An 8-year-old’s walk alone with her dog got her mother a visit from police and an investigation by child advocates.
Corey Widen said she got a visit from police and an investigation by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) after her daughter, Dorothy, was seen walking her dog around the block alone, The Chicago Tribune reported.
The family had just brought the Maltese puppy into their home last year, with the rule that everyone takes a turn walking the dog.
Recently, it was Widen's daughter's turn. Most of the outing, Widen said she could see her daughter walking from her window. The walk is the only time that her 8-year-old homeschooled child isn't directly supervised, the Tribune reported.
But an anonymous caller phoned police after seeing Dorothy walking her pet.
Police didn't file charges, but DCFS did investigate if Widen was neglectful after a neighbor called them, WBBM reported.
"Apparently whoever called the police didn't think the police were a good enough judge of what was OK and not OK. Then they called DCFS. The police did not call DCFS," Widen told WBBM.
The investigation was resolved in less than two weeks, but not before Widen hired an attorney, WBBM reported.
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