Dog Discrimination

We jumped through the hoops, made it to phone interview #2 and were ready for the background check process when one little stipulation stopped that train in its tracks...we would not be allowed to have a dog for our 1st year and then only 1 dog once we were placed in our own home.

For the record, we have 2 small Dachshunds; Princess who is 10 years old and Jake who is 4. We legally adopted them, they are ours...just as if we had adopted 2 children. EXCEPT, if we had real children, (ie. NOT DOGS) there would be no problem. I don't get it. Especially when my dogs tend to be better behaved and less messy than many of the children I've cared for over the years. Sorry if you're offended, but it's true!

I am not sure if I am more angry or sad that something apparently so important is not more clarified on the website or was even discussed in more detail in the first phone interview. We DID ask about the pet policy in the first interview and was told that there was a pet restriction during the 5 week training but nothing more.

I guess the most upsetting thing about all of this was how hard we had prayed, how excited we got, and how disappointed we are. It's sad to think that our qualifications to become houseparents has come down to this...we have pets.

I'm sad that they judge our effectiveness as proper role models and compassionate parents based solely on our ownership of 2 dogs. If they knew the story of Jake, there would be no doubt as to the compassion we have as parents to a 'child' with behavioral issues.

I am trying v-e-r-y hard to see the silver lining to this experience, but it just is not coming right now. I know deep down (way deep down!) that there is an important lesson to be learned here, that God wanted us to learn something from this, but for now I am just going to have to be satisfied that this job was not for us.

A friend posted the following scripture on Facebook last night: "For verily I say unto you, that great things await you;" (D&C 45: 62)

I did not know why I needed to read that scripture last night, but maybe I do now.