Dogs and the Home Study

nrcross

I just wanted to hear what other peoples experience have been with their dogs and the home study. My dog is super great with kids, but she does not do good with strange adults in our home. It is very easy to put her in the backyard or in her crate when we have social workers over, but I am not sure how this is going to play out. Any experiences will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

hey_its_jenn

I was thinking about the same thing.  We have two dogs who are very excitable when new people enter the house, but after a while, they calm down.  I am thinking that when the time comes for a home study, we'll just take them on a really, really long walk and hopefully tire them out before they get to the house.  Also, giving them each a bone/kong toy that will keep them busy for a while may be an idea.

GL! 

mysticl

Let your social worker know in advance that you have dogs.  I love dogs and have done homestudies with the family dog licking my toes under the table for most of the visit.  I have also been bit by the family dog (different family). However, I've had coworkers who are afraid of dogs and would prefer that yours be kenneled, in another room, or put outside.  I was supposed to meet all of the pets so I could comment on their temperament for the homestudy but the worker doesn't need to spend a ton of time with them for that.

Dr.Loretta

We don't have a dog, but people on here have had no issues at the home study. You'll likely be able to just tell them the dog does well with kids, but you'll be crating the dog during the visit

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nrcross

Thanks. Our dog is aggressive with strange adults (she is just scared, never bit anyone). We will put her is the backyard on Tuesday and just be honest with the case worker. Thanks for all of your help.

fajita814

We do not have large dogs, but have 2 small yippy dogs. Our home study person spent about 10 minutes observing both of them at each visit (3 times). She would pet them, talk to them, etc. She said she is required to spend more time observing dogs than she used too, after a child in our state (IL) was killed by a foster family dog this summer. She did however seem to really like dogs, so that could have influenced it too. Our vet also had to fill out a form, along with the shot records, that asked about temperament.

ellekae

Our SW was fine with our yippy little dog jumping around and sniffing her. We tried putting the dog in her crate, but then she just whine obnoxiously. We let her stick around, and it was annoying but bearable.

sarahtoledo

We have seven dogs, none are dangerous, but a couple are not good with new people. I asked our social worker if she needed to meet them all and she said no. So we had our dog walker take the noisiest (our two youngest) for the first visit. For other visits, we crated the crazies. We did need to show proof of vaccinations (legally req'd ones only) and generally show we are good owners. We also discussed our support system for having so many pets. We have vets who know us by voice when we call, a trainer who knows our pets, and two sitters/walkers.

IdigDirt

Our recruiter wanted to meet them to make sure they were friendly. I wanted him that they get very excited and they did jump on him a bit but he didn't mind. He said he was used to it. FWIW if anyone is wondering for future questions we have a pit mix and a lab mix and they didn't bat an eye at their breeds but we are doing foster.

Niki64

We were also nervous about our dog! She doesn't like strange adults either (was an abused shelter dog). Our plan was to take her on a long walk so she would be tired, but I was too busy making sure the house was clean and DH was at work. We kept her outside when our SW showed up, then after she was sitting we let her in. We also had treats gallore (dishes with peanut butter smeared and cherrios). Then she went outside. Like PP said, we were upfront about her anxiety. Oh! And we put a tight dog shirt on her (a cheap thundershirt poser). I think it helped alittle, she seemed less anxious. Good luck!!

arbutusbride

Our SW paid a ton of attention our dog and of course Maddie just ate it up.  We did not need to show any vaccination records or have any vet paperwork filled out. I was a bit surprised but Basically, they just needed to see that they were well taken care of. 

Unless your dog is very aggressive or poses a danger, I don't see why it would be a problem. As long as you are honest with your SW all should be fine. 

nrcross

Thanks everyone. We had our first meeting yesterday to go over the process and to ask any questions. The case worker already got back to me today about our dog and pretty much said she did not see it as a problem either, because she is good with kids. They just said that if I can continue to put her on the side yard with social workers come over that will work out. I am so relieved.