Not sure where this would go..

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Rhaya
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Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:47 pm

Not sure where this would go..

Postby Rhaya » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:15 am

I just have a question..
Can a dcfs worker force you to get rid of a pet if it's posing absolutely no threat to the child?

I know amidst a cps investigation a pet doesn't seem all that important but my husband is very attached to his dog (she's a chihuahua, so..very small, and sweet as can be ..as long as she knows you, no threat whatsoever, she doesn't bite anyone but she'll bark alot at others who enter the yard, but she adores my daughter) but every time the dcf worker comes for a home visit she makes some comment about how we shouldn't have animals if we can't even manage to take care of my daughters doctor appointments, or demands she be put in her kennel during all home visits, things of that nature. We currently put her in our bedroom whenever they come over, with the door closed. This gives her freedom to move, as opposed to being cooped in a little 3 ft by 3 ft kennel for over an hour, and also keeps her contained and isolated from the worker. And that should be enough in my opinion, since it keeps her away from them, they hear her from the living room but its faint,.. but the worker keeps saying she needs to be able to have access to 'our' bedroom too, so the current routine isn't working for her. I see no reason she needs to enter my husband and my bedroom, my daughter very rarely ever goes in there anyway so the condition its kept in is irrelevant. But I'm afraid next she's going to be telling me I must get rid of her totally, or lose my baby, which would crush my husband 'and' my daughter, who is also attached to her.

cambreenellie
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Postby cambreenellie » Fri Jan 16, 2009 6:51 am

Rhaya, I think the only circumstance I heard of in which a person had to get rid of pets is someone who had like 7 dogs and to many cats to count.

If they tell you to get rid of the dog then tell them to get a court order stating such. I would think they would have to prove to the judge that the dog is a threat. Then again we are talking about DCFS who do and say anything they want.

Marina
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Postby Marina » Fri Jan 16, 2009 7:18 am

Someone posted on this forum that CPS told them they had to get rid of an antique family mirror because it might have lead in it, or something along those lines. They come up with anything. You need to be more strict with the children, you need to be less strict, etc.

There was a Yahoo news alert this past week about a child that was removed because it was hurt by a dog, and the workers had previously asked the parents to remove the dog. But this dog was know to be an agressive type with a history, so the family had been warned.



Here is another one I found by doing a yahoo news search, but this is about a child in foster care and the workers knew the dog was there but didn't object to it. I will post it in the news section under 'child deaths while in the system.'

http://www.southtownstar.com/news/13768 ... 14.article

Foster families could face ban on owning some pets


January 14, 2009

Sun-Times News Group

The death of a 4-year-old mauled by at least one Rottweiler owned by his foster family could lead to a crackdown on how the state regulates the care of foster children in homes with animals.

...

Rhaya
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Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:47 pm

Postby Rhaya » Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:55 am

Also wanted to know if I am required to grant access to any and all parts of my home including master bedroom? My worker says I am but I see no real reason for it. My own parents have never even entered my bedroom when they visited, I consider it a private area off limits to anyone who does not live in the home, and as mentioned my child is very seldom in it and never unsupervised. I've let the worker peek in so she can see we aren't keeping any mideivel torture devices or whatever the heck she's thinking in it, but I'd prefer not to have her wandering round in there, inspecting or touching our things.

debbiescalese
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Location: WV

Postby debbiescalese » Fri Jan 16, 2009 11:03 am

I don't understand why the worker is so intent on getting in there. Any of the workers who ever came out were more intrested in my kids rooms They basically just peaked in there on the walk through and that was it. They didn't even enter the threshold just looked in and went on to the kids rooms. Then after that never went to that part of the house again. I can't count how many times the worker was here and never went in the house because the kids were playing outside and I wasn't going to leave them out there and go in to show them the house. Most of the time they never left the living room.

