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Original poster

Childminder is getting an American bulldog - should I be worried?

122 replies

glitterndirt · 18/06/2021 18:45

Just that really. My dd is 3 & goes 2 days a week to her childminder who is a family friend of ours. She hasn't said anything to me personally but has announced on fb today they are getting an American bulldog puppy.

They have never owned a dog before so their inexperience & the breed has me worrying.

Should I be worried about this type of breed around my daughter? Are their any owners or people that know this breed well that can tell me their own experiences with them?

OP posts:
Iliketeaagain · 18/06/2021 21:04

I think the dog at a childminder is not necessarily a problem, the problem is the inexperience and the fact she's getting a puppy with no shared plan about how she is going to make sure both the children and the puppy are safe.

Dds childminder had a dog, he is an absolute softy but she always put a muzzle on him when she was looking after younger children - not because he was bitey or because he snapped, but because children are unpredictable and all it could take was one of them being a bit fast / trying to touch him when he wasn't expecting it and he could snap at them to tell them to stop. He never ever did but she always said she would never take the risk. It did both dds good and they learned how to behave around a dog, not to pester him, stroke him only when he was allowing it, to leave his food alone. More often than not he'd take himself off to his (open) crate and have a doze.

dottiedodah · 18/06/2021 21:22

I think this is a crazy idea! I would be surprised if this is in any way legal TBH.A puppy of this breed would be very dangerous .Even Labs ,Spaniels and so on can get tetchy ,she would have her work cut out just to train him ,without looking after children as well! BTW I have a beautiful dog of my own before anyone accuses me of being a dog hater!

randomdisneyaddict · 18/06/2021 21:24

It would be a no from me and I'm a large breed dog owner and lover (German Shepherds).

Again it's not the breed it's the fact that it's an inexperienced owner. Puppies are hard work and any large breed needs to be carefully trained., I would never mix a large breed puppy and being a childminder at the same time it's a recipe for disaster for the children and the puppy. Puppies are by nature bouncy and playful and an American Bulldog puppy will be big and strong very quickly and could easily knock over a hurt a young child accidentally. Also while teething all dogs no matter how large or small mouth and their puppy teeth are razor sharp again not a good combination with young children.

geojellyfish · 18/06/2021 21:25

No, no, no, no, no.

Have you looked at the list of fatal dog attacks over the past ten years? American Bulldogs feature repeatedly and I expect are over represented in relation to the number in ownership across the UK.

That's not to say they are a bad breed, but clearly they present greater risk of significant injury than many others. Their size and strength make them very difficult for even adults to physically fend off so a small child has no chance.

A pp posted about them being good with children, but the alarming word in that excerpt was 'protective'. That is not a quality I would want from a powerful dog in close quarters with my child.

A protective dog can be triggered by many things, loud or sudden noises, removal or interference with food or toys or even misunderstanding a playful situation where they believe their owner(s) are being attacked.

Truenorthmum · 18/06/2021 21:28

The fact that they haven't mentioned it to you is really worrying to me.

The rules might have changed but when I worked in early years 10+ years ago you had to inform Ofsted and have risk assessments in place, you should be consulted about this and made aware of the RA's and given chance to read through and comment on them at the very least.

Personally I'd agree with many others, find a new cm or nursery provision. How are they planning on training and caring for a puppy, meeting it's very demanding needs and providing the standard of care they need to for their work? Those two things are not possible unless someone else in the family will be having the puppy whilst she's working. Even if that were the case not telling you about this rings massive alarm bells to me.

NameyNameyNameChangey · 18/06/2021 21:30

The breed is irrelevant to me; they are inexperienced dog owners, and look after other peoples children. They haven't even had the courtesy to inform their clients of this additional risk? What if one of the children was terrified of dogs or allergic to them?

I wouldn't trust them with my children that basis alone.

Bloomsbury45 · 18/06/2021 21:30

www.pets4homes.co.uk/dog-breeds/american-bulldog/#

American bulldogs are usually good around children, but they are not recommended for inexperienced owners.

