Childminder's dog has bitten DD

[Jugglingitall85]

Last week my childminder's dog bit my DD on the face. What would you do? I feel like I have lost trust in their judgement and allowing this to happen.

Just to add I’m not calling for the dog to be PTS, I’m angry at the CM for a lack of judgement and care.

She may well have touched her roughly etc. but she is 3 and it’s not for her to understand. I do highly doubt she was tormenting her as I believe it all happened quite quickly.

Just to be clear @Jugglingitall85 my comment was to the PPs who are calling for the dog to be PTS - one even suggesting doing it themselves 🤣. Such hyperbole. I was just trying to emphasise that not everything is as black and white as it seems.

I'm sorry you've gone through this, and I hope your daughter makes a quick recovery.

What absolute nonsense without knowing the whole story

Please report this to ofsted and the police. You have made the (correct) decision to remove your child from this setting but other kids are, and will in the future, be around this dog and next time it may kill or seriously maim a young child. You have the potential to stop that from happening if you act now.

If this dog was really triggered to attack from a toddler running into the room it clearly should not be living in a house where child minding is happening.

I hope your little one heals quickly 💐

As if you’d kill the dog yourself, stop talking shite 🤣 what are you going to do? Knock her door and stab the dog? I wish people wouldn’t exaggerate like this, it makes you sound ridiculous.

OP, It entirely depends on how hard the bite was, what lead to it and what the childminder did/will do to prevent further bites (such as muzzle, or PTS if the bite was serious enough) before I would be making a decision on what to do.

Edit: I think it also matters how long your daughter has been going there and whether this is the first time she has been bitten, because if she’s been going there for a reasonably long period and this is the first time anything like this has happened, then I might think perhaps the dog is unwell or elderly and can’t cope well with being around small children who are perhaps unintentionally a bit rough with petting or tugging at the tail and therefore the CM could put the dog out of the room in its own space in peace when she is child minding.

A dog was allowed to bite a child being paid to be cared for. You don’t need to know anything more. No childminders dog should EVER be in that position

Report to whoever you report Childminders to, if you think she's really not taking it seriously I'd also report to police, she has a duty of care to both child and dog and failed in both respects. Another avenue is the dog warden - the outcome would be likely to be a control order, dog not to be in the same room as kids etc.

Child and dog not at fault at all (how can they be, neither is able to legally be responsible for their own actions!) and PTS is an outrageous suggestion, as for the person saying they'd kill the dog themselves, don't be ridiculous, control yourself!

CM absolutely at fault, this shouldn't have been possible if she'd managed appropriately, meeting both child and dogs needs.

You need to report this. Take photos too. How would you feel if you didn’t and the dog maimed another kid?

i still have two little teeth marks on my face from a dog when i put my face close to his.

Why are childminders allowed dogs anywhere near the children? their own children is up to them but no way they should be allowed around other people's

She may well have touched her roughly etc. but she is 3 and it’s not for her to understand

I’m sorry your kid was bitten. But by 3 kids should 100% know and understand not to touch dogs roughly. If they can walk and talk, they should know basic safety about animals - and that’s on you, as the parent, to install.

Childminder legally also has to report this to Ofsted herself and should have a EYFS risk assessment document on her regarding animals in the home, if ask to see this.

I’d also be asking why the child was left unattended with the animal (likely be against her risk assessment)

Id also be reporting this [email protected] or 0300 123 4666

Yes this is an animal bite however it’s not a non event , it’s a safeguarding failure which has left your dd injured and needed hospital treatment, it’s a reportable safeguarding failure.

The dog clearly should not be in an environment where they are easily startled and cause injury to the children, simply because they walked into a room.

But nobody knows that she was tormenting the dog. The CM didn't see it happen and or say that was what happened. The OP paid someone to look after their child and it is the fault of the CM that this was allowed to happen.

The doggy lovers will minimise this and say that little trixie is a poor innocent flulff baby and your daughter is a wild beast.

And they all need to get a grip.

Childminder should stop childminding if she cannot appropriately

1. supervise children so that they’re not unsupervised
2. control her dog

I would certainly report to ofsted as a bare minimum.

This person sounds more dangerous than the dog!

Should dangerous people also be put to sleep or is it just dogs?

Are you in the uk? As this is reportable, even if it’s just under the dangerous dogs act, the childminder has a responsibility to keep her dog under control at all times, even though the children are in her house.
I would also inform OFSTED as a health and safety concern, although this is classed as a minor injury, there was possible negligence from the childminder which lead to the situation, and there should be a clear plan in place to prevent this happening again. The dog bite is a near miss of a much more serious incident, if the dog had caught their eye, it could have been a much more serious outcome.

Have you had contact with the childminder since the bite?

I did the childminder training course, but in the end decided not to take any clients and go ahead.

Having said that, I can 100% guarantee that there is no condition in which a child should EVER be allowed to walk, unattended, into a room with a dog. The dog should have been securely locked away with no way for a child to unlock whatever barrier is in place. There will have been a home visit and she will have had to demonstrate this, but it sounds like she ignores the regulations when she’s not under observation. Ofsted need to be contacted. Now.

@Jugglingitall85 I think the biggest concern is she didn't see it happen. Dogs shouldn't be around children without supervision and especially at a child minders. This really does need reporting to Ofsted at lest.

Ofsted and the police need to know.

I've been bitten by a dog. It was very scary. I reported it to the police and they were very helpful. It went to court and the dog was mandated to wear a muzzle.
The main reason I reported it was it was my thigh. If it had been a toddler the dog would have had its face.
You should report it at the very least to your safeguarding team in the council. How will you feel if it does it to another child and next time it's much worse.
I'm sorry this has happened but you need to speak out on behalf of your child. Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility

Absolutely appalling that she 'didnt see' what had happened. A 3 year old should never be out of sight with a dog. A 3 year old running into a room and scaring a dog is surely an entirely predictable event - 3 year olds run around and are loud!

I think this is worth a report to Ofsted. There are presumably other children there and I think the childminder has been negligent.

You have to report this, what if it happened to a small baby next time and childminder didn't intervene?
They might not pts but might take away her license for now as clearly it's not a safe environment with the dog there.

I never said the child was. BUT OP is making excuses for her child - ‘it’s not for her to understand.’

And quite frankly, it is. By three children should know how to behave around pets. Regardless of what happened and why, OP should accept that.

OP and the childminder are equally at fault in my view - the childminder for having a dog around kids who clearly don’t know how to behave around dogs ‘child entered the room the dog was in’ and OP for sending her child - who she claims is to young to know how to behave around dogs - to a childminder with a dog.

Both adults should take responsibility.

I am an ex-childminder and dog owner.

No child should ever be in a situation where they can be unsupervised with a dog. The dogs should be kept separate at all times, unless they can be carefully supervised together with the childminder present.

This is neglectful on the part of the Childminder and I would absolutely report this to Ofsted. Her number one priority is the safeguarding of the children in her care, and by allowing your child to be in a room unsupervised with a dog she has allowed this situation to happen.

Even if a child attacked a dog first (I know this isn’t what happened with you) then the Childminder is totally at fault. This scenario should never have been allowed to happen.

No Childminder should leave a young child unsupervised with a dog. Absolutely neglectful on the Childminders fault. Do not blame the 3 year old fgs.

If the Childminder wasn’t there there to supervise (eg she popped into another room briefly) then the dog should have been moved into a different room from the children, or behind a gate.

Yes a 3 year old should know not to provoke a dog. But 3 year olds do stupid shit sometimes, actually quite a lot of the time. A trained and paid Childcare professional should absolutely know not to leave a young child and a dog in a room alone. The adult is responsible not the child.