The school is getting a school dog

[Worriedaboutthedoggy]

The school had sent out a newsletter today that they are getting a school dog. The letter has all the positives mentioned - they are getting it from a reputable breeder and good bloodlines, it is a hypoallergenic breed (labradoodle), it will be staying in a family environment when off duty (presumably with a member of staff), it will teach the children about the importance of caring for someone - but I still am feeling a bit weird about it, can't put my finger on why exactly.

I am not sure about the impact on the dog - won't it be stressed by the usual playground ruckus? What if it turns out to be wrong temperament?

I am also ashamed to admit that one aspect that concerns me is financial. The average lifetime cost of keeping a dog in the UK (according to google) is around £18K, and I can't help feeling that there are better ways to spend these money (the school is currently fundraising for quite basic things).

Please do tell me I am BU and a total killjoy, and please do tell me your positive stories.

My sister's kids had a dog at school until it bit one of the children. I don't agree with dogs in schools. You can't ever be 100% sure how any animal will act under stress and kids can be very stressful for animals.

Yabu and boring and just a person who sucks any joy out of life

DS was at a privae school with some SEN students, the teachers were encouraged to bring their dogs into lessons. Think house masters live in dogs as well. It was so good for the children they vied to walk said dogs.

My son's school (11-18) has two dogs. They belong to the headteacher, and are used as therapy dogs. For example, if a child is distressed, they can go to the quiet room and have some dog - cuddling time. Apparently it really works. Students are allowed to walk the dogs around the school field at lunchtimes. They have a positive effect in that school. Both dogs are calm, used to children, and fairly small.
I think it's a great idea.

YABU I’m afraid
I doubt it’s a school funded dog, I imagine it’s a teacher who is going to get it and have suggested that this could be a way for the children to have a dog and for them to not have to leave it at home all day.
As PP have stated, unfortunately there are lots of children who lack empathy and kindness to others and this is a good way to learn those skills.

@SpruceTree - what sanctimonious claptrap! Not everything is about the bloody environment!

Tell the little old man whose only companion is his little terrier he shouldn’t have his pal.

Tell the severely autistic child who only responds to his pet labrador that he’s an environmental risk.

Tell the widow whose last link to her beloved husband is the dog they had together and who she dotes on now she’s on her own that she’s singularly responsible for damaging the planet.

Let’s take it to the limit - kids are bad for the environment. Let’s stop everyone having children. The pollution caused by the sodding school run lot - yes, I live near a school - is far far worse than any impact dogs have.

There is a shedload of evidence that responsible dog owners are more environmentally savvy than most of the sit in the house, use the car brigade. We walk - a lot - we pick up litter, we care for the countryside and the intelligent ones amongst us readily recognise that not everyone loves our dogs - that’s why we teach them not to run up to or jump on everyone they meet.

I wish people would show me the same courtesy when we go out for dinner and end up being plagued by somebody else’s damn kids running around the restaurant while their parents either completely ignore them or smile indulgently.

Jesus! Some people spout such utter crap it’s frightening.

I must have passed fifteen dog-walkers when I was out for a run this morning. You really think I should stop and freeze until each of them had passed, rather than the dog being on a lead?

What a lovely idea. I work in an environment for disabled young adults and we have a visiting PAT dog. He has such a great impact on our young people and has helped some overcome a lifelong fear of dogs. We all look forward to seeing him so much.

In my opinion, children who are afraid of dogs can be helped to overcome the fear so they don’t take it into adulthood and have a fear that could affect them at any time given that dogs are (thank heavens) present in multiple places.

A school dog would, I feel sure, have many more benefits than drawbacks and managed appropriately, the drawbacks would be negligible. It’s not as if the dog will be left to run wild around the school and I’m sure he/she would have a lovely life. Win/win as far as I can see.

I must have passed fifteen dog-walkers when I was out for a run this morning. You really think I should stop and freeze until each of them had passed, rather than the dog being on a lead?

No, I think that if the dogs were loose but minding their own business and not actively chasing after you you should continue with your run.

If one of the dogs actively started to run after you you should stop because quite often when these dogs catch up they nip or sometimes bite.

What @frostedviolets said! My dog is always off lead, he's a terrible lead walker but he never chases a runner! So you go do your thing and I'll do my thing! Although so many runners are so massively entitled, want to run on paths that are congested with dog, children, parents and strollers and huff and puff because they can't run! go run when the paths are less busy, otherwise accept you'll be held up by all of the aforementioned.

Yeah, very entitled, wanting to use public amenities like anyone else Anyway, we're getting off topic.

I don’t agree with schools doing this at all! I know a school where a member of staff brought a puppy and didn’t want to leave it at home so it’s now the school dog! No consideration if any students are scared of dogs. Also they sent out a letter saying it’s hypoallergic, great temperament etc but it’s already hurt another member of staff. It’s also costing the school and coming from school funds to train it! No one can guarantee the temperament of a puppy as it grows older. I think dogs are a silly idea and just a distraction in schools. I know people are fond of their dogs but Where has this extreme obsession with dogs come from? In our area people want to take them into shops, restaurants etc. They are called animals for a reason. And no I don’t dislike animals before anyone says that.

Haha how dare runners use paths. Wow.

Bad idea on so many levels.

Firstly on an allergy level and some children are scared of dogs. Plus putting a dog in with children is going to cause a huge load of problems for the dog itself.
It'll all be a wonderful idea until it bites a child. No dogs are hypoallergenic neither are any dog breed 100% safe and I always thought that poodles are the kind of dogs to nip people so I don't see how a labrador cross bred with a poodle is such a good idea,so especially in this case.

