š¶Ā Please note: This article assumes that you have already read part 1 of this new mini series, which specifically relates to homechecks on your garden/s.Ā š¶ This mini series aims to help you prepare for your new Romanian, overseas or U.K. rescue dog, as well as your homecheck.
Last time, we started to look at homechecks & what observations, risk assessments, & recommendations a homechecker might potentially make, specifically with regards to your garden/s.Ā
This time, we will move on to focus upon your home environment.Ā
This article looks at some common & generic aspects & is by no means exhaustive or representative of every rescue &/or homechecker's criterion.Ā
It is hoped that by considering how your home & garden should be, this article might help you to consider further whether or not you feel ready &/or able to foster or adopt a dog at this time.
Again, we must start by pointing out that no two homechecks will ever be the same & the elements considered will depend on the criteria of the individual rescue, the individual homechecker, &/or it might also depend on the dog you're interested in, if they have any special requirements.
Here, we intend to cover the main aspects, which will not only help you to reflect & prepare, but may also help you with the actual homecheck.
Again, we cannot state enough that this article hasn't been produced as any kind of 'cheat'. And again, it is hoped that, by considering how your home & garden should be, this article might help you to consider further whether or not you feel ready &/or able to foster or adopt a dog at this time. (Purposefully we have repeated ourselves here!)
š£Ā Our one & only premise is to help you make the best informed decisions at every step of the consideration process. Taking on a new dog is a big decision & not one to be taken lightly.
Last time, we started to talk about your front door/s & their placement in relation to the street & road & how secure your gardens are.
We believe any outward facing doors should be carefully considered & risk assessed before any dog even enters your home. This is particularly important if the door would allow direct access to escape. For example: if your front garden isn't fully secure, there is shared access with a neighbouring property, or the front door opens directly onto a footpath, public area or road.
The first thing to consider is the layout of your home leading up to the door. For example: does your outward door/s open directly into your living room or other main room, or do you have a hallway? Do you have a porch?
The first thing to think about here is, how will you manage your dog when someone knocks on the door? We would suggest that your dog is always put behind a closed securely latching door in another room or, failing that, behind a locked dog/child gate. This will help to manage any risk of escape as well as manage any potential bite risk to your visitor or postal/delivery worker.
š£Ā Please note: there are different sizes of dog/child gates. Please use a height-appropriate gate for the size of your dog. For example: putting a German Shepherd behind a standard sized dog/child gate is very unlikely to provide a secure enough barrier as they will be able to jump over it. This is another reason why we'd recommend putting your dog behind a securely latching/closing door in another room.
No matter how long you've had your dog or how loyal & content they may seem, never trust your dog around an open outward facing door or around people casually arriving on your doorstep. Freak incidents & accidents can occur at any time & your dog could get spooked by anything or spot something to chase.
You will also need to ensure that everyone in the house has the same consistent mindset & approach to this task - this includes visitors, too.
If everyone practices placing the dog behind a securely latching closed door in another room or behind a dog/child gate BEFORE opening the front door, also carefully ensuring/checking that the door is latched firmly closed or that the gate is in its locked position, you will actively mitigate any such risks significantly. Make this a standardised household management technique. Always check where the dog is BEFORE you open the front door & pop the dog behind a securely latching closed door in another room or behind a locked dog/child gate. Start to get in the habit even before your new dog arrives.
Some rescue dogs can open handles, particularly dogs from Romania & overseas, so ALWAYS make sure you keep your outward facing door/s locked. Again, make sure your entire household will follow this simple management technique to mitigate any escape risk.
The same goes for any comings & goings in a busy household with multiple key holders. Put some thought into how you will manage this. For example: if you are lucky enough to have a hallway, consider keeping the door shut to the hallway at all times as common practice & don't allow your dog any access to the hallway, unless of course they need to pass through it. That way, no matter who comes & goes through the front door & no matter what time, the dog will not be allowed to free roam in the hallway or present as a possible escape risk.
Similarly, if your dog is not allowed into the hallway, then your post person won't have to worry about their fingers, unless of course you have a cage guard over your letter box. (A cage guard would not only guard your post person's fingers but would also protect your mail from potentially getting chewed by your dog.)
If your front door opens directly into a main room, management may become a bit harder. If people arrive at regular times, whoever is home can make it common practice to secure the dog behind a securely latching closed door in another room or behind a locked dog/child gate before the person is anticipated to arrive. Or a pre-warning text system could be put in place, whereby a person texts to advise that they will be home in ten minutes, etc. & the dog can then be secured by the person at home before the other person arrives.
