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

[glitterndirt]

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?

I wouldn't send my child to any CM that had a dog, I would not have a dog near my young kids, they would need to ensure dog was outside in kennels when my child was there , breed wouldn't matter.

I don't think young child and dog are a hood mix.

[quote Mollymalone123]@QuimKardashian I think Staffies are known as the Nanny dogs[/quote]
Yes they are and they are totally unrelated to the American bulldog well unless you go back 200 years.

The staffy is the Nanny dog.

Jesus no....get a new cm!

F no. I don’t even have children

I have owned bull breeds all my life and i most definitely would not send my child to be cared for by someone who was inexperienced and owned one! They are not more likely to harm the child than any other breed of dog but they are big strong animals who can be an absolute nightmare if not raised and socialised correctly.

@Hsurbbrb

I have 2 American bulldogs. I wouldn’t send my dc to a childminder who had one of these but had no experience with dogs.

Sensible advice

I’m still friends with our old childminder, she won’t even get a cat now because of the children.

Previous dog owner

Would not be happy with this at all

Your job is to protect your child. I personally would not feel happy letting my child take this risk for my convenience, unless the dog is kept separate at all times and looked after by someone else whose in the house full time. Even then actually I’m not sure I’d trust the set up.
Would you be able to get some thing else? Or if you don’t go there would you (or your partner) have to give up work? (If she is looking after pup and DC, I wouldn’t send DC even if there’s nowhere else. This is dangerous).

Im really surprised that a childminder would chose this dog as a pet. My guess is she will have a mass exodus of her charges. I personally would be finding another childminder. I actually thought this breed was illegal.

I have the most placid, loving, retired golden retriever Guide Dog who is so obedient thanks to his training and so loving. He is besotted with me and I him, he's scared of cats and post men and just loves his tummy rubbed all the time. I can't convey enough how placid and lovely and well trained he is due to his guide dogs roots. However, one day, unbeknown to me, he had stood on some broken glass whilst we were out, I noticed he wasn't walking quite right so I went to check. He bit me, he actually bit me because he was in so much pain and frightened. It was that day that I realised you can never, ever 100% trust a dog of any breed, especially with children who can suddenly startle dogs. On this reason alone, I'd find another childminder. Dogs are so unpredictable, even the most loving and obedient and child-friendly breeds.

@IJustLikeBiscuitsOK....... what you said!

I totally understand the concern around this, but just to play devils advocate a bit. The shield minder has posted on social media that she has a dog. Why would the dog then become part of her childminding job? Does she have a family member at home who will be looking after the pup? Or is she saying that whilst working, with all the children the puppy will always be there? Am just thinking that there is a separation of her life from her work. Like now a lot of folk wfh, but have spaces dedicated to it. Will the dig be in the work space? Total caveat, if it was me, would be asking loads if questions, particularly because I am severely allergic to dogs, so even hair on clothing is an issue. I guess I am trying to say give the person a chance to explain, the dog may not even be in the same building as the mindees

@Gothichouse40

Im really surprised that a childminder would chose this dog as a pet. My guess is she will have a mass exodus of her charges. I personally would be finding another childminder. I actually thought this breed was illegal.

Not all bulldogs are pit bulls.

The banned breeds in Britain are Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro.

Now, there are distinct drawbacks to banning by breed (and I don't want to derail by diving off into that), but it is currently a part of the dog control laws.

There are lots of other bulldog breeds, such as English, French, Staffordshire, American, miniatures, Dogue de Bordeaux and more.

American bulldogs usually have very sweet natures, but they are massive and very strong. For that reason they are not usually recommended for inexperienced owners, as you need the early socialisation and training to be very good.

You can train any dog to be vicious, and any dog can be erratic if not well trained when young (it can take months even years of careful re-training to get over a bad start or abuse)

So questions about how the puppy will be cared for - who in the house is going to be doing the frequent loo breaks a young puppy needs, who is training and socialising the dog, do they know what they are doing and/or are they paying for additional help - all matter because the answers may help you decide what the chances are of this puppy becoming an unproblematic adult dog.

And of course you need to know how the dog will be kept away from the mindees

If they think they can just shut a puppy away for the duration of the working day, I would seek a new minder asap.

I'm on the fence with this.

Assuming she is an experienced childminder, she would have the sense to not let the puppy and children mix together?

I know these dogs have a bad rep, and sometimes quite rightly so. But we need to remember that even the Andrex puppy has the ability to bite.

Have you made any decisions yet?

Ops not back then

I wouldn't stay with CM

No CM should have any dog in a house with young children , she is running a service, dogs and young kids are not a good mix. You cannot trust any dog with a child 100%. Totally unprofessional to think it's acceptable to offer child care services and have a dog running around them.

The fact that she didn't bother to discuss it with you would be a massive concern to me.
An inexperienced owner + large dog + small children = nightmare.
The puppy will definitely detract from the care and attention she can give her charges, unless she is superwoman?

I really don’t think the OP is coming back now...

I love love love the appearance of American bullies (the slightly shorter but stockier cousins of the American Bulldog). They are like little walking wardrobes- they are HUGE and although the ones I have met have been super friendly, one nearly knocked over my very tall 11-year-old daughter because he jumped up to greet her. They are SO heavy and strong (and I think the American bulldog is even heavier) so ai would never have one around toddlers

My Stafford was the gentlest placid and affectionate girl. I know she loved me utterly. One day she was in pain and during her examination she bit me hard enough to draw blood. I was stunned, she seemed mortified. So unfortunately no dog is 100% safe and an American Bully is a big dog. I’d find another childminder.