I have to agree it is lack of time and a lack of available help for many rescues which means a follow up home visit is not made, I organise the guinea pig side of ARC and have rehomed approximately 172 piggies so far this year. Some of these have not been formally home checked due to the distance involved however vet references, photos, videos and some have purchased indoor or outdoor hutches and runs from us have meant that we have still been able to rehome animals to homes which really would have been impossible to rehome to due to distance.
I always make it clear to people who adopt piggies that we are always available for advice either by email or by phone if they require any further information or advice about something which concerns them. If someone contacts me with about a problem I usually will ring them back at a later date to check that everything has been sorted out or even pop around to check up on how things are going. As both Donna and Sophie have said we frequently get phone calls or emails with lots of pictures from people who have adopted animals from us.
As a rescue we also make it quite clear that if someones circumstances change and / or someone feels that they are unable to continue to care for the animal they have adopted in the manner they should be cared for then they should contact us, so we can find an alternative home for them.
Janice