Hello , I am new to this site. I am a Family Childcare Provider . I've been in the field of Childcare for 10 years and counting . I am in the process of getting Registered to be a licensed Family Childcare Provider. I have a question . How do you guys as a parent feel about pet dogs in the environment? I have a very friendly and loving dog . I will have parent and child meet my dog upon interviews but I will keep dog in his room during business hours .... Not that I have to it"s just for the Comfort of some parents who would have an issue with it.

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I have a dog and he's very friendly and great with kids, but I will NEVER allow him to be out while daycare kids are here.

1) It's for his protection just as much as for the protection of the dck's
2) ^ it can take one wrong pull of the tail or ear to make a dog snap regardless of how sweet they usually are
3) I just don't want that liability ever, ever, ever

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Welcome to the forum! Glad you found us!

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Yup.

I would never enroll my child somewhere that had a dog. We do NOT have a dog, but if we did, this is how I would handle it.

I have cats, and even they are kept separated. My dcks are WAY too (unintentionally) rough, pulling them by the collar, squeezing them, etc. Too much risk for both kids and furkids. Kitty door is locked.

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I have a dog but she is super hyper so she stays in her crate when we go outside. She tends to jump on the kids . I let parents know I have a dog but that she is put away so that she doesn't accidentally knock down a kid.


I also have a cat. I let them meet her and they get to see how much she loves kids. I tell them the reason I adopted her was because she was great around kids. I actually took a two year old with me to pick her and let him pull on her tail and pet her a little rough and she didn't have a problem with it. she loves to hang out in the playroom and just be around them. They can pick her up and she wont mind.

I think having a pet around helps the kids. I think it teaches them to use gentle hands, respect animal s personal space and so much more.

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I'm a dcp, have had a dog(or 2) since 12 years ago. Most of my dcfs have dogs themselves. I've sent home parent evaluations for them to fill out a few times now and one of my long term families LOVES that I have pets. The others never mention it but they've never said anything that would make me believe otherwise.
Yes, I realize it's a liability. I'd never choose an animal that's got a questionable reputation. Yet I know things can happen. But then a child can fall off the LT climbing equipment and break a leg, suffer a head injury, can run crashing into the woodwork or fall on the cement sidewalk. I am extremely careful, supervise very well, provide protection in whatever shape, way or form that I can.
Probably taking my chances but I love my dogs, the kids love my dogs, the dogs love them. I wouldn't have a pet if I had to keep them locked away all day from all the fun, playtime, love and hugs from all of us.
JMO

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more threads about dogs

https://www.daycare.com/forum/tags.php?tag=dogs

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yes same thing here my dog is very loving and sweet he even runs from plastic bags lol..so yes I would also want to protect him from children and the children from him in case they try to pull , grab or rough house him I've never seen my dog snap at a soul and wouldn't want to either ..my children I'm caring for need all of my attention. Thank you so much

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I probably should mention all of my dcf have cats at home. And since the dog is outside or in her box when the kids are out there they don't realky have a problem.

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I have an 85 lb lab and all my parents (and kids) love him. I always tell people that I have a dog during the phone interview. I even have one family who enrolled because I have a dog! My dog is around the kids some of the time, but never unsupervised. I did have a call once where the mom said her child was afraid of dogs, but she said that the child would get used to mine, but I just told them that I probably wouldn't be a good fit. If potential clients don't like the fact that I have a dog, they are not a good fit. But honestly, noone except for the mentioned mom has ever said anything. Plus all but one of my families have pets.

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I have 2 dogs , all parents are told that I have dogs ( and other misc pets ) and that they are in the house with me at all times , I do not put them in crates or lock them in other rooms with the exception of pick up time . The kids do not play with or pet the dogs but they are walking around , sleeping on the couch or soaking up the sun on the deck . The parents have to sign off that they know I have dogs/pets per our state regs.

I had 1 d b who was non verbal at 3 yrs old , it was him talking and telling stories to one of my dogs from across the room which brought him out of his shell.

