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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Childminder wants to get a dog

26 replies

hellywobs · 08/03/2009 14:52

My childminder mentioned some time ago that she wanted to get a couple of guinea pigs but that the cage she wanted was very expensive and she wondered if parents would contribute. I think some parents did offer but then we didn't hear any more about it. Now she has said that she plans to get a King Charles spaniel.

My 6 year old goes to her 4 mornings a week before school and 2 afternoons a week after school and other days in the holidays and INSET days. So he's not there all day every day and he doesn't have any allergies. And he likes dogs.

I really think this is a bad idea - from my own selfish perspective (I don't want him coming home covered in dog hair and stinking of dog: also I am allergic to cat hair and the only reason I don't know if I am allergic to dogs is because I don't tend to go to houses where there are any) and also because I wonder if it's a good idea to have a dog when you look after other peoples' small children. In my experience, no dog is 100% trustworthy, though I would be surprised if a spaniel caused any problems - although who can say how they react when in a house full of children from 2-11?

Do you think it is reasonable for me to say I don't think this is a good idea? I feel rather cheeky telling someone whether or not they can have a dog especially as I assume her own 9 year old really wants one and she probably misses out on things all the time becuase of her parents being childminders but I thought the guinea pigs were a much better idea!

I don't know what the other parents think.

OP posts:

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Idrankthechristmasspirits · 08/03/2009 14:55

Actually i think your childminder was being cheeky asking parents to contribute towards her guinea pig cage but that's by the by....

You are perfectly entitled to say you are not comfortable with a dog and state why. As long as you are polite it isn't cheeky.
You need to be prepared for her to say she will get one anyway and make a decision as to whether or not you should look for alternative childcare if she does.

scienceteacher · 08/03/2009 14:56

I think the CM has her own life to live and can make her own decisions about getting a dog.

She should, of course, give you adequate notice so that you can make alternative arrangements.

It may make her less attractive to some clients, but more attractive to others. A dog will have to obviously be included in her risk assessments.

I know that our lives have been enriched by our cocker spaniel.

kidcreoleandthecoconuts · 08/03/2009 14:57

I wouldnt be happy with it TBH. I dont trust my own dogs around my children and they are working dogs kept outside so I definately wouldnt want someone elses dog around my child in the house all the time. She can hardly be watching all the kids and the dogs foe every minute can she? Do you know any of the other parents well enough to speak to them about it? If enough parents voice their disapproval she's hardly likely to get one.

HappyMummyOfOne · 08/03/2009 15:38

I think the request for help to pay for the guinea was really cheeky and would have told her so.

As for the dog, I wouldnt be happy either so would just ask for adequate notice of the date the dog was to arrive to allow alternative arrangments to be made.

It is her choice to have a pet the same as its your choice to continue to use her services.

islandofsodor · 08/03/2009 15:41

I think its a great idea as long as she has a policy in place.

You are of course entitled to remove your children ifyou dont want them to be in a setting with a dog but it would be a shame if this was the ionl rason and she was behaving responsibly with regards to the dog.

If you are worried about allergies maybe tell her how wonderful bichon frises are with children (I have one and have cat allergies and occasional dog reactions). They don;t shed and I have even had ours sleep with us with no problems.

They also have a lovely temperament and are renowned for being good with children.

coolj · 08/03/2009 16:59

Im a childminder and have a one year old Border Terrier who is as soft as putty. Hes been brought up with my 3DC and mindees and he has definately been a brilliant experience for the children and the mothers actively encourage the kids to play with him. Result one very happy dog and lots of happy children.

As long as the dog has his own escape from the children on a regular basis there really shouldnt be a problem.

SimpleAsABC · 08/03/2009 20:45

Well..

I'm not sure if I think the CM was being cheeky asking parents to contribute. Perhaps it'd been suggested by them that she have some pets and she was trying to accomodate this? Far fetched I know but these things DO happen!

Personally I think your cm has every right to get a dog if she so wishes, but you also have the right to speak to her about this. As another poster said, don't be surprised if she decides to go ahead and have a dog anyway. Would this be a decision which would prompt you to seek alternative care?

