Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think school staff should make care provision for their dogs?

530 replies

LoveTheirDogs · 07/10/2021 12:02

Our headteacher and business manager have both got dogs in the last six months. Now they're bringing those dogs into school. They're saying that the dogs are 'school dogs' which seems to mean that they're dogs that mostly hang around in school. They've also scheduled a number of 'enrichment activities' for the kids so that they can 'learn how to interact with different species' ie their dogs. AIBU to think this is taking the piss and they should just make provision for their dogs same as any other working person rather than having the whole school have to go to these (non-accredited) 'courses' that clearly cost a fortune and are only being put on so that BM and HT can tick a box that says everything is ok with them bringing their pets to work?

OP posts:
Stellaris22 · 07/10/2021 12:50

Are the dogs interacting with every child? Are they on the grounds being forced on every child/parent in the mornings? Are the enrichment activities voluntary?

Blossomtoes · 07/10/2021 12:51

@Loopyloulou007

I would also query whether the school had adequate insurance, if the dog was to hurt anyone. Sure it wouldn't be covered under the normal school insurance, as it's not a normal thing in school.
The dog will be insured. We’ve got cover for £1 million for ours.
Foxyloxy1plus1 · 07/10/2021 12:51

At one school I was at, the business manager brought her dogs into school and they stayed in her office. Some of the students wanted to walk them. Unfortunately they were t well trained, one of them was unwell and they wee’ed and pooed down the corridors. Her office smelt disgusting too.

One of the teachers brought his golden lab into school. His classroom was ground floor, overlooking a field and he built an outdoor kennel, with a run. The students were allowed to take him out at lunchtime for a bit.

In general, I don’t think that the dogs of staff should be in school, unless there are facilities like I described above.

whynotwhatknot · 07/10/2021 12:52

were you all cnsultd n this or was it just the dogs are here and thats it

they dont sound like therapy dogs

Nevermakeit · 07/10/2021 12:53

Our school has this.... and then sends emails out asking people to vote for said dog in some sort of school dog of the year competition! That the headteacher spends even a minute of her time on this (let alone putting it into newsletter etc) drives me absolutely crazy.

woodhill · 07/10/2021 12:53

In the 80s my headmistress used to have a dog in her office. It wasn't a particularly nice dog .School pets were more the norm.

I've definitely seen dogs brought into a private school I worked at more recently

Foxyloxy1plus1 · 07/10/2021 12:53

Most teachers who own dogs that I know, have someone to walk them during the day and house them suitably outside or somewhere specially built.

Notonthestairs · 07/10/2021 12:54

DD's (SN) school has a dog, donkeys, pigs, chickens, an aviary, stick insects, a tortoise and goats. You'd lose your mind there Op.

As long as they cater for children with allergies and they have proper insurance I think it's ok. Have you asked them?

WorraLiberty · 07/10/2021 12:54

@Comedycook

Can you not open your mind to other possibilities?

It's up to the school to reassure the op of their intentions and reasons behind this idea. Not for the op to try to conjure up plausible, reassuring reasons for this situation

The OP has made her mind up though, regardless of what anyone else including the school are saying.
ineedsun · 07/10/2021 12:55

Jeez there are some closed minded, miserable gits on here.

There is a growing amount of research on the benefit of dogs in schools, there are social, mental health and physical benefits to pet ownership, and in a school it exposes kids to different possibilities if their parents don’t like / are afraid of / can’t have a dog for some reason. At least one poster has already talked about overcoming their fear of dogs due to having a school dog. Why wouldn’t you want your child to get over a fear rather than allow it to build by accommodating it?

I’d be astounded if they haven’t done a risk assessment but you could always ask if it bothers you that much.

Datafan55 · 07/10/2021 12:55

...they're foreign rescues. It's being billed as 'being accepting of dogs from other countries' kind of thing

I can't say I've ever noticed too much racism levelled at dogs!

Is that because I'm myself am not a Romanian dog and thus don't have full visibility of the problem? Well, maybe.
But I agree, sounds like they cba to book dog-day-care.

TheFairyCaravan · 07/10/2021 12:56

They don’t need to be therapy dogs. Just well trained and child friendly.

There’s no such thing as a child friendly dog. Any dog can snap at any time regardless of how placid they have been in the past.

