Aggressive dogs?

[izimbra]

Hi all, hoping someone can advise. Family member wants to foster, but has two dogs that have a history of biting and aggressive behaviour, one to the point of hospitalising our elderly mum overnight. I've suggested that this will be a big sticking point in her being approved as a foster carer and she got peeved with me. It will be won't it?

I’d bloody hope so!
No idea how these things work in practice though, SW must have to meet the dogs on several occasions during home visits so hopefully it’ll be a huge red flag if the potential foster parent shuts them away.

They may want to speak to family members mightn't they? Then you or your mum can tell them about the dogs if they don't.

Absolutely. I’ve volunteered at a rescue and if you already have a dog they need a successful meet and greet with the potential foster dog.

Why on earth do they think this is a good idea?

Does she want to Foster children or dogs? Either way, I bloody hope it's a sticking point! Is she the sort to be dishonest and make sure the dogs are out "being walked" during home visits?

She wants to foster children. She would be completely brilliant in every other way. She lives with my mum, whose dog is unpredictable and has a history of lungeing at children/biting/nipping. Every single person who visits the house has to be told to be careful of this dog. Her own dog who also lives there is the one who hospitalised my mum. He has big issues with food - constantly jumping up and stealing food off the sides in the kitchen and off the dining table while you're eating. In fact eating and cooking is a really stressful experience because you're always looking around to see where he is. He bit my mum after she grabbed some food off him that he'd stolen. My mum was in hospital for a night - the wound needed cleaning and repairing in theatre. I just can't see how any social worker would be comfortable for these dogs to be around children, but relative has convinced herself that it will be manageable/ok. She's angry with me for telling her that it's not ok. I'm posting in hope that someone would know what questions a social worker would ask about pets as part of an assessment. Would they ask if the dogs have a history of aggression or have every bitten anyone?

Dear God, why can’t you get in touch with the authorities & highlight this issue??
How would you feel if a child got maimed or killed and yiu had kept quiet?

Forgive me for being blunt and I appreciate your reluctance to step forward like that but really? You feel ok about not doing so?

If “every single person who visits the house has to be told to be careful of this dog” the social worker doing the assessment will be aware at the 1st home visit ? Your sister and mother will have to re home the dogs for the assessment to progress.

If your sister can’t see the importance of creating a safe environment for prospective foster children you should help her question her suitably/ commitment to the process.

They have to do a risk assessment on each pet even for respite day care if in your home. As bonkers as it is... we had to complete one for a hamster and a fish tank! They want to spend time with the animals too so our dogs had to meet the social workers and stay calm. In our case as the wider family was a support network, they met them and their pets at home too.

Thanks for your responses. I messaged relative and said I was concerned that she was building her hopes of fostering when it's obvious to family that it won't be workable because of the dogs. She responded that she thought 'risks can be managed' which wasn't the answer I was hoping to hear. I told her I think there's no way the dogs will pass a risk assessment. It's good to know that these are done on all animals.

We have just completed our assesemts to become kinship carers (but gone through same stuff as FC). They'll obviously see the dogs at home visits and are constantly watching how they interact within the family and obviously them as a stranger.. and we had to fill in a form about our dog and his past (asking if he's ever bit) and his traits. We have a very small dog, he barked at the SW at first meeting when she entered but then would be asleep on her lap at the end of the session, so she's written that he is no risk. I'm assuming if he was a biter and had attacked in the past, they'd highlight that as a major risk.. May not completely rule her out but she'd had to follow rules which would probably keep the dog away from the kids at all times..

There's a pet risk assessment, which doesn't sound like this family would pass.

She seems absolutely deluded!