This may seem excessive to some but it is our responsibility to manage & mitigate any risk.Ā
If the household takes an consistent approach & gets into the habit of effectively assessing risk, being proactive & using management techniques, then you are less likely to have any issues. Such a mindset also has a place when it comes to walks, days out, & holidays, etc. So, it's a useful mindset to propagate.
We must also consider open windows at this point. If you have windows that could be accessed by your dog (this goes for climbing/jumping up, too) & are big enough for your dog to fit through, consider NEVER leaving your dog alone with such open windows. If you need to leave the room, either close the window first or take your dog with you.Ā
š£Ā Don't forget, dogs can easily be spooked or see something to chase. A momentary lapse in concentration or judgment is all it might take for your dog to escape!
You might be wondering what this has to do with your actual homecheck. Well, such management techniques illustrate that you have given potential escape risk & bite risk some thought & that you're willing to put in place measures to mitigate any risk & be consistent with it.
š£Ā However, we cannot state this enough, such management techniques MUST be adopted & consistently followed by the whole family throughout the entire lifetime of the dog. It is no good telling the assessor that you will do this & that just to get a dog, you MUST actually follow it for the safety & well being of your dog!
A useful tip, whilst we talk about doors, as we already mentioned, some rescue dogs can open door handles. If you adopt a dog who can do this, consider putting your door handles upside down, so a handle must be pushed upwards to open; or you could try twistable door knobs.
Dog/child gates can also be handy to create segregated areas & to deter unsupervised access.
Here at Patchwork Paws H.Q., we have a gate at the top of our stairs as well as at the bottom. This is because some of our dogs sleep upstairs & some sleep downstairs & we wouldn't want to risk any accidents during the night on the stairs. We only allow the dogs access to the upstairs area at bedtime.
Our downstairs living area is open plan, so we have a dog/child gate positioned at the access point to our kitchen area that allows us to control access.
We are lucky enough to have a hallway, so we can securely close our hallway door before opening the front door.Ā
As we have seven gorgeous rescue dogs, we also use a few other gates in our extension's hallway to create some separate little spaces for feeding.Ā
Have a think about the layout of your home, where there are no secure doors, are there any spots that would benefit from having a dog/child gate? Check your doors too, do they latch closed securely? Are door handles easy to open, if a dog was to jump up & try?
Also, have a think about where your new dog might sleep, think about creating a safe & quiet space for them to retreat to if & when is needed, & the placement of your outside facing doors & any potential hazards, etc.Ā
Some hazards to think about include: open fireplaces, walk-in food cupboards/larders, bin areas, old fashioned floor mounted boilers, your main electrical & gas points, chemicals & other potentially hazardous or enticing goods & the stairs.
We do not have any open fireplaces here, but if we did, an enclosed wood burner would be preferred. With an actual open fireplace, a guard would be a must & we would suggest you never leave a dog unsupervised around an open fire.
If you have a walk-in food cupboard or larder, ensure a tall dog/child gate is installed if it doesn't have a door. This is to deter any curious unsupervised visits by your new dog.
If your bin/s are located loose in your kitchen, even on a countertop, as a preference, move to a cupboard location with a door or to an area where a gate can be placed in front of it. If this isn't possible, look to purchase a bin that would be as resistant as possible to a dog attempting to forage. For instance: a bin with a swing top lid would allow a dog very easy access to the contents, so it would not be suitable.
If you are going to locate your bins inside kitchen cupboards, please note that some dogs might actually be able to open kitchen cupboards, too. Investing in some childproof safety cabinet locks would be useful in this instance.
If you own an old fashioned floor mounted boiler that is open & accessible, in the kitchen, for example. You might want to look at getting it boxed off into a cupboard or gated off, just as a precaution. The same goes for your main electrical & gas points in the home, particularly if they are at an accessible level for a dog.
Chemicals & other potentially hazardous or enticing goods pose a huge risk for your dog, from toilet cleaner & bleach to essential oils & your daily moisturiser to food, so, just like you would with a child, keep them out of reach & stored away carefully. Whilst we're on this subject, some dogs will literally try to chew anything, particularly if they're young, not used to living in a home or are feeling a bit stressed whilst settling in. Whilst toys can help, some dogs will not be able to distinguish between what they're allowed to chew & what is out of bounds. We would always suggest that, if you have any items in particular that you would prefer not to be chewed or that would pose a risk to your dog if chewed, simply put them away. Expect that anything might be viewed as a challenge by your new dog & think carefully about where would be the best place to leave items safely. Shoes & slippers are a good example here.
