Teacher’s dogs in classroom?

[Sunnyday14558]

Our son starts school in September. We had a meeting this evening with the new class teacher and fellow parents and the teacher dropped on that she has two sausage dogs. She said she brings one into class and is going to bring the second into class next week and ‘hopes he gets on with the kids’. All the fellow parents made a lot of ‘awww’ sounds but honestly I was a bit surprised.
is this normal in schools? She also said that if any parents were uncomfortable she’d try and work something out. I’m nervous around dogs but mostly because I have a four year old boy who doesn’t have experience being around them. I feel in an awkward situation where I don’t want to be ‘that’ parent if I say I’m not happy but equally, maybe it’s ok? So confused

I would ask the headteacher and the governors:
For the risk assessment
For evidence of the dogs' training as therapy dogs or similar (for ensuring they are safe)
For a copy of the insurance details so you can understand who is responsible in the event of a bite and who would be paying the medical bills and compensation
For details of where and how the dogs will be toileted and how it will all be cleaned and kept hygienic (you don't want wee and poo residue anywhere on school grounds)

I would include that the teacher has said the dogs will be getting onto children's clothing, which would make it dirty, smelly and covered in fur.

It's a ridiculous thing for the teacher to be doing and I would have it very clear they are on thin ice legally should anything happen. It's putting children at risk of dog bites from untrained dogs in a boisterous environment with lots of young children. It is basically an accident waiting to happen.

This 100%. I am a dog lover, I have a dog, my kids love dogs etc. But aside from an occasional visit for educational reasons or therapy, a reception classroom is no place for 2 sausage dogs. Those dogs can be really aggressive and noisy and I would not consent to have them around my 4 year old.
As a parent it’s my responsibility to educate my kids on how to behave around dogs, and I choose the time, location and kind of dog. It won’t be a dog I don’t know in a place I can’t supervise. Nope.

Also dog allergies are quite common. It is likely one or two children in the class will be affected.

Quite. Why is this even a discussion?

Quite. People need to train their dogs better, when this happens I won’t have to treat every dog as a significant risk until proven otherwise. Most of the 200,000 people needing hospital for dog bites each year are family/known to the dog, showing just what poor judges of (dog) character many dog owners are.

Agreed

Some dachshunds can be aggressive some aren’t. My friend breeds mini ones and they’re all lovely. The standard one up the street who says hello to me is super friendly. Friend who had Jack Russell dachshund cross he was non aggressive.

But yes I don’t think I’d like a pet in the classroom. For many reasons.

Fundamentally, either these dogs are going to be under/unsupervised, or the kids are getting less teaching input and supervision from the teacher because they are there.

I would ask the headteacher and the governors:
For the risk assessment
For evidence of the dogs' training as therapy dogs or similar (for ensuring they are safe)
For a copy of the insurance details so you can understand who is responsible in the event of a bite and who would be paying the medical bills and compensation
For details of where and how the dogs will be toileted and how it will all be cleaned and kept hygienic (you don't want wee and poo residue anywhere on school grounds)

Excellent advice

From the teacher's comments that she "hopes they'll get on with the kids" and that she'll "try to work something out" if there are problems it doesn't really sound as if any of this has been done, and the trouble attached to doing it might just result in her being told no

Unless most other staff and governors are also dog mad that is, in which case good luck

I would move my child to another school or home educate in preference to them having a teacher who thought this was a good idea.

For so many reasons it is unprofessional, irresponsible and just utterly inappropriate.

It can, I know a woman who's DH and one of her kids are 'deadly allergic' (her words) to dogs. Dog allergies can lead to anaphylaxis, although as someone with hay fever if I had to deal with that year round I'd be miserable. It's bad enough as it is!

Agree it doesn't need to be as all in the classroom apparently are going to be allergic at some point ??

Not sure what I will develop an allergy to in the future....it is coming though....

so says mumsnet! ha ha!

Nobody has said that.
But you can willfully ‘misunderstand’ people if you wish of course 🤷‍♀️

They did.

I said if there was no one with allergies then that is ok. Apparently we can never say there is no one with allergies as allergies 'develop' meaning we can never say no one has allergies.....

I currently do not have a Maccies in front of me....but it is wrong of me to say that as it may 'develop' later.....so right now it is incorrect, I just cannot see it! Right?

This sounds like it could cause all kinds of problems. I know some schools do have pet dogs, to help some children with emotions and such, but they aren't confined to one particular classroom as far as I know. There will be some children who are frightened of dogs or allergic, not to mention the teacher's attention being divided even more than usual. Sounds like she is using 'therapy dogs' as a way of avoiding paying for dog sitting.

Yes, people can develop allergies at any time, but 100% of a classroom population will never be affected by dog allergies and nobody said that was the case. It’s likely at least one or two children will be affected though.

So your statement

‘as all in the classroom apparently are going to be allergic at some point’
was just as I said…you willfully missing the point!

Agree.
I love animals and can see the positives in having "meet a dog" moment with a therapy dog or whatever if they choose.
But having two dogs in all day is just plain unprofessional and inappropriate.
Also, the teacher should be focussing on her work when she is at work.

Nope I said if there is a class and 0 kids have an allergy to dogs I was told that I couldn't say that as someone would have one it just hadn't happened yet.

If there are no children with dog allergies in a class then there are no children with dog allergies....

0 means 0....

Basic maths of a 4 year old child.

Since when does 0 mean 'some'?

She also said that if any parents were uncomfortable she’d try and work something out. Well that makes it sound like she's trying to guilt trip the parents. Also "oh I'll have to try and work something out". No. She should have a robust risk assessment in place including immediate action to be taken if there is an incident with a dog, allergies, phobias, parent complaints etc. And it's unfair on the dogs, she needs to sort care out for them, not make it a problem for everyone else.

This is what you said @Samysungy:

Agree it doesn't need to be [in the classroom] as all in the classroom apparently are going to be allergic at some point ??
Not sure what I will develop an allergy to in the future....it is coming though....
so says mumsnet! ha ha!

You said ‘all in the classroom were going to develop allergies at some point and then denied saying that when you were told nobody had said that would happen. I’m assuming you were being facetious but that is what you literally said and allergies aren’t a laughing matter in my opinion.

People had said a child or two in the classroom would likely already have allergies or would develop them. It’s a new class and it’s unlikely the teacher has considered dog allergies in her students at all if she’s thinking of having her dogs in the classroom. There seems to be a lot she hasn’t considered imho.

Somebody should call the police.

Good idea

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn808lg5j33o