Momoffor
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Postby Momoffor » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:48 pm

Its part of the home so yes. She probably just thinks that you are hiding something and thats why you dont want her in there. Or just to be a biatch and knows its something you dont want, so wants to violate you even more.

When the worker came to our house, she never went into the rooms, she just peeked in them and the few times she came, she never looked in every room. She was more intent on talking to my kids who were intent on not talking to her.

I bet she wants in there badly because the dog is in there and wants to catch poopies on the floor so she can hold it against you and the dog.

I did have issues with the worker freaking out over my yellow lab who thought she was a little lap dog. (Screaming in a corner with her hands over her ears screaming get it away when the dog was just sitting there doing nothing).

Why not just pick up the dog when the dumbass wants to look in there. As long as the dog has all shots, is in good upkeep and health, isnt agressive, and doesnt 'mess' (piddles, poopies, chew up everything known to man ect), your daughter isnt severly allergic so on and so forth, she is blowing steam.

Do you record her visits? (Or are you able to according to state law).

cambreenellie
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Postby cambreenellie » Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:53 pm

How often does she visit? Can you make arrangements for your pet if you know a scheduled time she is coming?

My caseworker when she visits stays in my family room and doesn't go anywhere else. I never told her she needed to stay out of the rooms. I get a visit every 2 months.

Trisha G
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Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:30 pm

Postby Trisha G » Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:45 pm

I don't think they can make you get rid of a pet that isn't a threat.
The only time they've came to this house, the guy they brought with them to take pics was terrified of the dogs. My daughter laughed at him and called him a jackass for being scared of Kurt. Kurt's big, we adopted him from a shelter, he's also the biggest wimp in the history of dogdom. Then again the guy was scared of the chihuahua too, and she's smaller than most cats. She was my dads dog and we took her in when he passed away. When they came back to make sure we'd gotten smoke detectors. we put the chihuahua in our bathroom and he asked us to hold her so he could check in there. WTF? He'd been in our spotless (I'd just cleaned it the night before) bathroom a few hours ago, what was supposed to have changed in that time?

Trisha G
Posts: 124
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:30 pm

Postby Trisha G » Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:45 pm

I don't think they can make you get rid of a pet that isn't a threat.
The only time they've came to this house, the guy they brought with them to take pics was terrified of the dogs. My daughter laughed at him and called him a jackass for being scared of Kurt. Kurt's big, we adopted him from a shelter, he's also the biggest wimp in the history of dogdom. Then again the guy was scared of the chihuahua too, and she's smaller than most cats. She was my dads dog and we took her in when he passed away. When they came back to make sure we'd gotten smoke detectors. we put the chihuahua in our bathroom and he asked us to hold her so he could check in there. WTF? He'd been in our spotless (I'd just cleaned it the night before) bathroom a few hours ago, what was supposed to have changed in that time?

Trisha G
Posts: 124
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:30 pm

Postby Trisha G » Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:45 pm

I don't think they can make you get rid of a pet that isn't a threat.
The only time they've came to this house, the guy they brought with them to take pics was terrified of the dogs. My daughter laughed at him and called him a jackass for being scared of Kurt. Kurt's big, we adopted him from a shelter, he's also the biggest wimp in the history of dogdom. Then again the guy was scared of the chihuahua too, and she's smaller than most cats. She was my dads dog and we took her in when he passed away. When they came back to make sure we'd gotten smoke detectors. we put the chihuahua in our bathroom and he asked us to hold her so he could check in there. WTF? He'd been in our spotless (I'd just cleaned it the night before) bathroom a few hours ago, what was supposed to have changed in that time?

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Greegor
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Location: Cedar Rapids Iowa

Postby Greegor » Sun Feb 22, 2009 8:18 pm

What state doesn't allow parents to video tape a caseworker visit to their home? I would assert that I have a right to record
anything that takes place inside of my home.

ESPECIALLY interactions with a caseworker!

Post the front door with a sign like they put on many
work places that premises are video taped.


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