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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

The school is getting a school dog

565 replies

Worriedaboutthedoggy · 10/01/2020 23:27

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.

OP posts:
Dinnertime22 · 11/01/2020 09:17

It is against legislation to have dogs on school premises unless they are guide dogs.
I would not want any dogs near my children at school. Dogs are animals and cannot be trusted at all. I would be contacting the DofE and refuse.

Coniferhedge · 11/01/2020 09:19

The thing is, with having a dog for SEN support strikes me as a bit strange. Not all SEN children are the same. My son is autistic and has a real fear of germs and getting dirty. If a dog came anywhere near him when he was having a meltdown, it would make the meltdown even worse!

FREEM · 11/01/2020 09:19

it's a lovely idea but schools barely habe the staff numbers and therefore time to care for the kids never mind a dog as well.

LatteLady · 11/01/2020 09:22

We have had a school dog for almost three years, she belongs to the HT, she is a great asset to the school.

98% of our children are Moslem and have little or no contact with dogs as their saliva is harun or forbidden. Our dog does not lick and many parents have commented that their children are now more confident around other dogs, and that is extending to the parents, too.

We had one child who we were told had asthma, but until then there was no history whatsoever and we still have no medicines, so Coco does not visit her classroom.

Coco is used as a reward and as a calming influence and has been the subject of a number of creative writing projects and science projects.

Scarsthelot · 11/01/2020 09:24

Is there such a thing when it comes to labradoodles?

I addressed that. I have issues with poodle cross breeding. But as I said that for another thread.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if it came in for visits as a puppy

Wether thata good or bad, depends on how it's done. The age of the dog, who is there, where they take the dog, how interactions are handled.

The point I was trying to make is that in order to be successfully trained in therapy work the dog needs to have inherited a specific temperament.

And if it is a trained therapy dog, which is what I said, it will have that temperament. Or its nor a trained therapy dog.

This won't help many people with dog allergy.They react to protein in the saliva, skin flakes etc.

True. But I was specifically talking about shedding. And given the OP say most of the families own dogs, the children will come into contact with this from other kids.

Most people can't even recognise basic dog body language let alone successfully train a dog in therapy work, which is a specicialised job requiring a specialised temperament with a high rate of drop out.

Thata based in the assumption that the owner ianr an experienced dog owner or involved with therapy animals at all. Which is probably nor the case.

Given the way schools are run now, I do not believe that a school has done this with our outside advice and proper risk assessments.

You are assuming all the worst points are correct. I am taking a more middle road in the assumption that no school head teacher agrees to this as a snap decision.

Scarsthelot · 11/01/2020 09:25

It is against legislation to have dogs on school premises unless they are guide dogs.

Can you link that? Because many school have them.

Also its nor guide dogs, it will be service dogs.

spongejack · 11/01/2020 09:26

@SpruceTree 💤 💤

I think it's a wonderful idea!

When o was at school (Catholic) the local priest had a dog, he used to bring him into the school, he'd be on the alter at mass, a great joy was if he occasionally barked during the service, caused high hilarity for the children!

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 11/01/2020 09:26

My dog loving toddler became scared of dogs when an empathy lacking arsehole of an owner let their large dog bound up to her, jump to put its paws on her shoulders and very nearly knock her over. It’s not a fear I’ve encouraged in any way, but a rational response to an unpredictable animal.

GrannyBags · 11/01/2020 09:27

We had a school cat - it just wandered in. It lay on the radiator at the back of my classroom for most of the day but seemed to know if a child was hurt or upset and would go off to the medical room and comfort them. The local newspaper did an article about her.

spongejack · 11/01/2020 09:29

@Dinnertime22 you're clearly not an animal lover but what legislation are you referring too? Lots of people have said that their schools have a dog, so they're breaking the law?

Helenluvsrob · 11/01/2020 09:29

God forbid the school is trying to do something lovely for the kids....

School pets used to be normal and loved to bits.

A well trained dog will be well managed -and you child is never going to be forced to have contact if you don’t want them to.

The benefits are huge - did you know reading to dogs is a thing that works for poor readers for instance ? Telling your troubles to a dog , just stroking them when you feel sad or angry etc . Not to mention the huge incentive to the distrust I’ve kids to see the dog if they get on and work !

WeshMaGueule · 11/01/2020 09:31

Who thought bringing a dog into a school where it would offend the religious sensibilities of 98% of pupils was a good idea?

SF1269 · 11/01/2020 09:31

some kids are terrified of dogs, it could cause untold stress for someone who will worry about bumping into a dog wandering around the school.

I was absolutely petrified of dogs when I was little, my heart would be racing pasing a house where I knew a dog was living.

Grumbley · 11/01/2020 09:33

We used to have a pet hamster (maybe it was a gerbil?) which was lovely when I was at primary school, and we learnt a lot from having it. A dog seems a bit excessive even if it is just a member of staffs that they are bringing in, some children are genuinely terrified of dogs, making school a potentially scary place. I am also probably biased as I am allergic to dogs, and as a child would have probably had to be on antihistamines constantly (not overly good) and had my clothes washed every evening. It seems nice, but the reality I'm not really sure the limited positives outweigh the benefits.

lynsey91 · 11/01/2020 09:36

@SpruceTree having children is far worse for the environment. Over population is one of the main causes of climate change. Shouldn't you be preaching at people to have less children?

