So, I have a daycare, and I've been going back and forth on the idea to get a dog. Not, of course for the daycare, but rather for my own kids. I also feel that dogs can be a source of calming, possibly a little more than cats, but that could be more of the wanting a dog side of me than the reasoning side.

I'm wondering what other provider's thoughts are out there on the dog concept. I'm thinking of a Bernese Mountain Dog, because they seem to be exceptionally good with kids and have low endurance; meaning they won't need a ton of running or exercise to be happy.

The way I have my daycare is the kitchen is blocked off with rather high baby gates and the stairs to the basement are in the kitchen itself. During the day, to minimize any chance of liability, I would probably have the dog either free-roaming in the basement and kitchen and/or crated with occasional interaction with the kids that is monitored on camera (as I'm one of those weird providers that has cameras throughout the house that records...par for my 10 years in the legal field prior to becoming a provider).

So...thoughts, suggestions, experiences. Is this thought something that should remain a thought or something that can be done? What has been your experience for those providers who have dogs...positives, negatives...?

Thank you for all your suggested feedback and input.

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I'm license exempt in my state since I keep less than 5 children. Licensing here (the environmental/ health agency part of it) said no pets in the space, so I will stay license exempt and charge more for a smaller ratio instead ☺️ I've been in this for 5 years and have had dogs since the beginning. I also have 2 school-aged children (we homeschool) who can handle potty trips and keeping the dogs in other areas of the house when necessary. We also have an awesome setup where the family areas/ potty doors are accessible without having to go through the daycare room.

We have a sweet 6 year old American Bulldog (like a boxer) and a tiny 3 lb chihuahua who is a year. We've had her since October. The chi is allowed limited access (for her safety). The AB wanders in and naps on the rug as the situation in the room allows but is never left unsupervised (because she is still an animal after all). I keep them out during dropoff/ pickup time to avoid extra chaos... Lol... I love when we're outside because it's my 4 daycare kiddos, my 2 children and the dogs just playing happily and running. 1 of my 2 is in charge of watching the chi (since she's so little) and the other helps me with supervision.

So, it would be tough to balance if you don't have help or a really good setup. Especially if you're getting a puppy. But I've had very good responses from families about there being family dogs present. My main picture when advertising is of me and the big girl, so they know not to even message if they're anti-dog and I have no problem letting someone know that the dogs are a package deal.

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My daycare kids always loved my brown lab. He was the friendliest dog and put up with a lot of loving!! If you are thinking of a Bernese just be aware that they love to lean on people and could potentially knock over small children. They are very lovable but my kids were taken out many times by the loving Bernese next door. LOL

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I have a small 7lb poodle and he is an awesome dog with kids. Poodles are also super smart, easy to train and are more hypoallergenic because they don't shed. The kids absolutely adore him!!

I personally would not want a big dog in my daycare, especially one with so much hair.

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I have 2 mixed breed dogs, 1 is 52# and the other is 65#. Both sweet girls and lovable. They do get playful and 'in your face'. The kids love them and are very good with them. Just check your licensing regs. and insurance. