Foster child and pets

[babytinkabell]

Have any of you ever had a foster child bring their pet with them when they came to you? We currently have a 14 yr old girl on a two month care order. We fully expect it to be extended when the two months is up. She has a dog at her mums house and dh and I are discussing whether to let her bring it here if she ends up staying on a long term basis.
It's a lovely dog and very well trained. Trouble is my 7 year old son is really scared of dogs. He really doesn't like them at all. Also we have a rabbit who currently has the whole garden to himself as it's very secure so we don't have to keep him in a hutch all the time.
Foster d hasn't mentioned the dog coming here but she really misses it. We've got another few weeks to decide but I'm just wondering whether anyone else has experienced this?

It would depend upon a lot of things.

How calm is the dog?
How scared is DS - is he utterly, go into immediate melt down terrified or do you think you would be able to help him get over his fear?
Are you prepared for all the hardwork that comes with dog ownership? - You simply cannot rely on a 14yo to do it all on her own.
Can you afford it - who is going to pay for the insurance/food/vet bills etc?
How is the dog with small animals and what breed? - If it is a terrier type your rabbit will almost certainly need a very secure run building.
Is the dog socialised with smaller children? There is a big difference between a 7yo and a 14yo.

Sorry if I have just given you more things to think about and no real advise, but they are (imo) very important things to consider. I do think that you are being very kind to even consider this for your foster daughter. I'm sure whatever you decide she will be very happy with you

I'm not sure what you mean by having a young girl on a "2 month care order" - do you mean that she is on an interim care order. If so, there can be several months before the final hearing for a care order. On what basis was she placed with you - short term or permanent.I have 30 years experience as a sw and fostering tm mgr but am now retired. I just think things need to be clear about placements and foster carers are usually approved for short term carers or permament foster carers, though it is often the case that a short term placement can be "converted" into a long term placement if that is the care plan and the carers are wuilling to keep the child on a permanent basis.

Sorry I know this isn't about the dog but i think you are being a bit premature about the dog. Presumably her mother (or some relative) is currently looking after the dog and may not want the dog to go somewhere else to live. Not sure how long you've had the girl but it sounds like early days. My advice is to concentrate on the young girl and her needs and postpone any decision about the dog. It might not be the right thing for your son either. Presumably the girl is having some contact with mother/father/extended family - does she actually get to see the dog - if so this might suffice.

I was fostered as a child. I took 2 cats to my first placement (2yrs) then they came with me to my 2nd, but kept trying to go back to the first, so they still have them now (well, one, the other died, this was in 1993).
I took my rabbit and guinea pig from my second to third placement, but gave them away fairly soon afterwards as their expectations were way out (wanted me to socialise with them for at least 2 hours a day).

So, it certainly isn't unheard of. From the little girl's point of view, it probably means a lot to her, but if she is fairly young you must only do it if you really are prepared to take responsibility for the dog. Being fostered i a lonely and scary place, having responsibility for another living thing isn't necessarily the best thing.

When one of my cats ran away from 2nd placement and was really ill (got leg stuck in collar, found in greenhouse miles away after 2 weeks) I had to pay for vets bills. I had no money and was terrified, I didn't know what to do so I drank a bottle of nail varnish remover. I have no idea what I was trying to achieve, but the responsibility was just too much for me. Luckily the 1st family took them back and paid the bills. :)

Thanks for all replies. Nananina to answer your question, yes it's an interim care order for 2 months, then it goes back to court. We don't live in the UK so maybe it works slightly differntly here? Sws have stated that it is currently a short term placement but they expect it to become permanent when the two months is up. If that is the case she will remain here with us. Her mum currently has the dog in a small apartment and is talking about giving the dog away as it is my foster ds dog and therefore not her responsibility. My foster d is obviously upset by this. Thats why we are thinking about it now. At the moment fd has 2 hours a fortnight with her mum. There have been 2 visits so far, once in her mums so she got to see her dog, the other was in the sws offices.

Looneyloops thank you for sharing your story. We would take full responsibility for the dog but would obviously expect foster d to help out occasionally with feeding, walking etc. Financial responsibility would be completely mine and dhs.

My biggest issue is how it will effect my ds I suppose. Our neighbours recently got a puppy so I'm hoping to bring him up a few times over the next couple of days and see how he gets on with their dog.

I think it would be a really good thing for your son. Go for it! (You sound like great foster parents btw.).