Personally I much prefer dogs to children so won't be getting rid of my 2 thank you

Hoppinggreen · 11/01/2020 09:41

I love dogs, I have a dog and volunteer for a couple of dog charities.
I have even taken our dog into DD’s (secondary school) to offer support to her year group when one of them was killed in an accident
BUT I’m not sure this is a good idea, a lot of dc don’t like dogs, in certain cultures dogs are feared or thought to be unclean (we have had to work really hard with some of ds friends to get them to cope with our dog). Some people have allergies as well. Rescues won’t home in general where there are young children for very good reason and although I think that regular contact with animals is a positive for children there is no need for an official school dog, visits are enough

frostedviolets · 11/01/2020 09:44

God forbid the school is trying to do something lovely for the kids....
But you have to be mindful that a great deal of children are allergic to and/or frightened of said lovely thing.

Also have to be mindful that the lovely thing is responsible for thousands of injuries every year, mostly to children and one of the top breeds most frequently implicated?

Oh yes, that would be the Labrador.

One half of the labradoodle..

School pets used to be normal and loved to bits
Indeed.

A well trained dog will be well managed -and you child is never going to be forced to have contact if you don’t want them to

The benefits are huge - did you know reading to dogs is a thing that works for poor readers for instance ? Telling your troubles to a dog , just stroking them when you feel sad or angry etc
What about the benefits to the dog?

Or do the dog's feelings just not matter?

There's a very good reason why most reputable rescues will not rehome to families with young children.

Many dogs find children stressful.

Not all dogs want to be constantly stroked, sat with, read to etc.

Many owners are incapable of recognising when their dogs are unhappy, just look at how people perceive tail wags.

Tail wagging = always happy.

That couldn't be further from the truth.

So many people have been bitten by a dog wagging its tail.

I honestly think that so many people are just lucky that overall dogs are such an unbelievably peaceable species who will tolerate a huge amount of shit before reaching breaking point.

The amount of misinterpretation of body language I see on an almost daily basis, it's a miracle the number of bites isn't way way higher.

The school dog idea is just so wrong on so many levels.

And I do say all of this as a big dog lover.

ittooshallpass · 11/01/2020 09:48

YANBU.

The thing is, all the people who like dogs will think it's a great idea. All those who don't like dogs won't.

VerbenaGirl · 11/01/2020 09:54

There are many positives to having a dog in school, particularly for SEN and vulnerable students. Not to mention staff wellbeing.
In terms of cost, it may well be that the dig actually belongs to a staff member and they pay for everything, or it may be funded from additional ringfenced funding specifically for the support of SEN pupils.
In the cases I know of, the dog has it’s own space (e.g. one of the offices) and isn’t just thrown in with a whole class of rowdy children. This also keeps it away from children who might be frightened, and may even give them an opportunity to get to know the dog in a safe space.
Why not email the Chair of Governors if you want more information or have a concern - as I’m sure Governors will have already had a detailed discussion about the pros and cons.

bluebluezoo · 11/01/2020 09:54

it is a hypoallergenic breed (labradoodle)

Oh for fucks sake.

If ”hypoallergenic” is so fucking important they should just get a poodle.

Basic fucking genetics if you cross a hypoallergenic breed (poodle), with an allergy triggering, highly shedding labrador you aren’t going to see an increase in hypoallergenic properties of the offspring.

Why don’t people get this?

SummerSazz · 11/01/2020 09:55

My daughters school has a therapy dog (golden retriever) and seems to be a massively positive thing with helping children open up about problems, 'listening' to children reading who struggle etc

I would be very surprised these days if any dogs were allowed to wander around and bump into children who are scared. As far as I know, from 2 local schools with dogs that they are with one person - senco/pastoral team and their day very structured. If kids are scared of dogs they can opt out from having contact. They may see him at a distance on a lead but that would be it.

I do hear the allergy arguments but I presume our school is managing these ok? The benefits seem to be fantastic so I think it would be such a shame to have a blanket 'no' and see if the concerns raised can all be addressed and dealt with sensibly and rationally.

Lougle · 11/01/2020 10:02

DD2's school has a dog. It belongs to the SENCO, has been to training classes and one of the TAs is responsible for her through the day. She stays in the SEN block with a stair gate preventing children from harassing her and she is visited by invitation only (particular children have a 'dog permit', essentially). In break time she is on a particular piece of grass and the children can visit her.

She's sometimes the only reason my DD goes to school.

Frariedeamin · 11/01/2020 10:03

The Dogs trust and RSPCA strongly advise dogs are not introduced to the school environment. I can’t believe so many dog owners/teachers/other school staff think they know better?

Worriedaboutthedoggy · 11/01/2020 10:06

Guys, please. I am not a dog lover, but not a dog hater either. Some PPs seem to think I am gathering evidence to "throw a spanner" into this idea. Many posts have reassured me now that it is not uncommon at all and it actually works for their schools.
I am not British and have literally never heard of anything like this before.

I mentioned the financial side as there seem to be conflicting messages from the school about the dire lack of financing, and then I researched the costs of keeping a dog and just quoted it as it probably puts it into the "luxury" bucket from my perspective. I don't know how the dog will be funded or legally owned, the newsletter simply says that "we", as in school, will be getting a dog from a reputable breeder. I don't brainwash my child about dogs being dangerous and don't intend to report the school to any authorities. It was mainly for my reassurance and to understand how it normally works. I apologise for all dog owners taking offense, it genuinely was not meant.

OP posts:
Barbie222 · 11/01/2020 10:07

As a teacher with an allergy I would be looking for somewhere else to work. Wouldn't be happy about it being inside at all.

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