If I were you I'd be wanting to know how the cm planned to accomodate the dog and the children. I think it's perfectly possible that the dog may be keep in another room from the children and then your ds coming home "covered in dog hair and stinking of dog" wouldn't be an issue. The upside to this may be that the children would have increased time and experiences outside on walks with the dog, with supervision.

I don't want to seem mean and can definately see your p.o.v, however, I think that if your cm is great and you're happy with everything else and how she plans to accomodate the changes then it'd be a small price to pay.

(That is assuming you're not allergic!)

RosieGirl · 08/03/2009 21:12

Remember it is her and her family's home, and as long as she gives you notice you can't really object.

We have a wonderful black lab, and he is totally adored by all the children (and my own) I have cared for over the years. It really can enrich a childs life, dogs give so much without asking anything, walks to the park, children throwing toys for him, running around chasing him, cuddling him, learning how to look after a living creature (lots of handwashing after touching). I must admit most of the children I care for also have dogs but one particular mindees parents were thrilled as they didn't have the time for pets and loved that fact the that their DD would have that contact. It may not be all bad!

hercules1 · 08/03/2009 21:14

Actually it wouldnt bother me in the slightest a kings charles spaniel.

mamadoc · 09/03/2009 20:29

My CM has a dog and I can honestly say that she never comes home with dog hair or smelling of dog.
DD loves dogs very much and as there is no chance of our getting one I'm quite glad she gets her doggie fix there.
The only thing I wanted to be reassured of was that the dog was never unsupervised with the children. Dog goes outside a lot and has a basket in the utility room where the children can't go to retreat to when he's had enough petting.
I think you should maybe give it a chance you can always give notice if its not working out.

Chatkins · 09/03/2009 20:38

I'm a cm who would love to get a dog one day in the future so this thread is really interesting to me.

Personally I would talk to all my parents about it, and if any were really unhappy I would seriously consider postponing getting the dog.

I think asking for money for the guinea pigs was cheeky, unless like someone else said, some parents had suggested it first. I have bought rabbits guinea pigs and mice for my mindees and my own dc to enjoy, and I wouldn't dream of asking parents to pay anything. It was my choice, not theirs to get them.

Going back to the dog, I would talk to your cm and see how she plans to accomodate the dog, and keep the children save. Most of the cms I know have one or two dogs, and they all have their bed in the kitchen or utility room, so they can go off on their own when they want to. Gates in place to stop children following. They all go on lovely long dog walks to beach and forest. They take the same care, if not more, that they would with their own dc and a dog.

Like some others have said I think cms having pets can be a good thing as many children may be growing up without that experience these days. Having it at the cms means the parents avoid the cost and mess and hassle !

changename1 · 09/03/2009 21:01

My cm has got a dog after she started minding dd. She has a policy and the dog is only occassionly with the children when i pick up. My dd loves it. She is so excited if the dog is walked up to the schoolto meet her. As i work full time we can not have a dog so this is the next best thing.

SimpleAsABC · 10/03/2009 18:39

Can we have an update please hellywobs?

Original poster

hellywobs · 11/03/2009 11:23

I only really tend to have time to post here on Wednesdays so apologies for the delay. Thank you for all your replies - I haven't yet spoken to the CM but you have made me feel much better about this. Will come back and let you know what happens.

OP posts:

Illhavethisinsize12 · 11/03/2009 12:51

i would love a dog but would never get one unless i stopped minding

Berryred · 13/03/2009 13:08

I have an 8yr old cavalier king charles spaniel

all my parents were fore warned about my pets (I also have 2 cats) I have a very indeapth pet policy, and risk assesments for them.

Funny enough none of my parents have pets (in my 5 years and 3 houses bloody RAF!!) and they love the fact that their children can form a bond with the pets.

If I ever ever thought the children where at risk my pets would go. I do think though that pets take up a LOT of time and training, and I would be a bit funny myself if a childminder got a new puppy, knowing what hard work it is (does that make sense?)