As we discussed earlier, the stairs are an obvious hazard. We have a dog/child gate at the top & bottom of our stairs to deter nighttime accidents & to limit access to supervised use only. We have a fully enclosed staircase but not all stairs are the same. If your stairs aren't fully sided like ours, for example: you have gappy banisters, your stairs are open plan or you have a metal spiral staircase, you will really need to give the safe access issue some thought. This also goes for stairs that aren't solid & have open gaps in between each step. In some cases, you might want to consider the modification of your stairs before you even consider adoption or not allowing your dog access upstairs at all on the basis of safety. You should also ensure that any stair carpets are well secured to deter any slips or trips.
Are your home & its contents in a good state of general repair? For example: have a think about any sharp edges or corners on furniture & kitchen cabinets which could cause injury. Have a look around your space from a dog's point of view. If there is anything present that could potentially injure a dog, please consider repair, replacement, or removal.
Also, have a think about the layout of your rooms. Might that big coffee table with the pointy corners be best placed in the centre of your small living room, or is that an accident waiting to happen? Can it be relocated into a corner? Can it be child/dog proofed? Or maybe it would be best to remove it completely!
Have a think about some possible scenarios, too & how you might be able mitigate any risk. For example, if you own an electric oven & hobs, consider switching it off on the wall socket completely when not in use. That way, should your new dog manage to get onto the kitchen sides, they cannot accidentally switch the hobs on. Also, have a think about furniture placement & how it might actually be creating a potential 'ladder' for your new dog. For example: if you have your dining table near the kitchen sides.
Also, have a think about the placement of such things as kitchen knives & any medication. Can they be stored away out of reach? Just in case your new dog manages to reach the kitchen sides.
Whilst we talk about the kitchen sides, consider never leaving your dog alone with any enticing food on there. Again, ensure the whole family is onboard with this. This also goes for leaving food laying around anywhere in the house, like on a coffee table. There's a lot of human food that dogs can't tolerate so again, you need to look at mitigating this risk.
Have a look around your home & consider what else might potentially pose a risk to your dog. If you have or have had children, then this task might be easier for you. Think about the hazards that you protected a baby or child from. Think about how you managed the risk. These are the lines you should be thinking along for your new dog. Expecting the unexpected & being prepared are key, this is particularly important if your dog is an ex-stray or is coming from a country like Romania. Ex-stray & overseas dogs have had to learn many unique skills in order to survive; adaption was key to their very survival. It's worth bearing this in mind.
š£Ā Assess your new dog carefully when they arrive, study their capabilities & skills & then put in place suitable management techniques to counter manage these, where they might cause a health & safety risk. This will be unique to the individual dog so study them well & really get to know their quirks. We mentioned door handles earlier; this is a good example of the sort of skill we mean.
Wiring is another obvious potential hazard. Ex-stray dogs or dogs from places like Romania might attempt to chew wires. Think about what steps you can take to lessen this risk. For example: you can buy protective, chew proof covering for wiring. Also consider switching off any unused plug sockets, preferably also remove any unused plugs. We would recommend the use of child proof safety plug dummies in any unused & switched off plug sockets. If you are going to vacuum, even if your new dog seems ok with it, it might be a good idea to pop your new dog behind a locked dog/child gate or behind a securely latching closed door in another room first to deter access to the wiring whilst the vacuum cleaner is in use.
š£Ā Consider all sources of electric, gas, chemicals, hazardous or potentially hazardous materials, extreme heat, extreme cold & any water based sources in your house & how you will safely manage your dog around them.
š£Ā Remember, some everyday household items & decorations might pose a risk to your dog. For example, salt lamps could make your dog poorly if licked. So, if you have salt lamps, place them in high & unaccessible positions. Some fragrances in air fresheners & some fragrances used in oil or wax burners might irritate your dog & make them poorly. We would suggest you do your research & look for dog friendly products & fragrances. Also, monitor your new dog carefully when such fragrances are in use & discontinue them if your new dog seems to be affected by them. Some houseplants might make your dog poorly if ingested so consider careful placement of such plants so they are not easily accessible.
During your homecheck, you will be asked additional questions & the assessor might also be interested in any other dogs & pets you currently have & how they interact with each other & your family. The homechecker will most likely want to meet any other free roaming pets. This will help the homechecker to further assess your suitability & what sort of dog would be suitable for your home environment. The home checker will also likely ask you some scenario based questions, training based questions, & some behavioural questions.
If you don't currently have a dog or any other pets, don't worry, the home checker will instead focus upon your history caring for pets & check that you're ready for a dog.
