What to say if your House Mom has a pet...
 

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the forum, so bear with me. Our sorority was just informed that we'd have a new House Mother in the fall. This is great news; however, she comes with a standard poodle. Although our house is thrilled about our new additions, I was just wondering what a good way would be to market the dog during Formal Recruitment.

I know having a dog is a large responsibility, and there is always the risk of allergies/attacks/everything else you could think of, but that's not what I'm here for. We've weighed all the risks, trust me. Now the task is just how to tell PNMs that yes, we have a house dog, and yes, she will live in our house mom's apartment, not the rest of the house.

Is there any way to put this in kosher terms, or anyone who has gone through the same situation? We want to let the PNMs know, but not in a harsh way. And the least we want to do is become known as "the house with the dog."

Thanks so much in advance!

Am I the only one who would think this is a huge advantage during recruitment? I would have SO gone to "the house with the dog" if we a. had houses and b. were allowed to have dogs anywhere in our dorms.

Basically, you can't do anything about it so just try to talk it up, if it comes up, and otherwise just don't stress about it. If it is like you said and the dog will only be in your house mom's apartment then it shouldn't be a huge issue, right?

My thoughts:

Include pictures of the house mom and poodle in any display you have.
Keep the dog out of recruitment itself
If a PNM mentions having allergies, know how to assure her what you're doing to manage that.
Don't market the dog. Answer questions about the dog or talk about the picture with the dog in it, but don't "market" it.

Well, poodles are hypoallergenic; we're not too worried about that one. It's just that even though the dog is really amiable, some people might be uneasy with it living in the house, because (being a standard) it's a pretty good-sized dog. We're afraid it might turn people off, just because they think it could be harmful.

I'm kind of biased...I own a standard poodle myself, so I think they're great dogs. But I'm not sure how others would perceive them, and if that could possibly be a detriment.

A lot of people aren't into dogs, especially larger ones (i.e. non-lapdog).

I would've been pretty turned off from a house that had a dog. Not only because I am allergic, but because I'm just not a large dog person.

That's why I think you should just have the dog in a picture or two, and if a PNM gets all excited about the dog then great talk about it, and if someone expresses concern then that active can mention how well behaved the dog is.

Recruiting with the dog present or in any way "marketing" the dog is going to bring out the "house with the dog" thing and possibly intimidate PNMs who are nervous about dogs (but who could get used to it any other time but during high stressed rush).

Why is the dog even a factor? Why bring it up at all? Will the dog be hanging out in the house? Will the housemom insist that the dog be on the front lawn for game day activities? If not, then it is a moot point.

Frankly, I don't think a house mom and her activities are recruitment conversation fodder, other than "We have a great house mom. She is so caring and loving, etc"

I say, do not even bring it up. The dog is not part of XYZ sorority, and therefore, has no bearing on info a girl needs to know about pledging there.

gee_ess, you're right on the money. I've known of housemoms with pets but no one ever discussed the housemom in recruitment.

Regarding allergies and dogs: Poodles are purchased for families who have allergy problems. They are "safe" in that area. They are usually well behaved. We do not have poodles. My inlaws did. And they were very nice and calm dogs.

It is possible to still have an allergic reaction to poodles and other "hypoallergenic" dogs. It's just less likely.

You could always hid him in the kitchen with the rest of the house undesirables.

/rimshot

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/a...98/33bkglu.gif

^^ poor chris.

Our housemom had a cat. It mostly stayed in her quarters except occasionally, when she would bring it up and let us pet it. It was never an issue.

The only way this would be a problem that I see is if the housemom just lets the dog run around the house. Otherwise, I don't think it will matter. Best case scenario, dog becomes a sort of mascot, worst case scenario no one even knows it's there.

One of the Sig Eps on my campus was blind and had an assistance dog (I think he made it into the yearbook photo and quite possibly their composite). That dog was amazing. I am in awe of service dogs. The dog was super cute, and guys treated him so well.

If you were talking to someone and mentioned Sig Ep and someone wasn't sure which fraternity they were, most people said, "you know, the one with the dog."

This would be my suggestion as well.

I do know the house mom at UK Theta has (or did until recently) a very sweet shih tzu named Francisco. She keeps his hair shaved off. She takes him out back for potty time and picks up his poo. He usually stays in her apartment, but last I heard he is ADORED by nearly everyone living in the Theta house. Apparently he loves being around people and being petted and isnt a nuisance barker so he fits in well.

Not having lived in this kind of house, how big will the housemother's quarters be? I think keeping the dog (especially a Standard Poodle) confined to a very small space in the midst of a "pack" situation is horribly unfair to the dog. It'll hear all the commotion going on in the house and be cooped up and miserable. You might as well tie the poor thing out back to a stake.

Not only that, what happens if the house mom leaves for a weekend? Does someone there feed and walk the dog?

No house (including a sorority house) should have a dog if ALL the members of the house are not in favor of it. In other words: get a new housemother.

My question is, if someone does have an allergy or fear of dogs, would they be required to live in the house? Or will there be a waver? That would probably be the biggest question you could get and I'd be prepared to answer it.

Having dealt with many House Directors who have had pets, I can offer some information. In my GLO, the chapter has to vote in favor of the HD having a pet. The HD must keep it confined to her apartment (most consist of bedroom, sitting/living room, bathroom). The only time it is allowed in other parts of the house is when it going from her apartment to the outside. They are not allowed to "roam" the house and the chapter has no obligation to care for it in any way. If she goes out of town and can't take the pet, she does whatever she would do if she lived elsewhere - board it, get a sitter, etc. A member having a verified allergy (doctor's written proof) would not be required to live in as long as the pet was there.

@ the bolded, how frequently does the chapter vote? Only once (before the HD gets the pet)? Yearly? I can see problems with just about any voting schedule - vote only once and 10 years down the road, all the sisters who voted to allow the pet are long gone (and the current sisters might not be too keen on that); vote yearly and the HD faces losing a pet she's had for years (or losing a job). I just wonder about the logistics.

The vote is before she is hired if she already has the pet or before she is allowed to acquire the pet. Then the chapter votes annually on whether to support her rehire for the coming year (HC makes the final decision) and it includes discussion of that as well.

This. Now if you had a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel...

Again, this. In fact, having been mauled as a child by a "very sweet, loves kids" standard poodle, and having also been bitten by my brother's Doberman, I would probably do anything I could to keep from getting a bid from that house!

My mother (now I) had a Bichon Frise, one of the top hypoallergenic dogs. At first, I had reactions, but they were mild. Now, I have none. I've learned to say "you're much less likely to have a reaction to him" when people ask about him.

small hijack: Every Pika chapter I knew had a Dalmation; is that just locally, or does every Pika/Pike chapter have one?

^^^ maybe it goes with their firetruck thing?

Yeah, don't let the foofy haircut fool you. Standard poodles are seriously badass mofos. I don't mean they bite everyone, I mean they are very active, macho dogs.

The Pikes at my school did not have a dalmation but did have a firetruck (which was featured in Tim McGraw's "Down on the Farm" video a gizillion years ago, BTW.