To say no to dog on holiday

Is this dog a rescue? Op didn’t say that?
As someone who has many dogs I wouldn’t take them anywhere to stay with very small children. Not because they aren’t well trained or well behaved, they are. But it takes a lot of monitoring to ensure very small children interact safely with a dog and a lot of dogs, rescue or not, do not respond well to grabbed fur, pulled tails or high pitched screaming (not the child’s fault of course, it’s what children do). BIL needs to leave the dog at home, for everyone’s sake.

Glad you stood your ground. Not everyone understands how precarious it is introducing rescue pets to new people, especially children.

That was a rather horrible post from Pancakeorcrepe @pictoosh
They sound like the type that gives all dog owners a bad name.

No she doesn't. I wouldn't have wanted an unknown rescue dog around my first baby, my second baby or my third. I used to work in an animal shelter and this is standard advice. Rescue dogs are unpredictable, their triggers impossible to know. Safety first every single time. It takes time to establish an animal into a household.

"You are going to be one of those mums that passes all their phobias and fears to their children."

What an arrogant thing to say. You don't know the OP from a stranger in the street. How dare you tell her that!

Good of you to stand your ground.

Well, tough!

They can all stay together and pay for it themselves, and you get your own accommodation. The dog would be non negotiable as far as I'm concerned.

Nana, the dog in the original play by J M Barrie, was a Newfoundland and you're probably right is the origin of the "Nanny Dog" myth. And it is a myth, bearing in mind the play and subsequent adaptions are about a boy who can fly and lives in a mystical land populated by pirates and fairies where children never grow up.

A dog as a nanny is possibly the least far-fetched thing about it. Doesn't mean it has any basis in reality.

https://www.thenewfoundland.org/nana.html

I'm a dog owner, but there is no way I would take on a rescue dog just before Christmas, & surprised the rescue are letting him, it is a chaotic time of year to introduce any animal to a household. (I've assumed a rescue as you say he is 1 years old?)
Your BIL will have little to no information on the dog itself, the dog needs a quiet space and time to adjust to his new home. A house full of people is far from ideal - no matter what the breed.
Staffordshire Bull Terriers can be nice dogs, but no dog should be called a 'nanny dog' and certainly not one where you have no history of the first year of it's life.
I think you are being totally reasonable in saying no. Your BIL and other family members should have loyalty to you and your feelings, not some dog they probably haven't even met. Plenty of time for them to meet the dog once he is settled.

Staffys are great dogs, but staffy puppies are very high energy and need persistent training. I’d not be overjoyed at trying to keep a crawling baby and a staffy pup apart.

How much is this prince contributing to the cost of the villa?

DH should tell him straight that in a choice between your baby's safety and his dog, your baby will always come first so it's not happening and he needs to get over it.

I'm getting the sense that you or DH are wringing your hands over this so as not to cause offence.

Could you just not book accommodation that doesn't allow dogs?

lol! I am not doubling down on anything.

i have categorically stated that no child should be left alone with a dog.

Searched - SBT nanny dog, staffy nanny dog, Staffordshire bull terrier nanny dog.

It wasn’t a thing made up in the 70s….

if people want to take as gospel content on an unregulated website - their choice, right?

I am confused, yes.

You're doubling down on the very much debunked nanny dog myth, calling other posters stupid in the process and berating their research skills.

But when you've been asked to provide sources for your claims, you've vaguely referenced the top five search results (we don't actually know what you've searched for btw). You do realise that a lot of the content on the internet is unregulated, right?

Spreading falsehoods about dangerous dogs on a parenting website is irresponsible.

All dogs can be aggressive.

Absolutely not! Why would anyone put a dog before a baby? Some dog owners (not all. I am one myself), treat their dogs like children which they are not. Aren’t these dogs the ones that can be aggressive. There’s no way would I accept this.

Definitely no to the dog coming (and I love dogs, have two of my own). Just not fair on the dog!

I agree. I never relied on trusting our soppy, never growled once Labradors 100% with even our own children when they were young. We always supervised them with our own children. And anytime another baby or child came round, the dogs went away. For the dogs safety as much as anything. Other people’s kids did all sorts of things I didn’t anticipate!!

i think there is some confusion, no where was it stated they were unbiased they were among the top five of many results that were thrown back from
a quick desk top search.

MN is not a court of law, you know that, right?

Don’t be daft you make whatever rules you like - dog owners need to be prepared that not everyone wants an animal in their house and around their child. It’s part of being an owner and having that responsibility. In the same way I wouldn’t kick up a fuss if someone didn’t allow kids to weddings - part and parcel of it.

Are you the same person who works in the legal profession? And you think these are reliable and unbiased sources? Yikes!

Proper Stafford are usually very sweet tempered. And much smaller than people think.

What features in attacks is the Staffy cross - a totally different beast - often part pitbull

And as reputable rescues don’t home dogs directly over Christmas, the timing of this dog’s expected arrival suggests very strongly that this is a cross, and is coming from a not particularly diligent route.

(OP - if there is time to re-book accommodation, then that’s what I’d do. Get somewhere for your family only. Then they can all stay together and see you during the day for lengths of time of your choosing. Get your DH to explain that BIL’s reaction has changed how you both see the trip, and as you now realise everyone wants to see the dog then of course he should bring it. But you will be in a separate place. And of course you’ll be visiting again when the dog isn’t so new, and you can have the family (humans only) gathering that you had been looking forward to at that point)

Totally agree that it's laughably ridiculous. Colby termed them 'Nanny dogs' to make them more marketable to families. Then his dogs killed his nephew (I think he was 2 years old).

I wouldn't budge on this, op. As pp's have suggested - can you say you're not allowed pets in the accommodation?