If you've never had a dog before, the homechecker will be looking for evidence that you're ready for a dog & willing to work with them.Ā
For example, for those who don't currently have dogs or have never owned a dog, if you've read all of our blog articles & considered all of the resources mentioned, that counts as preparation & research. We like to think our articles are both thought provoking & informative, as well as realistic. We also hope that our articles will lead you to conduct your own independent research.
šĀ Be proactive & research a good local vet or vets (with a good out-of-hours service) & find out if they are taking on new clients. If you are looking to adopt a Romanian or overseas dog, pay special attention to their policies on Brucella Canis. There is no consistent or general approach by all vets so we suggest you shop around. Look for a vet who will treat your dog with a common sense approach regardless of your dog's Brucella Canis status - positive, negative or unknown. Please note: any risk to a vet of Brucellosis is mitigated & made negligible through the correct use of personal protective equipment (p.p.e) & good cleaning practices. If your dog is spayed or neutered, any risk is lowered. (We have previously discussed Brucella Canis/Brucellosis so we won't go into any more detail here.)
There's probably many more things to consider & these considerations might very well vary between rescues & homecheckers.Ā
Please feel free to comment below with any further considerations that you feel are important. This isn't, after all, intended to be an exhaustive list.
We hope you have found this blog article useful.Ā š
Next time, in part 3 of this mini series, we will move on to consider some real life scenarios, so you can better understand why homechecks are so important & why it is so important to have your home & garden new dog ready. So, please keep checking back...
š¶ Thank you for stopping by. š Please remember to pop back for more or subscribe & we will notify you when new articles are published.
We endeavour to produce a new blog article every month. As you can tell, we like to be as thorough as possible. š
š¶Ā We hope you are finding our website both informative & useful, & we hope you are enjoying readingĀ šĀ our blog articles as much as we enjoy writingĀ Ā āļøĀ them.Ā
Our website is completely free for anyone to view & access.Ā š„°Ā However, it is not free for us to run, unfortunately.
Should you like to send us a little gift to express your gratitude, then we would gratefully receive it towards the costs associated with running our website.Ā š¤©Ā
You can send us Ā£1, a few pounds, or however much you would like to give, to our PayPal account here:
If you see us as 'friends & family,' please do feel free to select this option.
š£Ā Another way to support us is via our affiliate link to the following online courses & webinars (which you can study anytime, at your own pace)...
Here is our unique link to 'The Dogs Point of View' website:
These reasonably priced courses & webinars start from just Ā£25 (& some are even FREE, no catchĀ š±š„°) & are specifically tailored towards Romanian & Overseas rescue dogs, however some of these courses might also prove useful & relevant for U.K. rescue dogs too, so well worth a look.
You can even join the training & support group where you will be able to access ALL online courses & webinars for FREE, 100's of step-by-step teaching guides, progressive training plans, optional weekly zoom calls, & get qualified trainer support & advice whenever you need it for as little as Ā£27 per month!Ā š
Some topics covered include:Ā
š¶Ā fearfulness & social shyness,Ā
š¶Ā prey drive,Ā
š¶Ā building calmness & confidence,Ā
š¶Ā techniques to rebalance & calm,
š¶Ā reactivity on walks,Ā
š¶Ā reactivity with visitors,Ā
š¶Ā the quirky nature of Romanian dogs,Ā
š¶Ā how to set yourself up for a successful adoption.
The course & webinar content has been carefully constructed by Meesh Masters, who is an Holistic Canine Behaviour Consultant specialising in working with Romanian & Overseas rescue dogs. 'The Dogs Point of View' is committed to following the latest scientifically proven fear free methods.
Thank you so much for being here & for supporting Patchwork Paws U.K.Ā š¶
We always welcome your feedback, so please feel free to leave us a comment or email us. š„°
š£Ā Please remember to always choose no harm, fear free, force free & non-aversive training methods based on mutual respect, trust & positive reinforcement. Please always consider that a behaviour that YOU might find undesirable might be quite normal behaviour to your dog, the behaviour might be motivated by a past trauma/fear, or it might be motivated by your dog's emotional response to something. Always treat your dog with love, patience, empathy, understanding & kindness - even if they do have toileting accidents or if they chew your favourite slippers.Ā š£š
šĀ The dog behaviour & training world is largely unregulated here in the U.K. & not all are equal. Please do your homework & always choose a behaviourist or trainer carefully. Look at the methods of training they use & the stance they choose to adopt. Always check their qualifications, accreditations & references/feedback carefully.Ā š
š¶ Pictured here is the late & great Gem Gem šš„°š¶ She was rescued from a public shelter in Romania.
Gem Gem had been overlooked for a home but she really was the most sweetest & loving girl! š„°š
Comments