[tampagal]

May seem silly but we have a little yorkie- will a prospective adoption agency we use ask us about that or be concerned about families having a dog in terms of bringing an adopted baby in the house? Some people feel that certain dogs are good with kids , some are not, etc. I know they look at all safety issues.

[sakelley]

We have 3 big dogs - 2 purebred German Shepherds (both 98 lbs) and a shepherd/boxer mix. Our social worker met 2 of our dogs (the other hid in her crate during both of our in-home visits). Our social worker asked us how we thought they will be with a child since we currently have none. We explained to her about how good they are with our neice and nephews and our friends children. She didn't seem concerned with them at all.

[jenn2004]

We have 3 dogs............A Black Lab, Sheltie and Shihtzu............our social worker had no concern whatsoever! You will be fine: -)

[Re-Re and Brian T]

We have two big dogs as well a german shep. and black lab. Our social worker stated that she would be more concerned about smaller lap dogs as they as carried around like babies.

You should be fine.

[KLDinWI]

We have two dogs a Goldendoodle and a Cocker Spaniel and our social worker only wanted to know how we would react and what we do if our daughter would be allergic to our dogs. So every thing should be fine.

[Andi72]

We have 2 dogs, a border collie and a lab-rottie mix. Our SW didn't say anything, she just commented on how cute the lab-rottie mix was.

[tampagal]

You guys have all made me feel better- thanks!

[kelceesmom]

Our SW worker asked us how we thought the animals would get along with our new baby. We have 4 large dog the largest weighing in at 100lbs. We also had to have a current vaccination record.

[lovemybulldog]

Originally Posted by KLDinWI

We have two dogs a Goldendoodle and a Cocker Spaniel and our social worker only wanted to know how we would react and what we do if our daughter would be allergic to our dogs. So every thing should be fine.

I'm curious about how you answered this question about allergies. Our French Bulldog is a total sweetie, but she is also a dog that needs to be with her people. Banishing her to a gated off part of the house is not a long term option for us.

Thanks!

[chinagirl2006]

We have a cat & a 2 year old puppy & our agency didn't question it at all. We didn't put any pics of our pets in our dossier just in case that would affect something. But I think alot of families put their pets in theirs.

[KLDinWI]

Originally Posted by lovemybulldog

I'm curious about how you answered this question about allergies. Our French Bulldog is a total sweetie, but she is also a dog that needs to be with her people. Banishing her to a gated off part of the house is not a long term option for us.

Thanks!

Being a person who has an allergy to dogs this question was fairly easy to answer. I explained to our social worker that our Goldendoodle is a dog that is considderd hypoallergenic and our Cocker has never posed a problem with me, and if he did with our daughter we would consult with my allergist for available medication options. She was completly satisfied with our answer.

[mkinzie]

We have a black lab that is unusually large. Our SW barely paid attention to him. So of course he was all that much more curious about her. She did bring up the allergy thing, too. My DH has allergies and we said basically the same thing that KLD in WI said. She seemed happy, too.

[kim532]

We don't have dogs, but we have 2 cats. Our SW just wanted to make certain the animals vaccinations were up to date. They weren't so we had them at the vet the next week and now everything is OK!

[socheltree]

We had two dogs and a cat when we began the adoption process, before we travelled, our 11 year old English bulldog had to be put down, and shortly after we returned from China our 17 year old cat passed away in her sleep. We still have our 5 year old mid-sized mutt.

Having dogs isn't an issue for any agencies that I'm aware of. Pets are a pretty routine part of family life in North America. However, we were instructed to not include any pictures of pets in our dossier photos.

We were also told by Kai's nanny in China that he was extremely frightened of dogs and cats. And we found this to be true. We had to keep the cat outside and the dog gated away from Kai for a couple months after we returned with him. Now, nearly 10 months home, he gets along pretty well with her.

[sak9645]

Some states and agencies may want to see a dog license and rabies tag, just to show that the animal is healthy and protected in case he/she gets lost.

Some agencies want the social worker to meet the family dog, to observe that the animal isn't vicious and receives good care. Even a pit bull can be OK, in most cases, if he/she is a sweet and clean little dog. (And many pits are utterly delightful.)

Many social workers consider ownership of well-cared for pets a good sign, because it shows that the owner is a loving and nurturing person, willing to spend time on caring for a living being. This is good preparation for parenthood.

Many social workers WILL ask what a person will do if: a) the dog becomes jealous of the new baby and tries repeatedly to bite her; b) the new baby is terribly allergic to dogs; c) the new baby is absolutely terrified of animals. Training the dog and gently introducing a scared baby are appropriate answers, but the social worker is also hoping to hear that rehoming the dog would be considered if problems couldn't be resolved.


Sharon