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

Thank you, this articulates how I feel about it. Kids are impulsive and may cause the dog to bite. I think I also just didn’t feel confident about the teacher’s judgment. On a side note she had the longest false nails I’ve seen and all I could think about it is how impractical that is when working with young children. Idk just spiralling now but my gut feeling is it’s a bad idea to have young dogs roaming with a large group of kids in a busy setting

I wouldn’t mind it, but I think she’s leaving herself and the school open to legal action if there’s any kind of incident.

This. And ask to see the policy on what will happen with children who are fearful of dogs.

My children between them have had a "therapy" dog in every school and college they've been in over more than a decade. It's fine if done properly with responsible staff members and no pressure on fearful children to put up with or interact with the dog. They have a right to feel safe in school.

Bunging two young untrained dogs into a YR classroom with 1:30 or 1:15 ratio and no more than a "suck it and see" mentality would be a very unusual choice for a teacher with QTS and, therefore, a solid understanding of how to identify and manage risks to keep small children safe.

It seems like a pretty significant piece of information you should have been made aware of! I’d email the school saying you don’t feel comfortable with dogs in the classroom and that you’d like your son to move to a different class.

Please complain. It isn't acceptable that this is being foisted on you and if you just quietly roll over and let it happen, it is a tacit acceptance even if you disagree and once that happens a few years in a row, it just become a thing that has always been that way.

Your son deserves a safe classroom where he only has to focus on learning and his developing friendships and not other people's pets. The teacher has 30+ young children to be responsible for and should be focused on them during work hours. It is ok to be the person who speaks up in this situation, you won't be the only one who does so and there will be others who feel they can't but will be glad if you do.

As a teacher I loathe this. Not dogs, I adore my son's dog. Ask to see the risk assessment. I'm very asthmatic and dogs are a trigger plus I know some children are very wary. If it's a fully trained therapy dog, it's a slightly different matter.

I'm on the fence about this. I think for primary school, it's just not a good idea, full stop. The limited benefits of having a dog as a 'therapy animal' in a primary school are outweighed by: the distraction for young children, the fact that primary schools are extremely busy noisy environments, the fact that many very young children will not be able to articulate if they're scared of dogs, and many young children aren't able to exercise self-control and leave an animal alone.

At secondary school, I think a therapy dog can often be a good thing. I should be clear - I'm saying 'therapy dog' because that's invariably how it'll be presented to parents, but essentially it's a teacher's personal pet, brought in on the understanding that children who need some regulation can spend time with it. Don't ask me how they sign off on the H&S of this!

At my son's secondary school, there have been dogs belonging to the librarian who always stay in the library. (one dog at a time, over a long timeframe) Kids who needed a bit of calm time or comfort are able to chill with the dog. I sometimes asked DS, did nobody object because of fear of dogs, allergies etc? He said he thought not. At another local school, there was a dog brought in by an art teacher that was based in a pen in the art block but was taken on supervised walks around the school as therapy.

Both these examples seem to have worked out at these schools and helped students regulate and feel happier.

I think a dachshund in a primary school is asking for trouble though! They tend to be really barky and excitable. I live next door to one and the bloody thing never stops having hysterics.

(at the back of my mind, I can't help thinking this is basically a way for a dog-obsessed staff member to bring his or her pet in with them every day. And I'm not convinced that personal pets belong in the workplace.)

You can ask to see the risk assessment. Will the dogs be in a crate?

The main question would be why? Ask for the risk assessment. Not everyone likes dogs - or the smell or unpredictability of them. It would be a firm no from me. Why should children be forced to have to spend the day with the teacher’s pets? Pupil voice needs to be heard - and that’s all pupils, not just several.