I'm not a dog lover. To some that immediately makes me a bad person but I don't understand how anyone can supposedly foolproof use that to judge somebody. It's a matter of preference.

If a dog comes near me I tend to freeze. I generally avoid them, I do not need nor ever have needed any kind of educating on how to deal with them. It's rare I do anyhow.

If anything,its the EDO's that need educating. They lack any kind of understanding that people don't like their dog or think it's wonderful or can do any wrong. I know one of these.

This idea sounds like it was dreamt up by some EDO dog lover who wants all children to be taught to love dogs.

Oh and loving the school dog being part of the hiring process for a school? That's discriminatory and exclusionary and playing into the kind of world EDO's want.

A child that doesn't like or is scared of dogs the last thing they want to need is have to have a dog at school. I can see situations in which a child is bullied by other children because they're scared or don't like the dog.

I'm sure that 'empathy' is not something that needs to be taught in schools.

Dogs don't belong in schools.

Haha try having a whole farm. Any children’s’ school started with chickens then over the last two years we now have ducks, guinea pigs, rabbits. The children take turns feeding and looking after them. They have a lot of fundraisers throughout the year and I suppose that’s part of what the money is used for. They have a volunteer system for when the schools closed and over holidays. Parents come by and feed and look after them. It’s a complete all hands on deck. Other then from time to time asking for donations I don’t see an issue with it. The kids are happy, the staff is happy so it’s all good here xx

I have had allergies all my life, particularly to cats and fur shedding dogs. I have a seven year old Cairn Terrier. While not 100% hypoallergenic, he does not moult so l am not allergic to him; one of the very reasons we bought him in the first place. We had two other criterion; we wanted a smaller dog as we have an average size house and a breed that had a reputation for being friendly as l am a private music teacher mostly working from home. Most of the children love him as he plays to the gallery but l never foist his presence on anyone who is not keen on dogs, particularly if they are actively afraid of them. He has actually helped children overcome their fears.
On another note, l have mentioned that l have always had allergies. Some are quite severe, more so in the past when medications were nowhere near as advanced. When l was at primary school in the seventies there were very few of us that had allergies and, while we were clean, l think playing outside a great deal more and fewer chemicals and not being over clean as is so often the case today probably contributed to it. I also think that controlled exposure to animals can help.

Oh and loving the school dog being part of the hiring process for a school? That's discriminatory and exclusionary

Good point. It would put off a lot of Muslim teachers for a start.

Aside from all the other reasons, do you know that schools have to show that they have spent a certain amount of money on different things?
If they weren’t doing anything about the well-being of your children, or their health, or their extra curricular activities etc, I’m sure you’d all be complaining about that too!

This dog may well be (actually, most likely) living with a member of staff so where some of the costs will be from the school, someone else will be paying for it too

My eldest is afraid of dogs. According to some posters on here that's my fault. So it can't possibly be the fault of the irresponsible dog owner who allowed their large dog to bound up to my child's buggy and jump up and stick his face in my child's face? "Acht he's a friendly lump and just wants to give him a lick" was the response. Can you imagine being 2 and strapped into a buggy with a (certainly to him) very large animal with sharp pointy teeth jump up at you and you can't get away? He's been frightened of dogs ever since.

That fear is compounded by the few irresponsible dog owners who seem to think that everyone is happy to have their dog jump up all over you because "they are friendly" and don't bother attempting to get the dog back.

I am not scared of dogs but see owners regularly not being able to control their dog. I go out running and have almost been bitten a few times due to people not being able to control their animals. If they are likely to chase someone and won't come back on command, they should be on a lead. It's all very well saying you should freeze if a dog chases you, but sometimes you are unaware that you are being chased until the dog almost takes a chunk out of you. That happened to me a few months ago. Woman had two dogs, one on a lead yet it was the other that chased me and almost took a right bite of me. She was clearly not in control of the animal.

I'd have no issue with a dog.
Dd school has goats, a couple cows. They get shown locally by the kids.
They started breeding rabbits last year, for food.
I believe they have chooks too
Dd class has a budgie
They also have a 3 legged sheep.

who allowed their large dog to bound up to my child's buggy and jump up and stick his face in my child's face? "Acht he's a friendly lump and just wants to give him a lick" was the response.

Classic EDO - my dogs desire to lick someone trumps their lack of choice in being licked or their desire to be licked.

Any expressed "can you not" from the lickee is unreasonable, rude and unfriendly

My poor doggy, why won't you be kind

And now a child who is terrified of dogs has a parent who is being blamed.

Most children who are scared of dogs have had a previous frightening encounter with one

This is usually not the fault of either them, their parent or the dog in question but the dogs entitled owner, yet again.

I am a runner and a dog owner. My dog is terribleon lead and always off lead on appropriate country paths.

I have never heard of a school dog, but I am sure that the school must have thought about everything regarding everything , as in the types of children,and the dog behaviour. I have only heard about some schools having a hamster,rabbit,gerbil or some goldfish.

I am sure the school will know about some children who are fearful of dogs, as well as dogs who can

adding sorry, can give comfort to some children.

Stupid idea. Complain about this. Lots of people don’t like dogs!! And shouldn’t have one forced on them.

Dog owners seem to think everyone likes them.

Can’t believe a school is doing this. Dimwits.