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.

@WeshMaGueule

‘I’ll be fucked if I'm going to interrupt my run‘ - exactly proves my point! Arrogant fucking runners who come up behind me without a word of warning. You can’t hear the stupid buggers on the moors until you hear their laboured breathing in your ear - by which time it’s too late.

Try just calling to me. Even a simple ‘coming past’ will let me know you’re there. If the dogs are ahead I only have to tell them ‘stay left’ or ‘stay right’ and they’ll move out of your way.

Don’t alert me, then fall over my dogs and break your arrogant neck. Your choice.

YABU I can’t even begin to say how miserable you sound

They had a dog at DS' secondary school. It was a trained therapy dog and worked specifically with pupils with SEN or those pupils needing additional emotional support.

The dog was rarely seen by the other students and certainly didn't wander randomly around the corridors.

@frostedviolets - fair enough - yes, I see your point.

Coming at it from a slightly different pov, what's in it for the dog? Seems like it's to be seen as a "resource" .How much it will help the kids etc etc. What will its life be like? Will it be loved and looked after? Will it have a family it can love back? Will it be walked and have its needs met, rather than just being there to meet the needs of others?

I hate that as a society we treat animals as our right to possess (and I have dogs and cats myself) without thinking of what we can bring to the relationship. You see it with tourist selfies with poor wild animals that get nothing from it, with idiots who want to go live with wolves/ bears etc. Can we just appreciate the amazing aspects of animals without needing to exploit them for our own needs. Dog in a school, its needs will not be priority I think.

I don’t think this is anything new. I’m in my mid 50’s and we had a dog at my infant school in urban Brighton. It was the headmistress dog which I remember as a black and white wire haired terrier but I’ve been recently looking at old photos and can now see it was either a Lhasa Apso or shih tzu difficult to judge its size in the photos. The dog stayed in her office during the day, there was a rota to walk it at breaks (with a teacher present as we were all so young) and you had to bring a letter from your parents to get on the rota. I really wanted a dog but both parents worked so for me, this was fantastic. If you didn’t want to engage with the dog you didn’t have too. I can remember that the dog was often used when children were upset for any reason. Their was a sofa in the heads room with blankets, the dog (who’s name I can’t remember) was very cuddly and would snuggle up to you. I think it’s a lovely idea and presumably if you don’t want your children to have anything to do with it, you can let the school know.

I work in a boarding school in a non residential role and have just introduced my new puppy at school. I can honestly say it has been a wholly positive experience and the students adore him. He costs the school nothing and his insurance does cover him to be in work with me. In the past week he has helped settle homesick girls, been for walks with angry students and after just a short time he is as ecited about going to school as they are about hav8ng him there.

I think that it will be helpful to the students.

Our dd was badly injured and buying her a dog saved her. It shifted her focus from herself to another living being.

Mental health is worth the money, I think. Also, obviously, the dog must be properly trained.

Our most cuddly looking dog will guard us fiercely. He was abused by the breeder. He is a Newfoundland. Our sweetie looks fierce.

Do NOT pet dogs you do not know and NEVER let your dc run up to dogs. Even good tempered dogs can spook or may nip if pinched bc they want to be left alone.

I cant stand dogs. Mainly because as I child I was chased by them by horrible dog owners. And witnessed my brother being bitten by one. Ended up in hospital. Thankfully the dog was put down.
No way they should have dogs in schools. If the child is having a 'melt down' and humans can't comfort said child then it's a pathetic society we live in.
I most certainly wouldn't accept a dog being on the school premises as you are forcing a child to be in an environment which he may have a phobia or general discomfort to.
Dogs shouldn't be kept as pets anyway. They should only be kept as security dogs or service.
It's a dogs nature to wander round freely not being cooped up indoors most of the time and 'being taken for a walk'.
It's so ludicrous how dogs are treated in this country. Most other countries laugh st this culture.

hypoallergenic breed (labradoodle)

I know plenty of people with ‘hypoallergenic’ poodle crosses. Most aren’t at all and end up being rehomed for seething off asthma and allergies.
I love dogs but I don’t think school is the place for one.

