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Hi there, I am new to the community but have been reading post here for a long time! It has been my dream to foster kids ever since I was a kid.
We have started trying to prepare our home to undergo the inspection and training, but I have begun to get anxious regarding our animals. I run an animal rescue not-for-profit, as well as have a small hobby farm. At the most basic level, we have three 1/2 personal dogs (1/2 for our 16 year old 4 pound chihuahua who is basically a potted plant) and two personal cats. Dogs are indoor pets and the cats go from the screened in porch to the occasionally being inside.
However, through the rescue work we often times end up with litters of kittens, extra foster cats or dogs and then the occasional orphaned baby animal. The farm has sheep, goats, a pig, poultry and a horse. All animals are well taken care of, vaccinated/registered and everything is kept immaculate. All animals we have kept we have kept with foster kids in mind and made sure they are extra friendly. Foster animals are checked on kid friendliness before coming with us. I actively participate in competitive training and animal youth groups.
But maybe a social worker would find this to be too risky? On top of all the animals, we are also rather young (20's)! I worry this would knock us out of being qualified to foster. Since location might matter, we are in Florida.
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Hey Max! How exciting that ya'll are starting your foster parent journey. You ask some unique questions that I think are super valid. From what I understand it's super important to have documents from a vet that says all the animals in your home are up to date on vaccinations and safe to live with children. During your home study your social worker will be able to access whether or not your home has enough space for children, as well as some general cleanliness in regards to the animals. Be upfront and honest with your social worker and explain that these animals are a part of your work. Honesty can go a long way. Plus, I feel like it could be really cool for a child to be matched with you guys that loves animals! Let us know how your foster journey goes!
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A lot of this will depend on your state- I would look and see if there are specific rules regarding animals in the home. What a social worker wants to see is that the child would be well cared for. If your animals are well cared for and you aren't too overwhelmed with them and a child, I wouldn't personally see a problem with it.