Therapy dog at nursery

[KDR2503]

Just need some advice:

my sons nursery have sent an email saying they want to introduce a therapy dog which is the owner of the nurseries dog, they have said they tried to do it back in 2024 (my son wasn’t there then) but there previous insurers wouldn’t cover so they sought after another provider who has now given her the licence for the dog

I haven’t responded yes or no yet as the choice is optional which is great but also not so great if my child is isolated away from his friends group, she wrote in an email about how if the child is not participating it could isolate them from there friend group (I think the wording wasn’t great)

im just concerned that the dog will be split across 3 nurseries, I’m not even sure what training the dog has had nor has that information been provided

would you be ok with this? I’m just concerned that the first insurers said no and now they have sought after an insurer that will say yes

I don’t want to be negative but I pay a lot of money for my child to attend this nursery and on the policy it mentions about better development for the children but I would think the nursery should provide that and not need a “therapy” dog to do it?

any advice on how I can speak about this would be great as I haven’t reached out to the nursery but I think I should as I don’t know what to do and the nursery hasn’t provided enough information

Well ask for more information. I would want to meet the dog myself.

If I were the nursery owner I would arrange a 45 minute meeting one evening where parents could come and ask questions and meet the dog.

What actually are your concerns? Lots of nurseries and care homes use therapy dogs and they are great. Typically to be allowed in these settings for insurance purposes the dogs have to have been assessed and have certification from a registered organisation and they do training and assessment before sign off.

If you’re not comfortable with it then you can say no.

I'd be concerned this was just a 'dog' and not a 'therapy dog' at all and that the dog was coming so the owner doesn't have to pay for dog walkers in the day rather than because it has been specially trained to be with a bunch of tiny children.

Exactly what therapy is this dog giving? It sounds a great way of saving on dog care or dog walking fees.

This absolutely. I would want to know the breed of the dog and in what respect is it a therapy dog and why is a therapy dog needed in a mainstream nursery?

Not totally against a dog being there but would want to know whether this was just the manager solving her dog care needs and would also depend on breed

I would want to know if it was a properly assessed therapy dog or if she just wants to bring her dog to work?
My friend has a therapy dog and he goes in to schools and 'listens' to the children read. What role is this dog going to have?

Sounds like the owner just wants to bring her dog to work tbh. Is it actually a therapy dog?

That’s not a therapy dog, that’s a pet that someone wants to bring to work to make life easier for them. I’ve seen a nursery where the manager’s two large and over excitable boxer dogs are free range, a terrible mix with small, wobbly and unpredictable children.

I'd want to ask some more questions, what kind of dog is it, what training has it had, what organisation trained/certified it, what are it's tasks going to be?

I also agree that it sounds like the owner is wanting free dog care by taking her dog to work. Therapy dogs are properly trained and certified. Usually hired from a professional. Not the owner of the nursery deciding to call her dog a 'therapy' dog so she can bring it in.

She will end up giving her nursery a bad reputation. I wouldnt be impressed if my child attended.

It would also worry me that she has struggled to get insurance for this dog.

Completely this - therapy dogs are trained and insured themselves and the trainer/owner comes as a package

it sounds like the owner has got a dog and wants to bring it to work

Have you posted this before? I remember this exact thread a few months ago

I would say no to it and if they went ahead I’d withdraw my child. Add on the attempt at emotional blackmail or whatever that threat of isolating any child who isn’t keen on this I’d think they were awful and very unprofessional.

No. My grandson is allergic to dogs and so it would be a no from me.

How ridiculous. No I would not be happy with this, dogs and toddlers are not a fantastic mix, echo what other posters have said about it being an excellent way to avoid dog walking costs.

I know a school where the ‘school dog’ happens coincidentally to belong to the Headteacher and ALL the children love it and ALL the staff find it so beneficial. Yeah right. They have no choice.

Therapy dogs should be used in very specific circumstances and not just some free range pet that a CF is abusing their power dynamic to take to work with them. It’s completely unreasonable to those with fears, allergies and frankly those who just want to get on navigating the world without having an animal in their face.

Dog allergies here so it wouldn’t work at all for DC.

If it were possible I’d need to ensure the dog was very well trained.

Totally irrelevant but my mil's care home had a Romanian rescue dog. I think it was taken on by the manager and lived at the home. It was a dalmatian and was a lovely dog and very friendly but died of obesity and diabetes due to being over fed by the residents