I work in mental health as a peer support specialist (on the way to becoming a CADC) and I have a client that I genuinely do not enjoy working with because of the sheer volume of lies I am told by them. I won’t get into how much they lie but it’s very hard to help someone that never gives you accurate information. Anyway, I continue to help connect them with resources and do my best to support them.
Today I went to their new apartment for the first time. As I was helping them set up a laptop in the kitchen, I look in the backyard and there’s a large dog sitting in a shopping cart, held in place by a piece of rope. My jaw drops and I immediately ask the client to come outside with me to talk away from their family members. I ask about the dog and they tell me it belongs to their friend that’s just visiting and the dog is there temporarily.
Now, based on my previous experiences with this client and their inclination to let anyone life with them, I’m going to guess that this client let a woman move in that she met at the homeless shelter. My client said she didn’t want the dog in her house. That dog is living in a shopping cart in this junky backyard. It’s been raining the past few days and my blood boils to think that dog was left out there.
I call my boss immediately and she basically tells me to let it go for now. She says I can’t call animal control because they will know I called and it will set a lot of things into motion, possibly leading to my client being asked to move out. I do not know what the fuck to do. On the one hand, I literally cannot let this go. This is clear cut animal abuse and I know my client well enough to know that dog lives there and isn’t just there for an hour or two and even if it was, that’s still unacceptable. On the other hand, I want to keep my job and not upset my boss, this dog’s safety means a lot to me but I’m broke enough that I can’t afford even a week lapse in unemployment. I can’t ask someone else to call because regardless, I will be blamed.
Should I just wait a week and try to frame it like a neighbor called? 3 days? What do I do here
Comments
Personally I’d laugh in their face while reporting it, but I’ve been told I’m ‘intense’.
Report anonymously.
Is it your companies policy to ignore animal abuse? Here in the UK it’d be reported to the RSPCA without doubt.
Don’t wait. Call anonymously.
That poor doggo doesn’t deserve those conditions.
Also, you’re a brave and kind human for the work you do. I know it can be hard on the heart and soul to work with folks in challenging situations, so remember to be kind to yourself.
Your boss will lose money if client loses housing. Plain and simple.
Call about the dog and do the right thing.
You are a mandated reporter. Get your shit together and call animal control. Jesus.
There are some options here and none of them are without risk of negative consequences. So choose the path that your gut tells you is the right one. Choose the path you can live with. Everything is guessing except the fact the dog is tied up in bad weather.
IMO address that fact. You can address it by either offering to take the dog yourself (congratulations on your new dog/foster dog) or calling animal control to report the dog (knowing there’s no guarantee they’ll take the dog from the friend and even if they do the dog may be euthanized by animal control if they’re not set up to keep dogs long term; you may want to see how your local animal control is set up before calling so you can know what might happen with the dog if he/she is taken).
Just my thoughts so take it with a grain of salt. Do what you think is best. Go with your gut.
Report it now
I’d go the unethical route and steal the dog.
Report