BabyBaby123 · 13/03/2009 19:53

i think it's her business what she does in her own home - if she wants a dog, that's up to her but she should give you adequate notice so that you can make alternative arrangements if it bothers you so much

SimpleAsABC · 13/03/2009 20:13

I understand Berryred's point re training but think if adequate provision was made, i.e. the dog was going to be outside during the day, or in another room / part of the house with newspaper, then this wouldn't be an issue.

It might be presumptious but your CM is a business woman who will hopefully be doing all that she can to keep you, the client happy, surely she'll have thought about and planned for all of these things?

JenniPenni · 14/03/2009 10:57

This is one of the risks of working from home.... deciding whether to put your family's or (some of) your client's needs first in a case like this...

I would opt for family myself. They have higher priority to my job. Don't get me wrong I absolutely LOVE my job - but if I had a child who wanted a dog... it wouldn't be fair not to give her/him one. Family come first, and parents need to understand this. If they don't like it, they'd have to look for alternate childcare.

I'd give the parents plenty of notice about the dog, carry out a thorough risk assessment, let them know where the dog would be, what contact it would have/wouldn't have with the kids etc. and let the parents then make an informed decision based on that.

I might lose a mindee short-term, but long-term my child would be happy.

ps: Anything the childminder does (eg/ cages) should be paid by her and NOT the parents. She can put a portion of the expense down as a business expense if she feels it's there for the mindees and her own kids.

mistressmel · 14/03/2009 17:34

Have you thought about the long term benefits to your child's immune system which come from being in regular contact with domestic pets? It may be a win-win situation as you do not have to own one (you obviously don't have a cat, due to your allergy) but your child gets the benefits from the constant challenges to their immune system - and hence is less like to develop allergies themselves. As for dog hair, I don't think spaniels are a breed that sheds much hair (I think they need professional grooming to strip out the hair) But I don't know for sure. My CM has a cat and a dog. I used to see the cat occassionally but the dog is outside at all times. We have two dogs at home and just lost a cat - I will be replacing it so that DS can be exposed to as many allergens as possible - so that he is less likely to develop allergies.

PS I have a PhD in microbiology and Immunology and used to work at Great Ormond St on Peanut Allergy, so I am speaking with some knowledge of the science....

thebody · 15/03/2009 19:07

I think she has a cheek asking you to pay for her animals. I dont have a dog and wouldnt get one as a cm because I didnt have one when I registered. I have a cat but he was here before the mindees.
peril of home working isa the house is not totally your own and thats that imho.

Josiepie · 18/03/2009 16:22

I have to say that the paying for the guinea pig thing is outrageous, but on to the dog issue.

When I was looking for a CM I had ruled out anyone who said they had a dog. I was really struggling to find a place and when I contacted current CM she had only just registered and her details were not on the council website so I was unaware of the dog until we knocked on her door for the interview and it went nuts.

In my head I said "no way" but went through with it to be polite. As it turns out, she was so wonderful I couldn't imagine anyone else looking after my child. She has 3 children of her own so the dog is perfectly happy with little people running around and it has actually helped my daughter be more comfortable around dogs - she used to be terrified.

SimpleAsABC · 19/03/2009 17:33

No update?

Original poster

hellywobs · 16/04/2009 13:41

Just coming back now, sorry for the delay. She is going ahead with getting the dog - basically she has to let her daughter have one (she didn't say that but that's the reason) because she loses out so much already because her parents are childminders. She said she would make sure the childminding areas were kept clean and hair-free and the dog would only be allowed in certain areas of the house. Actually it sounded like the poor dog would be quite miserable at times - kept well away from everyone else - she even said she'd get someone else to walk it as it was too dangerous to take it on the school run (walk)! But she's going ahead and I will see how it goes.

OP posts:

clumsymum · 16/04/2009 13:54

As a Cavvy fan (we have 2) I think it's an excellent choice for her to make, given that she and her family have every right to have a dog. They are brilliant dogs to have with children, gentle, loving, fun, small enough not to be scary, just a fab kids dog.

And, FGS, if your child spends time in a house which includes a dog in it's family, he isn't going to "stink of dog ".

Seeing as you say your ds loves dogs, I think it would be mean of you to change childminders too.

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