken OFF the property to get exercise; leashed; and so on. A fenced yard is nice, don't get me wrong. I miss having one. But a fence in and of itself should not be used to gage responsibility levels. Liz and I were just talking about this yesterday... I feel exactly the same way. It's all about the responsibility/judgment of the potential fosters/adopters.  |
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Post by RealPitBull on Jan 26, 2011 11:57:05 GMT -5
Case in point is Jackie's adopters (Marc here on the boards). They didn't have a fence at the time of the placement (they were planning on putting one up). But that really didn't bother me at all since there were all the other positives about that placement that I felt mattered much more.
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Post by loverocksalot on Jan 26, 2011 15:52:51 GMT -5
Personally, I don't have a problem with fence/no fence. There are so many irresponsible people that have fences. A fence is not even CLOSE to a make or break thing for me. Some rescues cling to the notion of "Must have a fence!!!!!!!!" like it is the most important thing in the world. How many people have fences and never walk their dogs, leave their dogs outdoors unsupervised for hours on end, or have dogs escape through an open gate or via fence hopping? Fence or no fence, I want to know that the dog is going to be supervised when outdoors; not left alone for any length of time; walked daily and taken OFF the property to get exercise; leashed; and so on. A fenced yard is nice, don't get me wrong. I miss having one. But a fence in and of itself should not be used to gage responsibility levels. I agree with this mostly because I would not have Rocky right now if a fence mattered. I have a large yard and to fence it would be costly. At first we did not have a fence. I walked Rocky within our yard showing him his potty spot. When he got a bit bigger I put up a trolly system. Supervised use. I got tired of getting whipped in the back of the legs by the cable and no way to stop others from entering the yard. There are many ways to contain a dog in the yard but these all can be a false sense of security which is why I check on Rocky often when out in the yard. |
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Post by michele5611 on Jan 26, 2011 16:03:21 GMT -5
I have a fenced in yard and while I do love the convenience of it at night and esp. with the weather we have been having in the NE lately! However, she is never ever left unattended in it nor do I use it as a substitute for exercise.
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Post by melonie on Jan 27, 2011 0:20:01 GMT -5
Fences can be a big ticket item that home owners have to put on the wishlist for awhile. In this case, the family hadn't owned their home a year yet. I will hopefully have one this spring.
I want one so that I can stay untangled while the dogs go out to do business! The dogs have gotten tangled up themselves, so it's also a safety issue.
Tonight I was reminded of one of the reasons I won't leave my dogs outside alone.... Coyotes or who knows what were hunting. You could hear them howl, and I heard the prey scream.
*uhg* I hurried the boys back inside!
I am close to the river, and empty farm fields... So this sort of racket isn't unusual... just not usually so close.
Also, the weirdo next door... I don't trust him. He likes my Winston and has expressed interest in owning him.
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Post by loverocksalot on Jan 27, 2011 7:33:07 GMT -5
one of my sons friends adopted a dog from a family member. He was a cute little black and white mix not a tiny dog more of a small medium dog. They had a FENCE but the dog kept getting out. After a stay in jail because animal control picked him up a few times, they put up a trolly. Short time after installing the trolly the dog hung himself and died. He tried to jump the fence while on the trolly and on the other side of fence was an in ground pool so he did not reach the ground.
My poor son was so horrified as he loved that dog and spent many times out searching for him and finding him when he got out. I did not condemn them as it could happen to anyone. Things happen just turning your back for a second. But the point is supervision and making sure that you put a stop on the trolly or tether so they cant get past a certain point.
A fence is more of a convenience for us. I really dont think it should be a reason to not adopt out a dog. People who live in the city have to walk their dogs. As long as the people with a yard dont intend to just let the dog out in an unfenced yard to roam.
My neighbor behind, before Rocky had a dog they some how trained not to leave the property and this dog did not nor never had a shock system. They just stayed outside with the dog for the first year or so of its life and called it back as soon as it got near property line. If the dogs ball came into my yard it would just stand on the line waiting for me to throw it back. It was amazing.
However it was cool I don't think I could ever do that. I am too nervous my dog will run away.
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Post by michele5611 on Jan 27, 2011 9:26:59 GMT -5
Also, the weirdo next door... I don't trust him. He likes my Winston and has expressed interest in owning him. What does he say is he creepy about it or just like I would like to own a dog like Winston or actually Winston  |
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Post by sugar on Jan 27, 2011 14:49:43 GMT -5
Yeah, that guy is big-time creeeeepy!
When Chubs and I lived with my parents we had a fenced in yard. Even then I hated the thought of leaving him unsupervised. Not because I thought he would escape or anything (I don't think I could kick him out if I tried,lol). I was afraid because there were a lot of people in the neighborhood who didn't like him because he was a pit (thought he was too dangerous) and others who "liked" him too much (expressed interest in him only because since his ears were clipped they thought I fought him). I was afraid he'd be stolen or poisoned. Now that Chubby is living in an apt. he is doing just fine because he gets plenty of walks (whether he wants them or not,lol). I honestly think the only thing he misses is napping in the sunshine in the yard (not that I really let him because of his hemangiosarcoma).
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Post by melonie on Jan 27, 2011 21:11:26 GMT -5
Also, the weirdo next door... I don't trust him. He likes my Winston and has expressed interest in owning him. What does he say is he creepy about it or just like I would like to own a dog like Winston or actually Winston He's creepy to start with. He expressed interest in Rhett, and the 'vibes' i got from him made me just want to hurry the heck up and get away... He saw me walking to the car w/ Rhett, and noticed he wasn't the pit bull he normally sees. Then he went on about how good Winston looks, etc. and said he said something to the effect that he wished he was his dog. He could try to break in and take my Winston, but I think my lab would likely scare him off first. He's very big, very loud, and if he is threatened he will bite. Luckily there is almost always someone home. Winston goes to the vet in a couple weeks, and I plan on getting him micro chipped. |
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But a fence in and of itself should not be used to gage responsibility levels.
