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.

Labrdoodles aren't 100% hypoallergenic. If a non moulting breed is crossed with a moulting breed (which labs do a awful lot) you cant guarantee pup will have a poodle coat. Being a dog groomer i can safely say ive seen more than a few with a labrador type coat and its definitely not hypoallergenic

Ha Phil, denial in dog lovers definitely a thing. I love dogs and was brought up with collies. I prefer cats but have allergies. Loving with our family cats as a child did in hindsight make me ill a lot. It was only when I went to uni I stopped getting ill all the time. I did get a hypoallergenic cat Later on ( Siberian). And yes I was still allergic to it, I suffered with it anyway as I loved him, we only had him a few years as he was old and thankfully before our son. My son has quite severe allergies so I would be strongly objecting to it as prolonged exposure even if you don’t stroke them can mess with your immune system. It’s just in the air.

@elephantoverthehill

We've got a school cat. We don't own it, it just likes wandering in. Maybe a better pet solution

When I was at school there was a dog that lived across the road from the school that could be relied on to come into the school if you gave him crisps. Then he would wander about until the janitor caught him and threw him back out. He had a bloody brilliant time in there, we loved him to bits. I've no idea if his owner had any idea that he had a second job as a school mascot.

I remember a comedian saying that the best day of his life was when a stray dog ran into his school and was running around the playground!

I think it’s a lovely idea to have a school dog.

My teacher DDs school has a black Labrador dog. It lives in the office with a staff member and the children can ask to take it for walks( with staff member). It doesn’t roam around the school . It seems very popular.

My Uncle has a couple of Jack Russells and one of them hates him and has actually bitten and drawn blood. I can tell it upsets him because he is a dog lover. The little dog adores his wife and that is the only reason they are keeping it. When I visited recently I let her smell my hand and she was fine with me but he only had to step hear her and she would start to growl. I think she dislikes men because of being ill treated by one in the past.

Not everyone is a dog lover and my daughter is not keen on them at all but loves her pet cat.

Both my kids schools have a dog. It's been v well managed.
It's not that big a deal and I think it's been a real benefit for some anxious children.

We have previously had a visiting dog at our school. She came with her foster carer once a week to spend the day in school. It seems to have stopped now but it was nice for the children at the time.

A friend of mine has a boisterous spaniel who runs all over the place causing havoc. It once ate my shoes when I left them him her hall and she seemed shocked when I got angry about it.

Jesus I would be angry if one of my own spaniels ate my shoe. I love them to death, but I would still be angry. I don't get people like that.

My pup loves a shoe. Visitors are asked to keep shoes on (getting new floors when she is older) or take them off and put them away. Out of her reach.

To be fair, spaniels that are boisterous are simply untrained. I foster spaniels. I have 2 and have owned others. They do great when trained properly. Your friend probably knows it's her fault and felt defensive.

DD is terrified of dogs, the school dog has been great for her. She doesn't have to approach it but has gotten increasingly brave about stroking her.

As others have said, the dog will likely be the pet of a member of staff. I've worked at a school with a therapy dog and it was wonderful.

@Worriedaboutthedoggy
Please ask them to seek professional advice.
No dog is hypoallergenic and especially not labradoodles which are not even a recognised breed

The dog needs a specific owner who will be responsible for it and ensure it is appropriately sourced see
puppycontract.org.uk

The dog must be selected for temperament and properly trained

ALL children MUST be educated on appropriate dog child interactions and all staff must be aware of warning signs - see
www.thebluedog.org/en/
www.doggonesafe.com/A-Kids-Comprehensive-Guide-to-Speaking-Dog

Dogs can greatly enhance the lives of children but the school does sound rather clueless.

My eldest child is terrified of dogs. His school sent home a letter saying they were considering a dog for the therapeutic effects etc and enclosed a survey. My child would no longer learn at school if he was forced to share a classroom with a dog. Thankfully not heard anything since.

Due to not everyone being a dog lover and allergies schools are not ideal places for dogs.

Also yes our school dog is the pet of one of the senior leaders (and has been for a number of years so has a very well known temperament).

My primary school in the nineties had several pets - rabbits, guinea pigs, an actual pig and several cats...

In secondary we had a couple of school dogs as it was a private school and a few of the teachers lived on site, as well as several cats including an adorable tuxedo with three legs!

The dogs were never ever a problem. One was about 15 and spent his day asleep under his owners desk and pretty much ignored everyone, and the others lived in their homes so we only saw them when teachers took them for a walk, or occasionally they would come on the cross country run with us

I hope they're not going to pass it around at weekends and during the holidays, like a class guinea-pig.

Our school has a dog. As with other posters here it is really a staff member's dog. My ds is scared of dogs but it's never been a problem. The school are aware of my son's fears and he isn't involved in activities with the dog. The dog is always supervised and visits to classes etc always planned.

So some CF teacher wants a dog, hasn't even got the dog yet and has already announced that it will be joining them at work?

Just that alone tells me they haven't got a clue. Slightly different from having a dog and deciding that it would enjoy that environment.

Totally self serving crap. OP, what are the other parents saying?

We have one, she's a fully trained therapy dog. So she's trained not to react to playground 'ruckus'. She's still quite young, but works wonders around school. She lives with the head most of the time with trips to various other adoring staff.

NBU at all.

It will trained to be a service dog. So the points about it getting stressed etc arent valid

It doesn't work like that.

You can't just train a dog to be a service dog.

That's like saying you can just train a Labrador to be a sheepdog or you just train a cocker spaniel to be a police dog.

It's mostly down to raw genetics and only a small number of dogs will have inherited the correct temperament to be trained as proper service dogs.

We had a class dog when I was in primary school. It was the teachers and she brought it in every day. It being the 80s that was fine. However I hated it as I am terrified of dogs and spent the entire year frozen in fear every time it came near me.

Sounds a good idea to me, as long as the dog is properly looked after so the children don’t upset it.

So many children are not allowed pets and have little contact with other animals, might make them nicer people.

Damage to the planet is too many humans

I guess there would be positives & negatives to any school having a dog - the guide dog site is interesting as it explains some of the positive effects a dog can have on people. Remember too that many of us may lose our sight as older people - and perhaps having some familiarity with dogs in childhood might also help us in the future.

www.guidedogs.org.uk/services-we-provide

My children’s school have dogs. I cannot stress the benefit it has been. The children are brilliant with the dogs and visa versa, especially the sen children.
The dogs are read to by the children, they have the dogs trust in running lessons and they have dog club where they learn about them.

Best thing the school ever did.