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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

About a childminder with Staffordshire terriers

295 replies

chilled7up · 13/07/2012 21:05

I thought I found the perfect childminder for my son until I realised that she has 2 staffs at home. They were friendly but now I'm worried and confused. What would you do?

OP posts:
D0oinMeCleanin · 14/07/2012 15:20

Dog breed info has the staffy confused with a wolf, I'm afraid.

Anything mentioning wolves/packs/pack leaders etc. in relation to dogs should be immediately discounted owing to the fact that it was written by an idiot.

Try here for a more educated description

pumpkinsweetie · 14/07/2012 15:24

I think everyone should look up Staffordshire bull terrrier on Wikipedia-en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staffordshire_Bull_Terrier%23section_1
You will find all the info you need there and it also stated that these 'dog attacks' are feared to be made buy pitbulls that have been re-names stb to get the owners out of trouble!!

hairylemon · 14/07/2012 15:28

Amic I can do selective c&p aswell:

"The breeds reputation with children is second to none "

GreatGretzky · 14/07/2012 15:30

Wouldn't bother me at all. DS1's childminder had 3 staffies.

Chandon · 14/07/2012 15:39

Would bother me lots

MainlyMaynie · 14/07/2012 16:02

I wouldn't do it. There are places which don't have this additional risk, so why use one that does?

Original poster
chilled7up · 14/07/2012 17:23

ariel24 I didn't start a topic to pick on staffs. This is a real dilemma that I'm trying to get advice for. I didn't start an hypothetical situation kind of tread. If it happened for the childminder to have 2 dobermans (which I love) I would have posted the same. Staffs ate big strong dogs, that is my concern. I don't have anything against the breed itself.

OP posts:
Kayano · 14/07/2012 17:36

My husband has scars and stitches on his had as a child by a do who 'loved kids'

If you are a registered child care provider you should not have dogs IMO and if you do not take it as a personal attack if people choose to say NO WAY

Kayano · 14/07/2012 17:37

Fucking autocorrect, I will let you translate my prev post

Minkymum · 14/07/2012 17:45

Interesting. I used to be a childminder many years ago and now my children are teens I was thinking about doing it again. I used to live in a little two-up-two-down in a city with a cat. Now I live in the countryside with sheep, pigs, chickens with eggs to collect and fields to play in. I also have two dogs which are kept kennelled during the day ( they have sheep issues, but never so much as raised a growl to a person). Does that make me a less desirable child-minding option than before? Just interested to know opinions.

Ariel24 · 14/07/2012 17:45

Chilled I think really the best thing you can do then is go with your own instinct, because you will be worried the whole time otherwise and that's not good for you or your kids.

The only thing I'd say is, I'm sure this childminder is very aware of how her staffs are perceived by a lot of people, in a way this may even make her even more responsible, and if she's a good registered childminder then im sure she'd be unwilling to risk her livelyhood or reputation.Whereas someone with another kind of dog may not be as careful as their dog couldn't possibly attack a child! Iyswim. As I think people can underestimate other kinds of dogs and then the risk becomes greater IMO. But I'm sorry if I took it that you were singling out staffs, if it's dogs in general then I do understand your concern.

You must have really liked the childminder though if you are thinking of this a lot though? Otherwise our have ruled her out straight away.

Ariel24 · 14/07/2012 17:47

*you would have ruled her out straight away, fucking ipad

FartyMcTarty · 14/07/2012 18:22

id just like to say i have 2staffys and 2children 1is 3and the other is a year old my staffys r fine its not the dogs its the owners if they have a lovin home they really are lovin dogs its only wen there owners beat em and make em nasty they turn nasty i had a staffy attack my staffy in the street my staffy diddnt do anythin and is now scared of other dogs it really is the owners who r the problem.

Having posted on p4 about our own Staffie who did become nasty in certain situations and moreso as he aged, faithsmummy, I object to your insinuation that we, as owners, must have been to blame, apparently having 'beaten em'. Our dog was loyal to me, to a fault, in the sense that it made him dangerous to others (including children). That was ingrained into his nature, not beaten into him.

Megan74 · 14/07/2012 18:31

I wouldn't like it but I don't like dogs and particularly not that breed or similar. Many owners will say I am wrong but it will only take a quick google to see this breed of dog is disproportianatley responsible for some very serious attacks.

faithsmummy · 15/07/2012 19:53

ok then MOST dogs attack cos of how they are brought up i never said urs.

SecretPlace · 15/07/2012 19:55

megan74 - I'm not saying this is fact, but it might have something to do with the type of people that favour this breed of dog. They're very popular around here with 'chavs', a lot of people who I used to hang around with have them and they're a bad crowd who don't act responsibly.

Cheriefroufrou · 15/07/2012 19:55

but faithsmummy are you saying that you are 100% sure that yours never would?

Cheriefroufrou · 15/07/2012 19:56

there is an element of that Secret, most people round here who choose that breed over the MANY many others out there like the element of intimidation that comes with them

but it is still a fact to do with the breed that IF they bite, the bite is worse, and IF they bite, they are harder to disengage

dribbleface · 15/07/2012 20:04

I would be wary of a CM with any dog. My mum had a lovely terrier, when I had DS1 and would go round to visit all seemed fine. When walking one day the dog jumped up at a passing toddler and missed biting her face by an inch. The vet said that the dog had reacted like that due to the baby being introduced at home.

dribbleface · 15/07/2012 20:05

Oh and my mum was distraced by a neighbour waving, 5 seconds distraction. Could have been so much worse

SecretPlace · 15/07/2012 20:06

cherie I can appreciate that point, but a bite is a bite. I think it's silly how they're classed as 'dangerous dogs' when every dog is dangerous, or should I say can be.

And anyone who goes on about lock jaw is misinformed, it is a myth.

It's funny because they don't even come up on the top ten list of dangerous dog breeds, but good old Dalmatians do. Yet Dalmatians have a good reputation because they aren't used as 'hard' dogs.

  1. Because they're too expensive for irresponsible tosspots to get hold of
  2. They haven't got the look said tosspots are going for.
SecretPlace · 15/07/2012 20:07

But I don't think this thread would have been made if the childminder had a dalmatian, which is interesting

SecretPlace · 15/07/2012 20:10

Also, I was thinking about why isn't there a campaign to teach young children how to treat dogs, avoiding pulling their tails, ears etc. it might be really beneficial to teach our children that there are ways to treat them.

Cheriefroufrou · 15/07/2012 20:10

no a bite is not a bite, a bite that requires reconstruction is no way in the same ball park as a bite that leaves a red mark for 30 mins or a scratch!

I've been bitten in the face by a sheep dog - no treatment required, I seriously doubt there'd be much chance of that had I been bitten by a staffie in the face!

yes this thread may well be here if it was any other breed! it would be an issue for me if it was any dog

msrantsalot · 15/07/2012 20:10

Im a CM with a dog, it is my policy that dog is not in same room as mindees. It is either kept upstairs or in a special sectioned off part of the garden. I can't believe so many people say they would not use a CM with a dog, I got the dog because when I was studying my degree in psychology I learned that a dog is a great confidant for a child, if they are stressed and anxious children often talk to their animals about it and it makes them feel better.