I don't think there should be a school dog who is at the school all or most of the time.

This is because I think it would be terribly stressful for the poor dog, and also because there are people who are allergic and others who are fearful of dogs.

However, I do think dogs can be a calming, supporting influence.

Therefore, a visit from a trained dog twice a week would be good.

The dog would visit a particular room that no child or teacher ever has to go into apart from to be with the dog (people with e.g. allergic asthma would be able to avoid an exacerbation, people who are afraid of dogs would feel safe etc).

Sessions would be arranged to suit the dog, the dog's owner and the school.

No dogs are completely hypoallergenic, even wonderful poodles. They cause fewer allergic reactions due to not shedding, but can nevertheless trigger asthma in susceptible individuals.

I love dogs xxx

@FariDaK

‘ It's so ludicrous how dogs are treated in this country. Most other countries laugh st this culture.’

Are you for real? I lived in Italy for a few years and nearly every family had at least one pet dog if not more. I’ve travelled extensively to countries including France, Germany, Austria, Greece and Croatia and everywhere there are people with pet dogs. Even in Jamaica there are pet dogs.

As for ‘this culture’ - try telling the dog rescue or RSPCA how we love our dogs when they spend all their time rescuing dogs that have been so abused by ‘caring’ humans. The heartbreak is that these trusting, big hearted creatures lick the hands of their saviours and wag their tails.

My son has a greyhound who was found tied to railings with both ears cut off and a great wound in his neck where the trainer had gouged out his microchip so that he couldn’t be traced, he cut off his ears because racing greyhounds are tattooed in their ears. Real dog lover that bastard was. And still Ralphie has the sweetest nature. He comes visit us and loves our retrievers and running with them on the moors.

My friend has a beautiful Labrador whose owners thought it was a good idea to hack off his tail, half starve him and stub cigarettes out on his head. He still has the scars but he’s just a loveable soft dog, totally devoted to his owner.

I couldn’t give a flying fuck for people who don’t like dogs. I’m just grateful that they leave them alone. It’s those who have them and neglect or mistreat them who I really detest.

Going on to the ‘allergy’ cited by so many people. Do you all keep your kids out of your local parks? I’ll bet you any money they’ll come into contact with a whole load of dogs.

The problem for a lot of these ‘allergic’ kids, is that their ‘wrap ‘em up in cotton wool’ parents are allergic to life.

Lincoln field you really don’t understand Pet allergies do you? What an ignorant post.
There is a major difference between dogs outdoors in the fresh air than inside. You are either atopic or you are not If you have never had an allergic reaction then you wouldn’t understand. The second I touch my face after touching a dog or cat my eyes are streaming. It is nothing to do with being wrapped up in cotton wool for goodness sake.

My son's secondary has a 'library dog' which belongs to the librarian, who apparently loves the attention he gets and has a safe quiet place to retreat to. There are clear guidelines laid down about interaction. He has students read to him (for helping confidence, literacy etc) and is also available for a cuddle if someone is feeling sad. Apparently most breaktimes, he's the member of school everyone wants to be next to! I did wonder how it works for him, since he's quite old now and surely doesn't want to be petted ALL the time, but he's kept in the most quiet place in the school and he does have somewhere to go the students can't follow.

Another local secondary school has a therapy dog who again, belongs to a subject teacher and stays with her most of the time. Children with behavioural issues and SEN come and spend time with it. I've not heard any negatives about that school's dog, either. Both schools are hot on student care and I'm sure students with allergies are taken into account. Neither dog roams freely and it's always clear where the dogs are.

I think this might work at secondary level better than primary - students are more likely to have conquered a childhood fear of dogs by then and will better understand guidelines for interaction.

Oh my! What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve seen on the internet today?

“Dog ownership is very bad for the environment. We are in a climate emergency - no one should be buying dogs except for service dogs. Dogs are a nice luxury but one we should do without for the sake of the planet.”

THIS ^
I mean....seriously

Sounds lovely! My kids' school has chickens that the classes take turns to take care of. They clean out the hen house, let the chickens in and out, collect the eggs. They love it!