I realize some parents may be wary of my dogs as they can be intimidating looking , but they are members of my family first and this is their home . If a parent is wary then they are able to look for alternate care . I respect and understand their decisions.

My dogs have been born in my home ( I show and train for obed and conformation ) and have been raised in a loud child care enviorment , I have even raised litters while being a child care. Not 1 parent has ever had a problem with me having a dog (s).

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I also want to add that I teach all my dck regardless of age proper behavior around all animals . I see the worst behavior from the famalies who actually have pets , the kids tell me all the time how they hit , pull ears , sit on , etc...their family pets .

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I personally do not have any pets and I would probably not enroll in a daycare that had either dogs or cats. Cats only because my husband is allergic, but dogs, because I do not trust them. My daughter was bitten by a lab when she was 2. She was not doing anything to the dog other than trying to pet it. Granted, the dog was not used to being around children and I don't really blame the dog. However, I have also seen dogs who are normally gentle, loving dogs snap at kids. My mom's dog has snapped at my ds who is almost 3, the last 2 times we visited and neither time he did anything to provoke it. The one time he was just walking by the couch where she was laying. So, in my experience, too much can go wrong with a dog and I do not trust any of them. It would be a dealbreaker for me, but mostly because of the extra stress I would feel from the situation. But, you will find many other people who would not have a problem with it.

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I have two dogs.

The large one was temperment tested for daycare certification. He passed. The smaller one has not been tested. The DCPs love her.

One of my parents were weary about my dogs as the large one barked nonstop during the interview. After the interview, she called asking if my dogs bark all day. I told her, “Nope. You were here during their time to roam free. He was barking because 10 plus hours in a crate is a lot. He only had 30 minutes outside of the crate before your arrival.” She said she was concerned. I told her I understand. The childcare area is gated plus the larger of the two dogs is crated during business hours.

When potential daycare parents call one of my 1st statements is, “I have two dogs.” I had an interview today during business hours and the parent asked, “Is your dog a girl?……. Are you going to breed her? I want a puppy.”

Lady I take care of kids all day! You think I have time to take care of puppies?!"

My dogs haven’t been an issue for me as far as enrollment. If this DCM goes with me, I’ll be full.

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lol ... Awesome Thanks for sharing .. You guys have really helped me out

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I don't have a dog but our licensing requires that we keep the dog separate from the children at all times during daycare hours.

Laurel

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Deal breaker for me too.

Laurel

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I have the sweetest dog in the world, but I would never let her out if I had a home daycare. She loves kids, but it makes me nervous because when she walks up to my 3 year old niece they are face to face. I worry if she got excited or scared and bit she could have her whole face in her mouth. I honestly can't see the dog doing it but it is always a possibility, imho. Maybe I don't trust dogs enough but that's how I feel.

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It totally depends on the dog. My former boss (family child care provider) had a black lab and she was very good with the daycare children (up to about 14 kids at a time; the kids were mostly gentle with her but even when the little ones tried to pull her tail she didn't flinch much). This could be because she grew up in the child care home (her mom was the owner's daughter's dog, who also was brought up in the daycare), she is very well trained, and she was the runt of the litter (some people say runts have better personalities). She was allowed to walk freely around the daycare home but mostly stayed close to my boss.

We actually used to joke that it was a good thing that the owner worked from home because she was so dependent on her human momma. She would whimper when her human momma was gone for too long (I used to dog-sit her occasionally). She was very well trained that sometimes my boss would take her on errands (the bank and beauty salon always had treats for her).

I think in some ways, having a dog can be an asset. Especially if they are well trained (especially if you have children who have learning disabilities or certain special needs). Some people might not like the fact that you have a dog (allergies or other personal reasons), but some people might not have pets at home (either because they don't wont to pick up after them or aren't allowed to have pets) but still want their children to learn how to treat animals.

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same here. Two dogs and I lost count of cats... Snakes... Birds... Pet rat... Pet mice... Fish....

HOWEVER... None of my daycare kids are allowed to touch or pet ANYTHING without permission.

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