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

Schools have to follow certain protocols regarding dogs in schools. They should have a policy, and a risk assessment. You can’t just rock up to school with your dog/s. Many schools do have dogs, the school I taught at did and they are great for generating calm, teaching children how to care and listening to children. Some schools just have therapy dogs to visit.
You need to check out the situation on the school website.

Frankly, if I was genuinely concerned that my child could be bitten by a dog so badly that it would lead to an insurance claim (-‘s it would need to be serious for insurance to kick in), then my reaction would be to ensure that my child wasn’t in the class or the dog wasn’t in the classroom, not whether they had insurance…

It really doesn’t make any sense to think “As long as I can make an insurance claim if my child gets seriously attacked by a dog, then I’m fine with the risk that my child might be seriously attacked by a dog.” Talk about warped priorities!

Whilst unlikely to do any damage (look at the size of them!), they can get nippy when stressed, she’s taking an unnecessary risk.

DS’s best friend has a little terrier style dog (unsure which) and I went to stroke it one day, it snapped at me and nipped my hand. His mum then said she used to be a primary school teacher, she took it to school a few times but some of the kids terrorised it so now it gets scared and nips a lot…

So yeah, I’d be worried about the kids annoying the dogs too.

So let's just ignore children who are highly allergic to dogs which is not uncommon. Those who are pro dogs in schools may not be so keen if it was their own child whose asthma became worse or they arrived home every day with streaming itchy eyes, hives & breathing difficulties. The whole idea is outrageous.

I would be interested about insurance. Normal pet policies don't cover taking the dog to work.

Do you genuinely think that a school, with health and safety and insurance and boards of governance, didn't consider this before allowing it?

This is what I'm asking? Do you think that schools are so clueless that they haven't done a risk assessment?

If you genuinely think schools are like this for dogs, why would you trust sending your child to school at all? What other reckless things are they doing that wasn't considered before MN?

We need some grounded perspective here......

Request a class move due to the dogs and say you'd like to understand the insurance situation.

It's just not appropriate. You don't have to be apologetic or critical, just say you would not have chosen this school if you'd been informed so need a resolution which would be moving classes.

I’m with you on this.

I think you need to write to the HT then the chair of governors. Point out the following:

1. While the teacher is keeping an eye out for her dogs, this may affect the teacher’s ability to keep an eye on the children
2. As the children are very young, there may be some with undiagnosed allergies to animal dander
3. Statistically speaking, there are likely to be children who are scared of dogs
4. In some cultures, dogs are viewed differently (strays, dangerous, not kept as pets but as working animals, unclean) and in a multicultural society it is not inclusive to force their presence on children who have different cultural backgrounds

The reason I recommend writing to HT and governors is because governing bodies value parental input as catalyst for change where precedent has already been set. In this case, there has likely been an agreement for the teacher to have her pet with her. For example, I wrote to the HT and CoG about sweets being handed out on children’s birthdays. I pointed out that it undermined my authority, caused cavities, stopped my children eating their dinner and conflicted with the school’s healthy eating policy. I got a thank you and ‘We were debating this and your letter provided the evidence we needed to stop this’

I wouldn’t be bothered by this at all. If DC has no experience of dogs, it’s a good opportunity to learn. If parents haven’t bothered to teach the children about safe behaviour around dogs, it’s good that teachers will, because children do need to learn this.

I think some older very docile dogs would be fine with children, but it would take a very special dog to be trusted in a room with 30 excitable and unpredictable 4 year olds, some of whom might not treat the dog appropriately, and frankly could be cruel to it if not tightly supervised at all times…. The risk increases further if there are two dogs!

I expect this is being done for the benefit of the teacher, who would be bending any risk assessment to fit her needs than actually applying it objectively.

I know of a headteacher that charged the school for the training of their pet to be a therapy dog and associated costs. It was nothing short of fraud.

I'm a teacher. This is not common and I find it hard to believe that would be allowed to be honest (and rightly so).

This is ridiculous.
I am in favour of well trained dogs coming into a school for visits to support small groups for the children’s confidence with dogs and also improve emotional wellbeing and give comfort.
These dogs have proper training, trained handlers, lots of breaks and their needs met and insurance and proof of vaccination, preventative healthcare etc.

I am a huge dog lover and live and work with dogs.
There are many reasons this is a terrible idea.

Many children have allergies and may not even be diagnosed at 4!

Fear - lots of children are scared of dogs. forcing them to adjust to school AND dogs is not how to over come a fear.

It’s risky - not enough supervision and the teachers attention split between her pets and the dogs.

Reception is overstimulating, noisy and busy for dogs it’s not a place they can relax. Dogs need lots of sleep. 4 year olds get lively and loud and can be grabby.
This combination is likely to put a dog over its threshold and more likely to bite. Not fair on the dogs at all. You can’t just drop a dog into this environment and see how it goes.

It really isn’t fair on the children or the dogs and I am absolutely amazed both a teacher and a head think it is. It doesn’t show good judgement or the ability to priotise children’s safety and well being (or her dogs!) so that would give me huge concerns.

So in effect they are saying I don't give a damn about this common allergy. We shall have dogs in schools & to hell with children who become sick.

No unless it’s a trained therapy dog it shouldn’t be there and definitely not every day. It sounds like she needs dog care rather than benefitting the children. My child is allergic to dogs that are high moulting so this could cause issues too.

Yawn

I work in a private nursery, and take my dog in one day a week (the quietest day). He’s hypoallergenic, and there is a risk assessment both for the children, and for him. Is there a risk assessment in place for these two dogs, especially as they aren’t hypoallergenic?

The children get a lot out of my dog being there, but he is not there as doggy day care, so if ever a child was genuinely distressed by his presence, DH would come and pick him up. We have two more dogs at home (who definitely wouldn’t be suitable for the job!)

Well, that would be a discussion with the school, I guess. They consult different professionals and make a decision based on their professional opinion and risk.

I'm sure if someone had an allergy, they wouldn't allow the dog but unless someone says there is an allergy, they don't worry about it due to the perceived benefits etc.

Common sense at last 👏

I would also like to point out that just because dogs appear to be the norm in schools, doesn’t mean it’s right. To me, this is an unchecked phenomenon that is not questioned enough. The legal framework is very limited and largely unenforced. Cafe owners, for example, find it difficult to enforce ‘guide dogs only’.

Like I said, a signed and dated letter from you, expressing your discomfort and stating the reasons I have suggested, cannot be ignored.

Yes, as a school governor myself, I’d recommend writing to the Head and Chair of Governors.

Also, you could have a dog that’s generally very docile and calm, but in a class of 30 4-year olds, there’s a good chance that at least one or two of if the children will be emotionally disturbed and try to abuse the poor dog given the opportunity… and however good the dog generally is, if badly provoked, it will likely lash out, and that might not be contained to the child causing it.

When my son was at primary school (10 years ago) most of the teachers had small dogs they bought into school. It was calming for the nd pupils apparently

I would imagine the dog is on a lead and a temperment to be around children.
Why not let it happen then see if it is a problem.
Installing your fears in a childs unfair or what ifs.

Yes animals are good therapy and if not the dog would be removed.
Parents now days !

My kids were both bitten by their great grandmother’s sausage dogs. I’d not be enchanted by this. The English obsession with dogs is bloody odd. I had dogs for 40 years but they do stink and I’m glad we don’t have them any more. To be honest I think seeing them cocking their legs in shopping centres was the final straw. No more dogs for me.

And if you don’t want to start your son’s school career as “that parent”, you can write the letter anonymously. It would have the same weight and should be considered just as seriously.