So I woke up this morning at 7. Sun was just coming out, temperature was looking nice, could smell the faint aroma of my coffee brewing. Looked like it was going to be the start of a wonderful Sunday. Not so much.
As part of my morning ritual I turn my phone back on from DnD and check my notifications (which are mostly xjtalk post updates :p and a few texts from friends who tend to stay up and do stupid things in the no good hours of past midnight) and I see 5 missed calls from the 3-6am time frame.
My mother worked in group homes for over half her life and when she got out her and my father decided to do foster care to try to give some of the more troubled kids a chance at life outside the group home.
Well last night two of those boys decided to take advantage of that and hike 10 miles into the nearest town to try to raise some hell. On their trip they failed to care that my 10 year old worn out lab was following them into town. This poor old dog has had a hard day if he manages to put 2 miles on the odometer. He has bad feet and bad hips, but he still is able to put around the farm and serves his job of barking at everyone who pulls up, walks up, and does a fair job of keeping the red jimmies from digging holes around the garage.
Well the police caught the boys around 2am wandering around town. It wasn't until 3am they told the police and my father when he showed up that he dog followed them in to town. Well by time I got around to checking my phone they still hadn't found him so I joined the search. He was found at 8am laying listlessly outside the garage of an old couple who were heading out to get in the car for church.
He couldn't get the truck on his own power when we arrived, but did wag his tail when he saw us. Currently he is at the vet and we are hoping everything will be fine. Tomorrow I had to take another dog in to the vet to have surgery and was already worried enough about that. I hate when days that look so beautiful and promising turn into shit before breakfast :(
I've always thought foster care was a good deal. Get kids out of group homes and give them a new lease on life within a proper home setting. It just really pisses me off when some of the kids take it for granted. My mother used to work with violent behavior kids and sex offenders so my parents are often saddled with the worst of the worst. Kids bad enough they don't want to deal with in group homes, but smart enough to not push it to the limit of being thrown in juvi until they are 18 or 21.
Lot of these kids are from bigger cities and are pissed off they can't run wild in a city doing the things that landed them in group homes in the first place. They can't hack the discipline, structure, and responsibility that comes with living on a full self sustainable farm. In the past 10 years my parents have fostered 17 boys. Of those 17, 11 have managed to go on to college or the military and start productive lives. Of the other 6, they are all in jail. 2 for life for murder, and 1 on a 25 year stint for attempted murder and rape.
The two boys that ran off last night are on that same path and the foster service knew that before placing them with my parents. Where exactly do they draw the line with some of these kids when it comes to unleashing them on the world when they know they are violent offenders. I understand everyone deserves a second chance, but let the worst ones get that shit when there are orphans, or abused kids rotting in the system and group homes because the staff at those places feel they are the easiest ones to work with?
Sorry for the long post/rant. Just feels better to get it out. My dogs to me are my children and nothing upsets me more than someone knowingly or purposely mistreating my family.
