Dogs and toddlers

Never keep an animal around children that has the power to kill them. Sad but true.
That is why i'm sticking with cats and chickens! Don't trust any dogs and certainly not Staffies as their mouths are just too big!
If you have to get a dog, get a little Papillon or something with a flat face.

Hi - I think your cm is wrong by not telling you ... however we do have a tendancy to wrap children up in c wool these days.. Would you not let your child go swimming for the fear of drowning or a farm because the an animal could attack them??????

If you are happy with your cm and your child is happy as well why would you want to put your child through the upset of moving somewhere else .... perhaps a good alternative is to speak with the cm and set some regulations.

good luck and i hope you work it out !

ps: Sorry, another post, sorry... my mum had a nursery school for over 20 years and had a staffy and another dog, who were separate from the kids as a general rule.

Our concern was never for the staffy, it was for the other dog (a cross chow/labrador). Spaniels and jack russels and other breeds are more likely to bite/snip than a staffy.

At the end of the day it comes down to who owns the dog and how that dog is treated, to how they will act and react with others, kids included.

An aside re staffies... I come from South Africa, where they are a popular breed. There is no stigma attached there at all. They are seen as a good family pet.

In the UK it seems that staffies are given a bad rap, and I think that this is mostly due to the fact that they are a preferred pet of people who are in gangs/rough estates, who are looking for a dog for purposes other than a loving family pet...

I had a staffie for many years (his whole life), and although I absolutely loved him, and he was never a problem, he was a jealous dog. Ideally they need training too, they are VERY strong dogs (muscular), run very fast, and need to know you are boss. They also get lock jaw if they bite, which is difficult to deal with (I will tell you how if you really need to know!haha).

I childmind in a flat so would never think of getting a dog. When we move to a house and I stop childminding one day I will get another staffie as I absolutely love them. But not while I have the responsibility of other people's children in my home. The kids and my living come first.

I do think CMs should let the parents know if they decide to get a dog, yes it is their house, but their home is a business too, and the kids parents need to be taken into consideration.

we would love a dog but would never ever have one whilst cming. as a parent, i wouldnt touch a cm with a dog.

hi i was wondering this as i have an 8 month old spaniel and am looking at becoming a childminder i no my dog is so soft and wouldn't hurt any1 i have 2 young son's of my own that have been there constantly sincw we got the dog

noseyhelen - deciding to let your CM go for a number fo reasons is perfectly reasonable. It obviously wasn;t meant to be if the dog issue has promted you to look closer at the care beign given and noticing all is not as good as it seemed.

Glad you thought it through and came to the right choice for you - you will find someone else no problem - good luck

gizmo - cross posted you there! Good to know I'm not the only one who thinks that way! Although you were much more succinct in your delivery!!

Ask to see the puppy's registration documents. If she can produce Kennel Club papers that proves it is a pure bred KC registered staff then please please reconsider your decision. They are fabulous dogs with children honestly - see what the kennel club have to say about them.

www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/87

It clearly says on the KC website how great staffs are with children, indeed the KC nicknamed them "the nanny dog" because of their special affinity with children. PLEASE don't join the masses of ignorant non-staff owners out there who have no idea what makes this breed so special.

Too many "bad boys" are bringing over illegal pit bulls and pretending they are just big staffs. But people who know their breed can easily see the HUGE difference in appearence let alone temperment. If your CM can't produce any papers or she bought the pup off "some ruffian in the pub" - tell her to get rid of the dog for her own sake as well as yours!

For the people who questioned whether ofsted allowed dogs - I had 2 staffs when I childminded years ago and the ofsted inspector i had for my inspections told me she'd always rather see a staff with a CM than a border collie or jack russel......both of which can be very unreliable and a bit snappy. Ofsted were always very happy with my dogs. They had their own section of the garden (so no poo issues for the children) and they were kept locked away when I couldn't be on the floor supervising them with the children.

I would do that regardless of the dog breed I had or how many dogs I had. No dog should be trusted alone with kids.