I wouldn’t have liked this. DS2 is a severe asthmatic and is very allergic to dogs. He couldn’t have been around it. Not only that I used to work in the Maxillo Facial unit of a hospital. I saw so many children with bitten faces from dogs “who wouldn’t have hurt a fly” until that one time. I’d have been on pins all the time.

tailspin21 · 07/10/2021 12:56

I was in a primary school class in which the teacher brought her two/three dogs to class every day. They did not ever distract from my learning that I recall. I do remember parents having to notify of allergies but as my Mum said at the time you'd expect to do that anyway. They absolutely made that classroom. Upset? Talk to the dog. Don't want fresh air because it's raining? The dogs still need a toilet break. Afraid of dogs? Proper introductions - one girl who was utterly petrified had a longer transition (so started whilst in the year below) to give her chance to meet the dogs and become used to them. She is now an animal behaviourist. I get that a lot of us would love to take our pets to work but instead of looking at the "I can't so why should they" can't we be grateful for the opportunity for our kids to learn skills and responsibilities?

caketiger · 07/10/2021 12:56

@LoveTheirDogs

They aren't 'school dogs' though. They're family pets that the HT and BM are too tight pay dog walkers for so they bring them to their workplace and call them school dogs. And get every local taxpayer to fund 'courses' so that they can say the kids in the school have had appropriate input in order for them to use their workplace as a dog kennel.
Do you have proof of the costs having to be absorbed by the school?
Sidneysussex · 07/10/2021 12:57

Being around animals is good for children. I can certainly see the benefits of a school dog and yes children should be tought how to behave around animals.
It would also be beneficial for children who are scared of dogs to learn to Interact with a nice friendly dogs. Personally I would be delighted if my children's school had a school dog.

But yep they are taking the piss I assume these are breeds that are suitable for being a school dog?

Original poster
LoveTheirDogs · 07/10/2021 12:57

A child missed out on a year of education so that her teacher could have a pet at work? That's insane!

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 07/10/2021 12:58

@Rosesareyellow

WTAF? What about the kids / teachers / parents who are terrified of dogs or allergic to them?

What indeed?? I guess they will have to face their fears cold turkey as the dog greets them at the school gates or miss out on an education, or sit in the class room with eyes red and watering while the dog roams around under their table or find a new school to attend…
Or - wait for it - the dog may be kept in a designated area so those who are allergic or scared don’t need to worry about it.

That's quite some imagination you have there.

Literally nowhere has the OP stated the dogs are roaming around the school Confused

In fact she hasn't even stated the kids will be forced to take part in the enrichment activities.

Typical Mumsnet fiction 🤣

SirChenjins · 07/10/2021 12:59

Do all the staff get to bring in their dogs (and other pets - let's be too prescriptive here)? Or is it one rule for the HT and the business manager, and one for the rest of the staff?

Original poster
LoveTheirDogs · 07/10/2021 13:00

The enrichment activities are scheduled into the timetable in school time so yes they're compulsory. Like PE or whatever.

OP posts:
Original poster
LoveTheirDogs · 07/10/2021 13:01

So far it seems to be just for the business manager and the head. They're quite pally.

OP posts:
Rosesareyellow · 07/10/2021 13:02

@WorraLiberty
Erm, well yes I was using my imagination.
I think you didn’t read my post properly…. (I was being sarcastic).

WorraLiberty · 07/10/2021 13:02

@LoveTheirDogs

The enrichment activities are scheduled into the timetable in school time so yes they're compulsory. Like PE or whatever.
Rubbish. A child who is terrified of or allergic to dogs will not be forced into it.
Stellaris22 · 07/10/2021 13:03

This is such a non issue, it's ridiculous.

Voluntary enrichment activities sound wonderful, especially for children who like animals but can't have any.

The dogs won't be running free, barging into classrooms. Lots of over reacting here.

Waiting for OP to state these enrichment activities are mandatory and the kids are being forced to interact with the dogs.

Blossomtoes · 07/10/2021 13:03

There’s no such thing as a child friendly dog

There is. I’ve seen children do absolutely atrocious things to dogs which have looked pained and run away from them.

CopperLily · 07/10/2021 13:04

Excellent, so 'being accepting ofdogs from other countries' is a thing now, is it? I'll call some of the local schools and see if they'd like to rent my huge dog who came from Bulgaria. I can get more work done if I don't have to walk him, he'll be knackered from playing with kids and I'll earn a bit of cash too.

Swipe left for the next trending thread