Childminders and dogs!

[wheresthesun]

Hi. I'm a childminder and we are thinking about getting a small dog as a family pet.
Are there any special requirements, things to do, policies etc that ofsted would expect me to have/do.
I don't know any childminders who have dogs well enough to ask.
Any info/advice ould be appreciated. Thanks

yep it's good practise to have pet policy in place, to think about how you would deal with dog and children, esp if a child was wary of dogs - to have copies of all worming/vaccinations for all to see, that kind of thing

OK. thanks for the advice

Be prepared to lose some business.

A lot of parents won't consider a childminder with a dog.

A childminder friend of mine was always busy until she got one, and now struggles to fill her spaces.

my childminder has 2 dogs and keeps them in a run away from the chidren. It has never been a problem for us.
However we do have 2 dogs and dd loves them so maybe I am an exception?

also its not always the fact a child might be scared of a dog, but allergies too ?

and pet hair can get everywhere ( yuck!)

Have to admit I wouldn't place my child where there were cats or dogs, it's the smell and the splothering ew!! same goes for a smoker too so I am not just anti-pets ;)
I imagine I am not alone in that - but there will be plenty of people who will so don't worry unnecesarily about it

I would not consider getting a dog myself whilst childminding, unless I had a humungous garden and they were kept separate at all times. As mentioned, I would also not consider letting my child go to a smoker... eeeewww!

It wouldn't bother me if a childminder had a dog that was kept outside but if it was allowed in the living area then it would put me off. They do carry germs, dribble, lick their arses etc. etc. etc. I wouldn't expect to pay for me child to be exposed to that.

As has been said previously about smokers too - no way.

I am a childminder with a dog and 2 cats and have been childminding for nearlt 5 years and have always had work

I have a pets policy, and keep written records of all their flee and worming things as well as booster jabs Ofsted were more than happy with this during my inspection

i have a dog and guineapigs and have had gerbils and a rabbit whilst childminding - as far as i know it has never put a parent/child off, and there are loads of c/m's in my area so they could easily NOT choose me. I have had 2 children who were scared of dogs still come to me and they are now no longer scared of dogs.
most parents seem to like it if a childminder has animals in my experience.
and the children love it.
i guess it would depend on the breed of dog for some parents as a lot of people don't like staffies rottweilers dobermans or alsations.

I am a childminder and have 2 dogs and 2 rabbits a tortoise and a giant land snail I do get some parents that don't like the fact I have dogs, but I have others that think it's great as their child gets the benefit of having pets without having to have them theirselves.
I hoover my house everyday and wash the pets and their bedding regularly they are taken out for walks everyday and don't mess in the garden if they do I clean it up and rinse the area with detol water they are kept wormed and flea treatment is always up to date, if you're a good carer then pets aren't going to be a problem.
What sort of dog are you thinking of getting, good luck with it all

When I had a dog I divided the garden in half with a fence so that the minded children had a dog free play area,I could keep them apart if parents wished and no dog mess to worry about.