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

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

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

/rimshot

[dreamseeker]

^^ poor chris.

[angels&angles]

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.

[ree-Xi]

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."

[RaggedyAnn]

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.

[Titchou]

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.

[SydneyK]

Originally Posted by Titchou

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.

[Titchou]

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.

[Drolefille]

^^^ maybe it goes with their firetruck thing?