Would you use a childminder with a dog?

[PashunFroot]

Just that really. We want to use a childminder rather than a nursery, purely for logistical reasons as they can collect older child from school. However all the childminders locally have dogs. I’m not a dog person, and I’m quite wary of them. I know they will be kept shut away from the children but would I always be worrying about it while I’m at work?

aibu for even being worried about it?

@PrinnyPree but often it is human behaviour that causes a pet to bite
It might not be the person who its bites though as some time its how they are brought up/ treated by owner
Many dogs give plenty of warnings before a bite its just most don't recognise it
Scary when you see supposedly cute videos of kids with dogs and owners gushing when actually the dog is showing how uncomfortable it is and its nit cute
I have a dog my kids are not allows to pull him, grab him etc although mine are older
But there is a family members child who he doesn't like as the child is too rough so when he visits , i lock the dog away for everyones safety

I didn't use to be paranoid about dogs, and then one came onto our property and bit my leg. I was told 'he's never done that before' and how out of character it was blah blah. Then I'm sitting in a park and I get knocked over onto my back by two dogs. Again I'm told how out of character it is. I just don't believe it any more. People who think they have absolute full control over their dog 100% of the time and can predict its behaviour are delusional. A woman was literally killed near here, in her own home, by dogs.

About 7500 people admitted to hospital in England in 2021 as a result of dog bites.

www.statista.com/statistics/297523/dog-bite-victims-occurances-in-england-by-age/

It has gone up quite a lot. It's still a low risk but please don't say the risk isn't there! This is just for England as well, not Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Absolutely not

It's one more thing I need to stress about so I wouldn't.

@Noama

yes i am a bit “paranoid” about children and dogs

let me take a punt, you don’t have children but you do have dogs?

I would. I still remember my cm.
i was a very anxious and nervous child however she had a dog and cats.
i was never anxious being there. I would hurry to get there to spend time with the animals.

My old childminder lived on a farm and had 3 rotties. They were beautiful beasts. She kept them in outside kennels so there was no issues. She got a border terrier a few years later who was an indoor dog and had a lovely temperament and as I used her for years, I trusted her judgment. Then again, I had my own Staffie at this point so I suppose my own judgement might have been off to others.

Depends on how it was managed. My cm had a dog but my kids were school aged so it was fine. Baby/toddler - I'd want to know that the dog would be kept away

Our DS, 2.5yo, goes to a childminder who has two dogs (and 2 cats). The dogs are generally kept separate from the children but if they're all out in the garden then sometimes the dogs will be too and they'll do dog walks. the dogs seem to be exceptionally well trained and the owners aren't silly about them either - they're obviously well loved but they don't treat them like babies.

neither me or DH are dog people, but DS now has good experience around dogs in a controlled environment and knows how to interact with them. he wouldnt have got this without going to the childminder. Our only other dog contact is with friends dogs who aren't particularly well behaved and SILs dog who is even worse.

I've seen others say they wouldn't use a childminder because of the driving aspect - ie you have to trust someone else's judgment and control etc with driving. This was a bigger issue for me but we just provided a car seat we were happy with and I'm happy with that.

Not in a million years. We turned down an otherwise perfect pre-school because the nursery manager brings her dog in to work with her every day. I'm fairly laid back but was absolutely horrified that if was allowed to roam - seemingly unrestricted - around children as young as two. I don't like dogs, and I certainly don't strange ones around my toddler when I'm not there.

I'm a childminder who also has a dog. The children are never left alone with him and he's never around when there's food but there are lots of opportunities for interaction. Must say I'm quite amazed by some of the replies and curious whether those with a firm no would also not send their child to a school if they have a school dog ?

There are dogs with good owners and then others. YANBU to be concerned, though I'd want to meet the dog and owner before any final decision.

I tripped on the much loved golden retreiver (who we'd had since he was a year old, he was a neighbours unwanted pet) stepping over him whilst he was asleep at the bottom of the stairs, he snapped and didn't let go of my arm so I pulled my arm out of his mouth in panic and got a gaping gash down to the bone, he was about 8 years old at the time of the incident. Accidents happen, however like you, alot of dog owners minimise and/or blame the victim.

This is why I would not be happy with a dog in a childcare setting and that's what we're talking about here, your reply to me confirms my concerns.

I used to be a childminder and had 2 or 3 big dogs who mingled in with the kids. I wouldn’t be allowed now I guess which is a shame as working households often can’t have a dog and kids miss out. My dogs were well trained, dogs and kids taught to respect one another.

Depends on the dog. Small breed or gentle breeds yes.

My amazing CM has a dog. The dog is kept very separate from the children in her care. She made this very clear when we went to see her. Don't rule a potentially great CM because she has a dog.

Definitely not

Must say I'm quite amazed by some of the replies and curious whether those with a firm no would also not send their child to a school if they have a school dog ?

Although I would never send my children to a childminder with dogs, it's completely understandable that children might be exposed to family pets in that setting.

In a pre-school or primary school setting it's unprofessional and a totally unnecessary risk. In a class of ten or fifteen young children it's impossible for a dog to be monitored constantly, a child accidently stepping on a tail and the dog reacting could happen in a split second. At the pre-school we viewed I couldn't believe the dog was allowed to roam freely around the place with children, some of whom might have absolutely no experience with animals at all. It's all well and good telling a two year old not to pull a dogs tail or try to ride it, but how could you guarantee they would remember? I can't believe there aren't Ofsted restrictions in place around this, because there certainly should be.

Small breeds have very sharp teeth and lots of owners don't train them.

I only found this out as an adult where I've got bitten by small dogs off lead while walking down the street minding my own business, being growled at simply for walking on the opposite side of the road, and seeing them bark aggressively right in the faces of larger dogs e.g. Alsatians, American Bull dogs. The larger dogs did not react at all and carried on walking off with their owners.

@PrinnyPree That's why my CM ensured her dog was behind a babygate and my DD's childminder doesn't allow the dog to be in the same room as the mindees unless there is an adult holding the dog.

This is also why my friends and acquaintances with dogs ensure they do not allow their dogs to sleep and eat their meals unless caged/locked in a space if there are children are around. This includes in their own homes.

Unfortunately it's becoming quite trendy for schools to have a school dog. My dog has a safe space away from the children and when he is near the children it's a much smaller group of children which enables me to supervise them properly and not overwhelming for the children or him.

@namechangetheworld That's just weird.

Every setting I was in as a child where there was a dog - so childminder, primary school and library the dogs weren't allowed to roam free. There weren't OFSTED around then it's just commonsense.

In fact the only settings where a dog has been allowed to roam free has been in a couple of offices I've worked in. However they tend to roam until they find one of the people they like e.g. someone who gives them random treats, and lie at their feet.

In my DD's case the dog also doesn't roam free.

No. Childminder local to us had a dog and it bit a child.

@Noama a friend and a couple of acquaintances of mine have dogs that aren't abused and neglected by them but they know they have unpredicatable or poor temperaments, so don't let them near children who are under secondary age. 2 of the dogs were rehomed to them but as puppies.