HELP!!!!!!!! Rescue coming to homecheck tomorrow........

[Slinkyunicorn]

Well that didn't take long

- the Labrador Rescue people want to come and do a home check tomorrow - which has put me in a flat spin!! Am panicking about my apalling lack of domestic skills

- housework is way down the list after the horses, dogs and cats getting fed and excercised.

Can they say no if you live in a hovel?? and its obvious your best friend is not the hoover?? Do you loose marks for the odd random cobweb??

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[camilla4]

Trust me - they aren't at all interested in your housekeeping! They want to know that you have a secure home - ie well-fenced; that you have outdoor space wuitable for dogs and they need to establish your level of experience. They will ask you about£your history with dogs, how much time you will have available, how much time you will be out of the house and what sort of dog you want - they will need to know what sort of problems/retraining issues you will be happy to deal with. Be prepared though - they came to see us on a Tuesday and our darling girl turned up on the Thursday!

Don't worry at all - remember, they are actively looking for you to be the right home for one of their dogs!!

 

[slimjim]

Does that mean I can throw away the other four bottles of beeswax that I bought (and the five hoover bags ???

) The house stinks of beeswax, and I haven't even enquired after a dog yet.

Best wishes with lab rescue. They probably fail you if you don't have wet muddy pawprints everywhere

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

I have plenty of muddy pawprints, cat, dog and horse hair, hay, straw, bits of shavings, throws on all the chairs and 3 dog beds - one spaniel and a cat - will that be enough??

 

[camilla4]

That will do nicely!!!!

 

[Blue-bear]

They just check you have sufficient room, secure garden, talk about your routine and how the dog will fit into it. And your experience. When i had my home check the guy was here for all of 5 mins and we picked up the little lad that afternoon (sunday!)

 

[MurphysMinder]

Have to say when I do home checks I am there a lot more than 5 minutes, but just bear in mind that the people doing the checks want to get the dog out of kennels, but want to make sure it is the right home. Sometimes it is not a case that you are not a suitable home for any dog but perhaps the dog you have enquired about needs a different environment, e.g. a slightly shy dog might not suit a very noisy family etc. Personally the most important things I would look for are secure garden, how long the dog will be left, how the dog will fit into the family routine and just the general approach of the prospective owner to dogs (I take one of mine along).
Good luck, I am sure you will be fine, although of course you would be far better with a GSD than a Labrador

 

[Goya]

If my housekeeping passed then I'm sure you'll be fine.
At least they will know that you are not averse to muddy paw marks and dog hair everywhere. At least that's how I interpreted their views for my visit.

lol

 

[Spudlet]

PMSL at the thought of labradors and housekeeping ever mixing - and you thought spangles were bad....

GOOD LUCK!

ETA
Just seen your other post - Barney our old lab was soft as they come but saved me from two very nasty situations with loose, nasty dogs, guarded our house faithfully when we were out - even refusing to let someone he knew very well hop over the fence as she did without problem when we were in - and would bark his head off at anything that unnerved us on walks or anything that he thought looked suspicious - such as fishermen 'hiding' in the bushes. I always felt totally safe with him.

He also once scared a copper - our garden backed onto a school field and sometimes teenagers would hang around and be a pain. One time, the police had come to move some on and were then checking around the edge of the field to make sure all was well.

At the same time, a cat came inot our garden so Barney shot up the garden yelling his head off. The cat went over the fence and landed on said copper's head

before running off.

The next day the copper told dad (who was a copper too) that he would have looked over the fence bit he could hear this bl00dy big dog barking and didn't fancy it.... which of course was our soppy old Barney.

So yes, a lab is a good choice!

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Hi hanandhen - how was your trip? and was Henry pleased to see you??

I should say that I grew up with labs and my sister has a huuuuuuuuuuuge black lab that has no brakes or self control so I do know what I am letting myself in for on the mess/food stealing/shoes in mouth front

- its just whether they will approve of my sluttish ways in the house....dogs obviously love it as I usually eat on the move so they get to hoover up any crumbs......

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Just thought will have to move my extensive boot and shoe collection from outside the back door before a lab turns up - otherwise they will be scattered around the garden............

 

[Spudlet]

Henry is shattered - I thought I gave him a lot of exercise but clearly we have to get into training yet! However in so far as he can summon the energy, I think he is kind of glad to have me back

I know just how he feels, I am shattered!

Your house will be spotless, although possibly slightly hairy

Barney did once also pull a dog trainer over and haul him across the ground for several yards so was not entirely a paragon of virtue... but they do make for good stories don't they?

 

[Charmaine18]

The Lab at my RS is really funny - his food-begging face is so dopey and adorable! And he's a good guard dog too, he hollers his head off every time someone comes through the gate (which can get annoying, but at least it'll put people off stealing the pones!). He is terrible for stealing food though - he'll take it out of the little kids' hands if they're not careful! It all just adds to his appeal though.

I don't think any self-respecting dog person would frown upon you for having a slightly hairy home.

 

[CAYLA]

You will be fine......just act like u are sane

echo MM, secure garden is important and how the home environment will suit particualr dog.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

[ QUOTE ]
You will be fine......just act like u are sane

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats me knackered then

.....I mean I own a spangle......

 

[camilla4]

Slink Unicorn - it's not just the shoes you'll have to move. When our Lab came to us (she was 2), she used to collect up everything and take it out to the garden. Shoes were obviously a favourite but she also used to take out various items from the kitchen - the oven gloves were a favourite but she also used to empty the vegetable rack. Many is the time I came downstairs and found bags of veggies all over the lawn.

What time are Lab Rescue coming today?

 

[MurphysMinder]

And its not just labradors, my young GSD takes everything outside, and also likes to carry plant pots round the garden, unfortunately she tips all theplants and soil out first

Good luck with the home check.