[aclee]

I just stamped and put the application in the mail to DSS. Hopefully it won't take a long time to get a response. I think I'll call and follow up with them the end of next week though. I wish I had written down the ladies phone number that was on the application...shoot! Oh well! I'll hunt her down somehow if I have to call to get a response...here's hoping I don't have to though!

Question for you all though. Once you send the application, is that their invitation to stop on by anytime? I better start to round up some of the fur balls from the dogs daily if they do! We aren't a messy house...we are just a dog friendly type house! LOL!

Thank to everyone who is here for support!

[misstonicee]

No one has just showed up at my house. All visits are by appointment. I'm pretty sure they need to make appointments in case you are not there when they show up. They may start the pop-in visits after you are approved. We are still in the process of the application. I have the final visit from licensing which I should be contacted to arrange for that meeting within the next few weeks. It is a long process that we started in December of 2006!!!

We have two large dogs. One is a shepard/lab mix and the other is a boxer/god knows what else mix. The shepard mix is a barker and a lunger when people come over and I thought for sure they would say no way at the first visit. So far we have had three people come over from the division and everyone has been fine with both dogs. I guess it's because the shepard mix usually settles down after about five minutes of someone being in the house and the boxer mix is a love that will nudge your hand until you pet her...everyone falls in love with her. Sadly, no one ever likes the shepard mix until they know her for a while.

[aclee]

Misstonicee...YEAH! Another house with pups! Our dogs are pretty similar with visitors...they bark when someone knocks on the door, or pulls in, but as soon as they come inside they are okay...maybe a little too friendly. Our lab thinks she's a 10 pound lab dog. Our lab mix thinks everyone that comes here is ONLY here to pat him, and our corgi thinks he runs the whole show. As long as you aren't wearing one particular backback that we own....then he runs and hides. He's a real tough guy! We are hoping for younger placements, but we'll see what they recommend given our hosuehold. Are you in MA? I am really hoping that it won't take that long to get everything rolling.

[GaViolet]

Congratulations, on getting the application turned in. I hope it all goes well for you. They make the home visits by appointment, so you should have plenty of time to pick up after the dogs. Congrats, again.

[misstonicee]

I am in NJ. I also think that it was moving slow because our division was short handed...I'm finding that isn't uncommon. I hope it goes faster for you.

[Withay]

One quick suggestion. Make a photocopy of EVERYTHING that you send in to DHS. You never know when something may be misplaced. I have a date stamp that I stamp everything with showing the date that I sent it back and to whom. It has sure saved me a couple of times.

[Shelly77]

Originally Posted by aclee

Our lab thinks she's a 10 pound lab dog. Our lab mix thinks everyone that comes here is ONLY here to pat him

Good to hear from other dog owners. I have two females - a dalmation and a lab mix, but when I say lab mix you probably don't imagine this dog. She looks like a pure black lab - except her size and her jowels - as she is a black lab/st. bernard mix. At 145 pounds, she still thinks she's a 10 pound lap dog

I'm looking to foster children over 4 or 5 and think the dogs will do well. they just need time to calm down after someone new comes in. They do think the world revolves around them and the only reason people would come inside is to pet them, so I know the feeling.

Good luck with the application. I am awaiting a response from mine as well.

[lovingmom07]

We are having our final visit tomorrow. It went pretty qucik so far. We finished our MAPP classes on Aug 23rd.
I also have two dogs 2 Boxers Plus I run a rescue for them so we have a few at a time and they were ok with it as long as they all had there shots.
Good Luck. The waiting after the final visit is the longest part.

[tylind23]

I'm so glad to see other people's responses about their dogs. I have a German Shepherd who sheds like no other dog I've ever seen. Hair is always flying everywhere in my house. He is just a year old so he is still a "puppy" even though he's over 100 lbs. He, too, gets very excited when someone new comes over and occasionally still tries to jump (but somehow knows not to with little kids and is extremely gentle with them). I was also worried about being turned down due to the rambunctious horse running around. He's such a good, sweet dog, but just still has so much energy. Good to know I still have a chance to be licensed in spite of him!

[misstonicee]

Isn't it funny how we all thought our dogs would ruin it for us? I still feel that way and probably will until I have that paper in my hand taht says I'm approved. I love that other people's big dogs think they are little. I tried to tell my dog (96 pounds) to give me her paw and mistakenly tapped my thigh and before I knew it she was up in my lap. I don't even think she realized she was going to do it because she looked at me and jumped off really quick and then sat down next to me and licked my hand.

I think that the dogs can be almost like therapy for the children. Especially my one dog. She is a big giant love! Both of my dogs have been good with children so far. My cousin's son at under 2 years old was holding a piece of cheese in my dog's mouth and the boy didn't let go of the cheese. I thought for sure we were going to have to take a trip to the ER. But my good dog just kept pushing her hear back and licking the cheese without ever touching his hand with her teeth!

[aclee]

I don't even think we have any for our dogs...They are all up to date on all their shots, and very well cared for. I think I just expected the city to send us some paperwork, and it never came. I'm sure it's simple enough to get them though....I should do that now before they ask for them hun?

[GaViolet]

Yeah, that was one of the big things stressed to us was to make sure we had the papers showing they have had their shots and stufff.

[misstonicee]

We had to have our dogs licensed with the town we live in. I know that this is something that we should have done already, but we never thought of it.