Wegobshite · 18/06/2021 21:34

I have a french bulldog he’s tiny compared to an American bulldog
I wouldn’t trust mine with a stuffed toy let alone a small child 😂
He is actually very vicious knobhead
Luckily it’s just me and DH that he lives with - anyone else would have put him down by now he’s that awful

N4ish · 18/06/2021 21:36

No, not a chance in hell. Just not worth the risk, too many tragic stories of small children being mauled by dogs.

Keepitcleanplease · 18/06/2021 21:36

I have always had a dog. I would not use a childminder with a young bulldog. You can't get a puppy if you are a childminder. Puppies nip and jump. You would have to keep the children and the dogs separated. You can't leave a puppy alone. If you are being paid to be a childminder you can't leave kids to amuse themselves so you can give a puppy plenty of attention so you can't keep them separated. She'll have to look after them both at the same time. I don't think it is very professional to have a puppy nipping the children you are paid to look after and jumping on them. Unless they can train him /her over night I would withdraw my child.

FakeColinCaterpillar · 18/06/2021 21:53

I don’t see how the dog, a puppy I assume will get the attention it needs whilst she is CM. Because it should be locked away from the children.
Stupid idea.
I’d leave and tell her why.

DiscustinHunAmFummin · 18/06/2021 21:58

Is your family friend a registered childminder?

5zeds · 18/06/2021 22:05

Hard “no way” from me and I’ve had dogs all my life. Puppies and toddlers don’t mix.

BakedBeansBang · 18/06/2021 22:09

I'm a vet, and in this situation, I'd be looking for alternative child care.

N0RKS · 18/06/2021 22:09

Eeek! No way.
I am an experienced owner of MANY dogs and wouldn’t dream of mixing dogs with small children

SirenSays · 18/06/2021 22:13

We rescued one, a lovely two year old girl who had been badly abused. She was the loveliest dog who just wanted a warm place to snuggle up most days. Sadly she got cancer and had to be pts.
My partners boss also has one, and a mastiff. They come with him to work everyday
It's quite a sight to see them both sticking their heads out of his van.

Has she told you her plans? Does she plan on having the dog around children? I wouldn't get upset about it before you discuss it with her.

SingToTheSky · 18/06/2021 22:13

The fact she hasn't even told you is concerning and suggests she is not very responsible.

This

NameyNameyNameChangey · 18/06/2021 22:27

@SirenSays

We rescued one, a lovely two year old girl who had been badly abused. She was the loveliest dog who just wanted a warm place to snuggle up most days. Sadly she got cancer and had to be pts. My partners boss also has one, and a mastiff. They come with him to work everyday It's quite a sight to see them both sticking their heads out of his van.

Has she told you her plans? Does she plan on having the dog around children? I wouldn't get upset about it before you discuss it with her.

I disagree. OP has every right to be upset, since the childminder didn't inform her that she's getting a dog and she found out on social media.

To me, as I said upthread, the breed isn't even really a consideration. It's the fact that the childminder is going to be introducing a puppy to an environment that means she will either have to neglect training it properly or neglect looking after the children in her care to train it. Neither is desirable and getting the puppy shows a lack of responsibility.

MachiaNelly · 18/06/2021 22:37

I wouldn't have left my child in any house that contained an unknown dog. I don't trust any dog and I have good reason.

SirenSays · 18/06/2021 22:37

Sure, it absolutely could mean that, but for all we know the dog could be out of the house whilst children are there. That's why I recommended talking to her before getting worked up.

Heyha · 18/06/2021 22:42

Nope. If you were choosing a childminder and knew they already had an older, child-savvy family dog that had somewhere of its own to chill out when the children were there, fine, I wouldn't have an issue with that if it were me choosing for DD. Puppy? No. Inexperienced owner? No. Bull breed? No. All three? No, no, no.

QuimKardashian · 18/06/2021 22:44

Great dogs for kids. They are called Nanny dogs as they love children

PrincessTuna · 18/06/2021 22:45

I'd also find another childminder. Just not worth the worry and risk.

Baycitystroller · 18/06/2021 22:46

A small child, a new dig and an inexperienced dog owner…..nope.

Mollymalone123 · 18/06/2021 22:51

@QuimKardashian I think Staffies are known as the Nanny dogs

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