[embuck]

Okay we just received a placement last Tuesday. We actually picked her up from her FP home. No one from the agency or CPS was there. The next day our clinician comes by and we meet her. Everything is good. Thursday CPS lady finally shows up but only my MIL is there and we were told we did not need to see her she only wanted to see FC. Me and dh were at work. The next thing I know I have someone from our agency calling us to say CPS lady said we smoke in home and have too many dogs. She said we had 4. We have 3 pugs and they knew that at placement. Its in our home study. We do smoke but NEVER in our home. We actually both quite because of all this yesterday. The CPS worker was deathly afraid of our dogs and MIL said she refused to come in the house. Saw our ashtray on the porch. She even called former FP to tell him we were a smoking home with too many dogs and now today our childs casa worker called and is coming tomorrow and said CPS worker is concerned we are not a good placement for child but doesn't want to move the child from home to home.

Am I doing anything wrong here? Doesn't this all sound insane? I still havent gotten any papers from CPS for authorization of placement and childs insurance cards are expiring at the end of the month. Sounds like CPS is dropping the ball. I have documented everything but should I still be worried? Can they really take her away just because CPS is pissy or is there some type of protocal. Even our clinician said she was crazy and could not smell smoke anywhere on us or in our home.

ADVICE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[acooper3]

We have had our FS since Dec and haven't really had any problems. We do smoke, but only outside and we do have dogs and cats. But when I am called for a placement I make sure that they know that I do have animals and we do smoke outside the house.

I think she is just being mean.

[embuck]

I am telling the Gods truth we have never smoked in the house. The woman was ticked off about our pugs and if youve ever been around a pug you know they know no strangers! They are the friendliest dogs. I mean we didn't even meet the woman how can she HATE US?

Should I really really be worried if I am doing nothing wrong?

The only thing I could think of was that she saw the ash tray. She even told MIL that she LOVES our placement and that if it wasn't against the policy she would adopt her. Maybe she is just really really partial and doesn't want anyone to have her?

[afamilythroughfoster]

sounds like the sw has her panties in a bunch. They are the supreme authority though and they can remove a child for the most petty reasons.

really...it's a pug. Even if she felt outnumbered by 3 of them. What did she think they were going to do? Lick her to death?

Otherwise, I would suggest moving the ashtray out of site when you know they are coming so it doesn't draw any unneccessary attention.

Good luck, hang in there

[embuck]

we took the ash tray away since we quit smoking all together. lol

And as far as my pugs, MIL said one was sitting by the door and she refused to walk into the home until she was put in the back yard. She actually called ME from the yard and told me to call my MIL because one was outside by her car and she refused to get out until he was inside the house and then once that happened she wanted him out of the house. lol GEESH!

Okay so I just need to relax and let the CASA worker see all is good tomorrow? Do they have any special pull with CPS? My heart is in a million pieces, TPR is set for SEPT and we were told she needed an adoptive home. I am just soooo stressed now.

[Sam-N-Tony]

I wouldn't worry about it too much, you didn't do anything wrong and everyone will see that she was just freakin out unnecessarily. Maybe she's had issues with a dog before, you never know, it could've been a pug that bit her ankle off, LOL.

Don't worry about it, the best thing out of all this, you stopped smoking. Congratulations and the best of luck to you and your family.

[EZ2Luv]

Oh Come on Now! Seriously afraid of Pugs!!!! That like being afraid of a stuffed teddy bear. The worse thing a Pug would ever do is delightfully greet someone with absoulutely no aggression. That CW has a serious problem. And the ashtray was not in the house so what makes her think anyone living in the house was actually the ones who smoke. Sometimes non smoking households have ashtrays outside for company that does smoke. That woman was just being downright mean. I have Pugs and bring them to visit at the local nursing home and day care because they are so great with people.

Sometimes I think these CWs should concerntrate more on real problems than go out of their way looking for stupid reasons.
This gets me angry because all I hear about is the need for foster homes and here in MA the CWs have overlooked some serious issues that have cost the lives of innocent babies so to read this really gets me heated.

I hope that this gets resolved.

EZ

[embuck]

Thank you guys! I feel a little better.

I mean honestly her calling the previous foster parent to tell him all this was unnecessary as well. I just cannot believe she would lie to MIL face and then go behind our back and make false alligations. BUT hopefull with our agency having our backs and tomorrow after the casa visits we wont have this problem anymore.

Yea my pugs are soooo sweet. Normally they insist on seeing our dogs everytime they have been out. CPS worker said she had been attached 3 diff times with dogs and doesnt trust them no matter what anyone says...but come on...how were we to know all that?
She was then saying our placement has asthma because she was on breathing treatments for 4 months when taken into care. she hasn't had any since Jan and her dr said this wasnt true. I am getting paperwork to back this all up but what do dogs have to do with asthma? I understand the smoking but she said you have 3 pugs and the child has asthma. WHAT?

