Tips for Doing a Foster/Adoption Home Visit - Dogs

• Be Objective!
• Use the form as a guide – tour around all rooms/floors of the home and go outside to check all areas
of the yard (if applicable).
• The home should be clean…it does not have to be spotless…the goal is to ensure it’s a safe space for
a dog to live. You are looking for things that could be potentially hazardous to a dog. Ask yourself, if
you had a dog, would you like your dog to live here?

Some Things to Look Out For –

Inside the home:

• Is there a lot of clutter on the floors? Too many things accessible to dogs can be dangerous and
potential cause damage.
• Are cleaners inaccessible (inside cupboards or closets, closed containers, etc.)?
• Are garbage bins in the home inaccessible? (lids, inside cupboards)
• Do they know what kind of plants they have? If they are not sure during the home visit, make a note
in the form and the foster coordinator will follow up by email.

In the yard:
• Tour the perimeter of the yard to look for any holes or areas of potential escape. How high is the
bottom of the fence from the ground? Some dogs are master escape artists!
• Are gate latches secure?
• If a yard is not fully fenced, or has a pool or a fire pit, discuss with the applicant what their plans are
for when there is a dog in the house. (ie dog should not be left outside unsupervised)

Take note of your general impressions of the home as you are doing the home visit. Note any concerns
you have in the form and/or with a follow up email to your coordinator.

All members of the household need to be present at the time of the home visit and should be
introduced to confirm they agree with fostering/adoption. They do not need to be present for the
entire tour of the house.

Feel free to discuss your fostering/adoption experiences with the applicant if they have any questions,
but please do refer any questions you are not sure of to your coordinator. Remind the applicant that
New Collar Collective will ultimately decide if they will be approved to move forward in the application
process.

Reminder: All personal information (email, phone numbers, addresses) shared with you for the
purposes of conducting a home visit (virtual or in person) are to be considered private and should not be
shared.