School Dog - Advantages and Disadvantages?

[Diegomolly1]

Hi, does anyone have any pros and cons for a school dog please? Parents were not consulted and the children were informed first. Disappointed the communication from the Head was so late as it had been in the pipeline for a while. My other worry is that if the dog is not deemed suitable to attend in school there will be a lot of very disappointed children. But apart from this any experiences in other schools greatly appreciated. Many Thanks

Governors would to approve it I am guessing.

Are you in South Manchester?

My DD came home last week announcing they now had a school dog

So school have made a decision about something happening in school time and a parent is annoyed they weren't given advance notice and a plan of how a decision is going to run operationally?

It's a none issue. If someone wants more information then they can call up school for a chat. Problem solved and no need for arsey attitudes.

Wow some arsey people on here. We have lost the art of communication and common decency including on here. It is not how i would run an organisation. Fully informed ( not actively consulted) parents means happy parents. I obviously live on a different planet to you guys and have been brought up differently. I won't be replying again.

I obviously live on a different planet to you guys
Nope. People have just said this isn't the sort of issue that parents would be consulted on. (Only later did you change to it being information vs being consulted)
and have been brought up differently.
Please lose the superiority complex. There are a range of people on here with lots of experiences and views.
I won't be replying again.
And there's the flounce having had a lot of posters point out someone was being unreasonable.

’I said not consulted but I would like to be informed’

You literally said consulted. In your OP, then 3 more times.

Wow some arsey people on here.

The arseyist being you op, sorry but sometimes the tone of the replies is set by the tone the OP takes especially in this case actually.

You asked for pros and cons, it wasn't until i asked if yoy were actally reading tje replies did you change from wanting ti be consulted, you had an answer you wanted in your head which you didnt get the answers you were getting weren't go enough for you yoy clearly just wanted cons.

Maybe the replies seem negative and arsey but thats because their replying to negative and arsey statements and replys from YOU

This would destroy me. I have severe severe animal allergies. Severe enough to be hospitalised.

Hypoallergenic dogs don’t exist. It’s the saliva and dander that cause the problem. Putting them in another room doesn’t work, as the allergen molecule stick to the walls for up to 6 months.

I would be well and truly fucked if l worked there, and would not want my dc near a dog as the hairs would be carried home.

We have a school dog.
She is mine, I own her (and paid for her) but we chose her specifically for the job of a school therapy dog.

Before getting her I spent 6 months researching, visiting schools that already had one, looking up training, risk assessments and insurance. I presented to governors who approved it.
Then I sent an information booklet home which explained all of the practicalities, reassured parents of how highly trained/supervised/on a lead she would be. It also explained the research based impact it would hopefully have on the children.

We didn't get a single phone call or question. We did have lots of excited children.

She came straight into school at 8 weeks old for a couple of weeks before the summer holidays but had limited contact with children.

Now she is 18 months old and just starting to mature enough to integrate her more into school life.

I can't tell you how beneficial she has been to our community. We hope this continues to amaze us.

We have a couple of children who had a phobia of dogs. I'm sure they still do, but they have become desensitised to our gentle dog as they know she won't approach them, they know they don't have to go near her and if they decide to she won't jump up.
They ALL now stroke her.

My son's school has a school dog. She is lovely and lives with the head. Children love reading to her. I think exposure to a dog is good for all children, I had a phobia as a child and it was debilitating feeling that fear. I'm over it now but if I'd been taught about dog behaviour and how to interact with a dog I would have overcome it sooner.

The school I just left was incredibly dog friendly. Six staff would regularly bring their dogs with them. Two of mine came in two days a week each, and my young pup is starting to be trained up as well to be a class dog. When we were in the classroom, they are allowed to roam (but generally curl up in the reading corner waiting for someone to cuddle or read to them), and they have a crate behind my desk which the children know is off limits as it's resting time. They have been 'mascots' for various house teams and often get dressed up for various events, and it was a big privilege to get to 'walk' the dogs during various parades. I went for a walk at breaks to the big field next door to give them a run, or they'd come on yard duty with me. I have nothing but positive things to say about having my dogs in the classroom.

When I applied for a new job to start this year, one of my criteria upon accepting it was that the dogs can continue to come with me. New boss was very happy after getting a reference from my old boss.

It would never have occurred to me to put that my dc are allergic to dogs on their school forms as I would not have expected there to be a dog at school.

Glad it's not my dc's school. I am highly allergic to several breeds that are considered "hypoallergenic" and can't even be in a room that the dog was in earlier without wheezing and having an asthma attack. If my dc were at a school with such a dog, I would have to require that they had a change of clothes at school as they wouldn't be able to come home to my home after petting the dog, or sitting somewhere that the dog had been. All of which I think would be reason enough to at least give the parents a heads up so that they can find another school for their child.

PS. That's not to say that I think that emotional support dogs are a bad idea, just can't have them around me or my dc's.

I don't see an issue with a school dog. But I am against many of the small pets that schools sometimes keep. Most are kept in pretty poor and stressful conditions for them.

I think the allergy factor is a fairly significant one. Have they even checked which students have dog allergies?

No students at my old school, or my new school have any allergies to animals.

No students at my old school, or my new school have any allergies to animals.

I don't believe that.
it's probably not ticked on the medical forms as it's usually not relevant for school.

I'm not sure why people think animal allergies aren't relevant in school. It's common to have visits from police dogs and guide dogs and the Dogs Trust have a school programme. Schools take children on educational visits to farms and have visits from organisations such as Zoo lab. Whatever your views on school dogs please make sure school knows if your child has any allergies to anything!

No students at my old school, or my new school have any allergies to animals.

That's very unusual. Are they very small schools?

No, over 800 students at the last school. With up to six dogs on the grounds at any point, someone would have told us if they had a problem with the dogs.

Our school has one, she is hugely popular and a great success so far.

Not RTFT but at our school the main benefit is the HT doesn’t need doggy day care

Midnite wow that's very unusual. Do you have a plan in place if a child started who did have a severe allergy?

One in three have animal allergies. It becomes worse as you get older.

I grew up with a dog, but my allergies kicked in big time about 10 or 11

Haven't read the full thread but I had a school dog, it used to drink out of the loos 😂