amitebird Asked May 2017
My mother has been living in AL for 1 year and is now having problems with pets at the facility. Does anyone have experience with this?
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The owner has started bringing his large poodle, which he says is a comfort dog. However, he walks through the dining room into the kitchen with the dog loose and following him. I feel this is a bit unsanitary. Sometimes the clients' relatives bring pets to visit and do not have them leashed. One ran for my mother and jumped on her. She has already had toe surgery because of a friend's tiny dog jumping on her. I feel I am paying for my mother to be happy, but also to be safe. Anyone have experience with this?
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Surely you were aware that this facility allowed pets when you moved in?
When we came back to the AD's office after the tour, turns out the dog had thrown up in the other office. Yuck!
The therapy dog is around A LOT. They even have people making dog biscuits as an activity. My mother isn't a dog person. I assume the dog is on a leash. I hope so!
I think the admissions director has found a way to keep her personal dog with her at work by pulling this therapy dog nonsense. I believe that real therapy dogs come to a facility, are well-controlled by their owners and then leave after a certain amount of time. They don't stay there all day!
I think the owner of your mother's facility is lying about the poodle being a comfort dog. He's just too lazy or cheap to provide proper supervision for the dog at his residence!
The facility must have health inspections for its kitchen facilities. Call the health inspector and ask if loose dogs in the kitchen are a code violation. I bet it is!
For what it's worth, I think "comfort" and "emotional support" animals are a bunch of baloney. People abuse the (ridiculous) policy to allow emotional support animals in the cabin of airlines (so they don't have to pay!) and in no-pet housing situations. People can get the necessary documentation over the Internet. I am sick and tired of seeing non-service animals in all sorts of situations where they shouldn't be (grocery stores!).
If people are so incapacitated by psychological conditions, then they can get a service dog. None of this "emotional support" or "comfort animal" nonsense.
If the management told you one thing when you moved mom in and are now doing something else - yeah, I'd be ticked off as well.
I think a call to the health department may be problematic in that - they'll likely send a health inspector but you're gambling on odds that the dog will be in the kitchen at the time the inspector shows up. Although, the visit in itself - based on a complaint might get the owner to leash his dog - at least for awhile - until the owner gets all entitled and lazy again.
With this being the owner who is bringing the dog in - you may be between a rock and a hard place. No one to go over his head to. In this situation- your ombudsman is probably your best shot.
Do take a good look at the rent agreement- usually there's a rules and regs page. See if there is any rule in writing that the owner is breaking. If that is happening you may have a legal leg to stand on. But then bringing in an attorney always runs the risk of backlash against your mom - and you don't want that.
It sucks. Just one more thing the elderly have to put up with - the constant loss of control over their own lives and environment must eat away at their very core.
On a side note - I'm the biggest b*tch in the neighborhood- no pun intended- when it comes to leashing dogs and picking up poop. One man has changed his route because I'd yell at him from my window - lol, I'm sure the neighborhood kids call me "Crazy, Old Lady Rainmom". Anyhoo - poor dogs, it's not their fault! And yes, I have a sister-in-law who fraudulently takes her dog on planes and into restaurants. It makes me completely insane!
A year ago when mom was mobile but very unsteady with a walker - the place had two old house dogs and residents had at least three others including one the size of a German Shepard that would dash through the place as a dog will
Then there's the staff that brings their dogs and their kids to work as well - mayhem and memory care don't mix well
The most egregious part of all this was that there's no one to take care of the menagerie after 5 pm so of course the dogs are in the dining room and when they have to go they pee and poop all over the place
Unfortunately, some of these pets have died and now there's just one old house dog who's so grumpy he has bitten several times including children visiting the facility
We had a dog for nearly 15 years so it's not that I don't like them but somewhat like kids - you may love your own but somebody else's - not so much
But NO animals go into kitchen/dining areas or in the resident's rooms. Only the public areas. The caregivers also know and have communicated to the dog handler which patients like / do not like dogs and this is very much respected.
sounds like some owners are getting lazy and bring a pet in when it should be home.
https://nhlp.law.uiowa.edu/sites/nhlp.law.uiowa.edu/files/NHLP-AnimalsinNursingHomes.pdf
I also get annoyed by people who claim to have a therapy dog and don't have the vest on. It costs money to train and certify a therapy dog and if you see a dog without the vest they most likely are not certified.
My dad was greeted by a therapy dog when he was recovering in the hospital. If dogs are allowed in hospitals I don't see why they would not be allowed in nursing homes. Medical studies must back up the impact on health or they would not allow it. By the way, did you know that patients in rooms with a view of trees recover faster than patients with no views of trees? Nature is in our DNA. Don't run from it. Embrace it!
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