Some prospective dog owner questions

[Brown Lioness]

So rescues and breeders alike all have the standard application that prospective owners have to fill out to be considered and Ive noticed that they all ask for the veterinarian info. Should I already have a vet picked out and if so, how do I got about interviewing vets sans dog? What are your top vet picking tips? Does this go for dog kennels and obedience schools too (as they ask what you will do with the dog should you travel and what training class you will take)?

Also, the home inspection....what exactly will they be inspecting and what do they expect to see? Any tips on how to make a place "home inspection ready"?

A good, hard question I haven't really thought about that I'm seeing on applications is "How would you exercise your dog in inclement weather"? How do you ladies exercise your dogs when its crazy, nasty outside?

Thanks for your help mamas!

[foreverinbluejeans]

I would as the people at the rescue what vets they like. If you take the dog to that vet and don't like the vet you can choose another vet. If you have taken your dog to several vets and your dog has an emergency illness or injury then you can call all the vets and see which vet can see your dog soonest.

Just say you don't travel or will take your dog with you. There are obediance classes at Petsmart.

I've adopted 5-6 dogs and fostered about 10 and never had a home inspection. A fenced yard is one thing they may be looking for depending on the breed.

I have a lazy dog who doesn't want to go out on bad days. There are dog parks where I live with covered areas. I guess the dogs could play out in the bad weather. If the dog is bored we will play things like dog Easter hunt. We put the dog in a room. Then we hide doggie treats around the house. Let the dog out to find the treats.

[DogMomforNow]

Originally Posted by Brown Lioness

So rescues and breeders alike all have the standard application that prospective owners have to fill out to be considered and Ive noticed that they all ask for the veterinarian info.

A good, hard question I haven't really thought about that I'm seeing on applications is "How would you exercise your dog in inclement weather"? How do you ladies exercise your dogs when its crazy, nasty outside?

Thanks for your help mamas!

My dog loves the rain/snow/sleet - so I bundle up and out we go. The main time he lacks exercise is when I'm tired. Then he gets to find treats or toys hidden in the house, or I stuff a carrot in a kong and let him chew it for an hour or so

Looking for a vet. I look for what vaccines they recommend first off. If I see giardia, I walk away (efficacy is awful, and giardia isn't life threatening, so no point in vax'ing for it). I want to see a 3 year protocol for DA2PP and Rabies. This to me is a good, easy way to weed out the "old school" vets who don't keep current on recommendations (3 year protocol) and the ... extremely economically motivated vets (giving unneeded vaccines). I like them to have weekend hours personally, and evenings. Then I called and asked questions about costs and such.

Hope that helps! Good luck with your search!!

[Brown Lioness]

Originally Posted by foreverinbluejeans

I would as the people at the rescue what vets they like. If you take the dog to that vet and don't like the vet you can choose another vet. If you have taken your dog to several vets and your dog has an emergency illness or injury then you can call all the vets and see which vet can see your dog soonest.

Just say you don't travel or will take your dog with you. There are obediance classes at Petsmart.

I've adopted 5-6 dogs and fostered about 10 and never had a home inspection. A fenced yard is one thing they may be looking for depending on the breed.

I have a lazy dog who doesn't want to go out on bad days. There are dog parks where I live with covered areas. I guess the dogs could play out in the bad weather. If the dog is bored we will play things like dog Easter hunt. We put the dog in a room. Then we hide doggie treats around the house. Let the dog out to find the treats.

So wow, some rescues dont even perform the home inspection like they say they do? What's up with that?

Hmm, asking for a vet recommendation sounds smart instead of just picking one. Tho i guess they wanna know if Ive done my homework just in case the one they recommend doesnt work out or we move or something.

The doggie easter hunt that you and dDogMomforNow mentioned sounds like fun and i didnt know that could count towards exercise!

Originally Posted by DogMomforNow

My dog loves the rain/snow/sleet - so I bundle up and out we go. The main time he lacks exercise is when I'm tired. Then he gets to find treats or toys hidden in the house, or I stuff a carrot in a kong and let him chew it for an hour or so

Looking for a vet. I look for what vaccines they recommend first off. If I see giardia, I walk away (efficacy is awful, and giardia isn't life threatening, so no point in vax'ing for it). I want to see a 3 year protocol for DA2PP and Rabies. This to me is a good, easy way to weed out the "old school" vets who don't keep current on recommendations (3 year protocol) and the ... extremely economically motivated vets (giving unneeded vaccines). I like them to have weekend hours personally, and evenings. Then I called and asked questions about costs and such.

Hope that helps! Good luck with your search!!

Uh oh, it looks like I need to bone up on the vaccine recommendations, but thanks for the heads up! Looking for weekend and evening hours also sounds like a great tip that I hadnt considered, thank you!