The problem for a lot of these ‘allergic’ kids, is that their ‘wrap ‘em up in cotton wool’ parents are allergic to life.

Big difference from passing a dog at the park and coming into contact with one. Why should kids be left out when others are allowed to pet and play with the dog? I take my sons inhaler when we go out, I expect school to be a safe space without allergen triggers. Apologises if wanting my child to be able to breathe during the school day is ‘wrapping him up in cotton wool’

Ideally, I hope the school in question gets a Sausage Dog - but I think in order to stand up to the rough and tumble of a kiddie environment it might have to be something a little sturdier. An English Bulldog is more like it.

‘I expect school to be a safe space without allergen triggers.’

My middle son is severely asthmatic and has been all his life. Could his school eliminate dust mites and dust in the atmosphere? (In those days) chalk dust in the classroom - guaranteed to irritate his lungs. Of course not! Changes in temperatures such as from outside to inside or catching a cold from another child frequently triggered an asthma attack in him. Could his school do anything about that? Obviously not.

There are allergens in every environment and will always be so. Hence my comment about wrapping kids I’m cotton wool. From my, admittedly limited, knowledge of ‘school dogs’ mainly gleaned from comments here, I doubt the intention is to have a dog roaming the corridors or wandering in and out of classrooms but to keep the animal in a safe environment where anxious children can go to benefit from the calming effect (well evidenced) of cuddling a dog.As others have commented, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Allergy specialists are finding more and more via clinical trials that using regulated exposure to specific allergens including dander from domestic animals in small but increasing amounts is proving extremely effective in eliminating or reducing allergic responses but some of the work is being stymied by parents who won’t permit their kids to be included in the trial. Go figure.....

Allergy specialists are finding more and more via clinical trials that using regulated exposure to specific allergens including dander from domestic animals

I had my own trial. DH was very allergic to cats, I came with cats, and we have always had cats. 30 years on, he is no longer allergic to cats (not that he had any choice poor DH, he did suffer for a few years).

Also DD has many phobias, including dogs. We have been investing in private "exposure" therapy. It works! I would recommend it.

I don’t like the idea of having a school dog, sen teachers train all the time on what to do if a child has a melt down, it shouldn’t take a living being to be used for that purpose.

There are allergens in every environment and will always be so

Yes and that’s why people have inhalers but there’s a big difference between unavoidable triggers such as the weather and dust and adding a potentially huge trigger like a dog which isn’t needed. Not to mention the possible phobia and distractions that would come with a dog.

Well I grew up with cats and am still allergic to cats. I stopped getting ill all the time when I moved away to university. Go figure. It’s a trial. A school is not a place to trial things on children.

Allergen specific immunotherapy isn't suitable for all. DS1's immunology and allergy consultant ruled it out for him because of how unstable his asthma is and other medical conditions he has. Even if it was suitable it is initiated in a controlled environment, not a school.

Passing a dog in the park is very different to being in an enclosed building with one. But, where possible we avoid parks where dogs are allowed off the lead because DS1 has previously reacted when a dog ran up to him. We also mitigate exposure to other allergens such as dust mite by e.g. having hard flooring not carpet, blinds not curtains, damp dusting daily, limiting soft toys and freezing the ones we do have weekly etc. And food allergens by e.g. being careful what restaurants he eats out at and not having him near anyone cooking fish/shellfish. All on the advice of the CIA consultant. DS1 is not in school at the moment but when he was they made adjustments too.

Yes, there will always be allergens in the environment but that is why DS1 doesn't go anywhere without epipens, inhaler, antihistamines and prednisolone and why he has Xolair injections.

We just received the same letter! We love dogs, but have similar concerns. 3 years ago our school had chickens that were left at the school. Due to poor care they had to be rehomed. Our school is also constantly asking for funds and so am concerned about , who owns the dog and how it will be paid for. We love dogs and have no concern about the dog in school. Just about its longterm care and financial support. My ds has ASD and she loves being with a dog. it calms her down so on that end it is good, hence why we are planning on getting a dog.