Sorry for the essay but I get so frustrated with the way people make assumptions about dog breeds because of a few dodgy owners. I feel sorry for your DD if DH makes her leave a CM she loves because of DHs inability to research properly......

NoseyHelen

Quite understand you being upset with your CM - obviously you should have known about this before the puppy arrived, but just in response to this comment:

'I have no problem with dogs per se but this is a breed I don't trust. However, DH won't have it so I have to tell CM that my 2yr old won't be going.'

You do realise that Staffies were one of only two breeds the Kennel Club recommends for families with children? This is a good BBC report which sums up why they have now got such a bad (and undeserved) reputation.

does a cm have to inform ofsted when they get a dog and does someone have to come round and check their cage/kennel etc?

I am with you on this one, maybe its my hang up but i am scared whitless of most dogs, especially big ones, and freeze whehever I see one loose even out with dh, he always has to reassure me. My ds was bitten as a toddler and still have nightmares about it 16 years on. if you are not happy, move your child. As a cm she should have discussed it with you anyway.

There is no way on earth I would let my child be anywhere near this type of dog.
I am shocked that she did not discuss this with you before getting a pet.

I wouldn't leave my baby or toddler with any dog that I didn't know and trust.... (even a poodle)...ever! This would be a total deal breaker for me Im afraid.

Im a cm and know that when you have 5 or 6 children to care for you can't possibly watch all of the children with the dog every second of the day.

I think your cm will probably understand

My CM has a dog (boxer) which we actually viewed as a plus point as DD loves dogs and the lure of going to see him really helped her to settle there plus she enjoys walks with the dog. I did get assurances that the dog is never on his own with the children and I trust my CM that this is true. DD has also learnt how to behave with dogs (no poking, hitting etc) which I think is a good thing too.
On the other hand I don't think we would have been so relaxed when she was a baby and if you really feel that the dog is a dealbreaker and couldn't be reassured/ see any plus points in it then of course you should give notice and tell her why.

I'd trust a staffie around a child before I'd trust it around another dog - on the whole and with sensible precautions it's got to be good for children to spend time with animals?

My CM got a dog without asking us first. I wasn't overly happy as it was a big dog and her house was pretty small. The worst thing was the smell as they had difficulty bathing it. Dog was kept in the kitchen when mindees were there but still a worry as of course mindees liked dog and tried to put their hands through the stairgate on the kitchen door.

I took the view that it is up to the CM what she does re getting a dog and up to me if I stayed or left. Ultimately we left for other reasons (massive price hike when ds started school making me realise it was cheaper for me to cut my working hours than pay a 65% increase in hourly rate!) but I can't say that the dog wasn't a factor.

we have a labrador and he and ds adore each other, spend a lot of time playing etc, and the dog brings a lot into his life. im not anti dog at all. BUT it was my choice to have a dog with a child. your CM didnt give you that choice and doesnt have the right to impose it on you. also what if one of her charges was allergic? i'd remove the child and not worry about upsetting her.

I completely understand why you would want to move your dd. She didn't have this dog when you placed your dd with her and now she does so you need to re-evaluate. I too think she should have warned you before getting the dog.

I am a cm and have a small dog. All the families I work with love her. She is a cavalier king charles and very soppy and friendly. All the mindees apart from one love her too. One mindee doesn't like dogs full stop but he only comes to me for half and hour before school so I simply shut the dog in the utility for that short time and everyone is happy. His parents are totally fine with this.

I have a full risk assessment for her and have written a comprehensive pets policy. All is working fine. Dog doesn't like being shut out of the room sometimes but that is just tough.

I appreciate the breed of dog though is important and wouldn't expect such a positive reaction to her if i had a rottweiler for example.

i can beleive that your cm just got a dog and hadnot mentioned/asked parents etc

sure your cm will understand that you want to leave

does she have other mindess, and what do they think?

Why do you need to worry about causing offence/upset? Just tell her! If she has decided to get a dog as a CM without even mentioning it to parents she can't be surprised if there are repercussions, both in terms of current mindees and future ones.