hi im angela 44 seriously considering becoming the proud owner of a siberian husky,i would be extremely grateful if anyone could please clarify what the homechecks involve for these breed of dogs thank you.
Hi Angela, I don't know whether you are considering buying a puppy from a breeder or rehoming a rescue dog. Either way, if the breeder/rescue are doing their job properly, the homecheck should seek to establish the following (not necessarily in any order): 1. Do the prospective new owners own their house or is it rented? If is is rented, do they have permission from the landlord to have a dog? 2. Do they have the level of fitness to cope with the needs of a Siberian Husky 3. Do they have children? What ages? - This is less important with a puppy ( except of course the children will need to be carefully drilled about not leaving doors/gates/windows open) than with a rescue dog which might have certain issues. 4. Where is the house? Is it on a main road? Does it have a secure front garden? 5. Is the dog likely to be left alone for periods of time? How Long? Where will it be kept for these periods? 6. Do they have existing dogs? (It is likely that the homechecker will bring a dog with them to assess the sociability of existing dogs). Do they have other pets? Given the high prey drive of the breed, what arrangements will be made to safeguard the other pets? 7. What is their knowledge of and understanding of the breed? - prey drive, unreliability offlead, exercise requirements, destructive and escape potential etc etc 8. Are they likely to have any problems with neighbours? 9. Security - how secure is the house and garden? Are there at least 6ft strong fences? 10. If the dog is to be left outside for long periods is the area safe? - toxic plants, safety hazards etc 11. If there is an outside run, is it secure? Is it roofed? On the basis of the information gleaned from the home visit, and the overall impression gained, you might get an immediate go-ahead or you may get some suggestions to improve your set-up, but those are the basics. 12. The homechecker may well ask for a reference from your current vet as well. Mick