Quiting is hard but its well worth it! Thanks again! I just really wish we could get along with her, after all she is the CPS worker.

[MPJJJ]

Some children have asthma attacks set off by pet dander, and some people who have suffered attacks are deathly afraid of even the smallest, friendly dogs. Instead of a happy, smiling, wrinkly pug face, all they see are sharp teeth and an unpredictable nature. I'm not in any way trying to defend the worker, but just trying to throw out some possibilities. Could you try sending an email to her to put her mind at ease?

[MamaS]

My daughter had serious asthma when she arrived (at age 3) and had treatments until age 8 and carried an inhaler until age 16. We had the total battery of allergy testing done and the ALLERGIST TOLD US TO GET A DOG! He said to avoid cats because of the kind of dander, but that a poodle, bichon, schnauzer, or a breed with a similar kind of coat would help her to adapt to what she would encounter in the "real world"! She is now an adult and lives with a pomeranian and an indoor chocolate lab.
Maybe you need to see an allergist with your child! And maybe the CW needs to see a counselor about her irrational fear of pugs. Could it be she saw "Men In Black" and thinks they are really aliens from another planet? LOL

[EZ2Luv]

I would think f the child had alergies or asthma they would have been aware that you had dogs at the me they matched you. I mean that had to be in your homestudy. I think that the CW saw the dogs and freaked out because she is paranoid of dog. Then while in freak out mode saw the ash tray and her mind was off to the races.
I am sure it will all work out. Maybe you will be able to calm her fears abut Pugs.

On a side note, I have never ever known a Pug to snap or bite despite what was done to them. My Pug has endure all kinds of aggressive kids who were a little rough and all my Pug did was hide from them.
One of my Pugs used to jump in the pram with my baby and just cuddle at his feet. So cute I might add.

EZ

[embuck]

I have tried to call the SW to get an update of paperwork as well as say something on our behalf regarding her concerns. She has not however returned mine or my agencies calls. The agency is trying to have a conference with her and she has not called them back. This has been since Friday.

I understand the pug allergies but even in her last foster home the guy had two inside dogs. He commented on the CPS workers fear with them but why remove her from our home if she has always been around dogs? This should not be an excuse. PLUS her dr confirmed she does not have allergies or asthma and will write me a letter. I am just getting stressed from all these people coming out and calling me up about it. Licenseing clinician, clinician, former foster parent, and now Casa worker. Makes me feel like they are seriously considering moving her from our home because the SW had a bad bad bad day. Not to mention she has not even met us yet I just feel like its a losing battle.

NOW we know next time she comes to put the dogs in the wash room and since we stopped smoking she should no longer have any concerns. We were even told its our right to smoke outside the home and was backed up by our clinician who was there the day before saying she did not smell a thing, not even our ash tray. BUT it makes me so angry for her to call allot of people instead of addressing us herself.

They totally knew about our pugs in our home study, they even were told when they asked us about the placement if we had dogs because she was use to dogs. I specifically asked if she treated them well because we did not want to get a child who was abusive to animals.

It is also in our home study that we smoke. We smoke outside away from the house, sometimes on the porch, we have a huge 30 by 10 ft porch and wash our hands and eat a mint before we pick her up. lol She has never ever see us with a cig. But we quit now.

Last night my smallest pug, 11 lbs, was curled up next to her bed asleep in her care bear chair. It was soooo cute. She rides one of our pugs around like a horse sometimes ha ha ha...but the pug likes it and she isn't mean to them so they enjoy the attention.

I understand the irrational fear of dogs thing, but give us a break huh? Why dilerberately go out and get a child moved because you have a chip on your sholder, is this the best interest of the child?

[embuck]

Okay so my placements CASA worker came over today and told me we have nothing to worry about. She said if our CPS worker tried anything more to take our placement out of our care then she would petition the court to have her perminately placed there until the judge did TPR on bio parents. She was very happy with us and said there is nothing wrong with our "vicious" 3 pugs lol and our house DOES NOT smell like smoke and since we quit smoking near our house altogether, me completely, dh only at work, there is no reason to move our placement from home to home when we are so loving and she is very attached to us. So now I feel tons better but have a feeling this is not the last I hear of CPS worker. Casa is going to have to track down the paperwork for us since CPS is not doing their job. She mentioned also how mad she is at worker for not following up paperwork and she is dropping the ball. This is the FIRST person who has told us we are doing very good with our placement. I can now breathe! lol

Thanks ladies!

[afamilythroughfoster]

Congratulations!! Gotta love those CASA and GAL workers