No, on a dog bed and apparently the kids like stroking them
on the carpet. She made a joke that if a kid puts a jumper down, the dog will sit on it

Yeah it's a pisstake. They brand them as therapy dogs or mentor dogs but are usually dogs belonging to members of staff. Often the dogs are over stimulated and eventually hate it plus they never ask if every child (or teacher) is happy with a dog in their class. I've sat in meetings with a dog running round over the table. It's ridiculous.
Distracting and irresponsible in my opinion. And yes, they usually belong to the head teacher or another senior member of staff.
I work in a school with e therapy dogs. One bit a teacher the other week and the slt just laughed about it

Are you actually serious. I can't believe this is allowed. There are children highly allergic to dog dander. I would refuse to send my child to a school where this is permissable. Does the teacher leave the classroom to allow the dog to do it's business & would it be in the playground? Absolutely crazy.

I’m in the uk, state school and there are 2 dogs in the school, one a lab but I’ve not seen the second dog, I understand it’s new and belongs to the HT. The first dog was introduced last year as a support dog and comes in a few days a week, the kids love him. Parents were asked for feedback before he was introduced to the kids.

Some children are frightened of dogs. I was terrified as a child after having been badly bitten by a dog that just ran up behind me from apparently nowhere.
Being forced to sit in a classroom all day with a dog would have been torture.
Lots of children to a greater or lesser extent can feel this way. Having a dog forced upon them is not going to help erase their fears, trust me.
As an adult I am no longer terrified but I can choose to be or not be in their company, depending on the dog. Therefore I think dogs in classrooms as an everyday feature is a terrible idea.

Fuck that.

I was bitten by a dog at the age of 2.

Since when did animals take over children's safety?!

If any kids are allergic to dogs, their parents can raise it with the school - I don't think it's a good reason for a ban on all dogs being on school premises, just in case a child may have a serious allergy - they'll never completely avoid dogs in Britian anyway, there are increasing numbers of dogs being used for assistance, in addition to dogs being walked in parks, along rivers etc etc.

As the OP is concerned, she can ask for her child to be moved to a different class, claiming allergy or cultural issues causing concern about dogs, to ensure she gets the move for her son.

As one of the dogs has spent at least a year in the classroom, it's unlikely that the Head will bar the dogs - and if they were barred, it's highly likely that word would get around that OP was the one who raised it, leading to her, and her child, being unpopular with the kids.

Adds a whole new meaning to teacher's pet 😂

Seriously though this absolutely ridiculous and should not be happening. How on earth is this allowed? Ask to move your DS to an animal free class. What next - the teacher beings her baby in too, or maybe an elderly relative that can't be left alone 🙄 ?

Well, DS is very allergic to dogs. Eyes puff up and run, nose swells and you can hear it when he speaks. His asthma also flares badly. No way on earth would I be okay with a dog being in his classroom!!

Secondary teacher here of over 25 years. Have never known dogs in schools to be a thing. Seems crazy to me. Classrooms are very busy places. (I am imagining dog yoga; dogs running loose urinating and defecating.) The teacher’s priority is the children. It might be wise to contact the Head for some clarity regarding this and to convey your concerns. You won’t be the only one despite how other parents may have presented.

I find it really weird that teachers bring their dogs into school, unless it is for sensory reasons.

but mostly because I have a four year old boy who doesn’t have experience being around them

This needs sorting though, your boy is going to encounter them throughout his life. Mostly positively, but there may be negative times too and he needs to know how to react around them.

Me too, and when there was an office dog, it made my life miserable.
I love dogs but I can’t be around them.

Absolutely bizarre that a teacher is looking after her two dogs, alongside well teaching 30 4/5 year olds. Unless it's a one off learning opportunity, YANBU

Agree. I turned down jobs because of this. Such a disappointment.

Who is supervising the dogs when the teacher is supervising the class?

Some of the staff at my son's school used to bring dogs in. It was a positive for him he is a lot less nervous around dog's now. Dog's used to sense he was nervous and bark at him. Some of the children used to take staff dogs for walks.

Schools also do bring dogs in now for the children to read to. The children love it the dog's love it and it encourages reading.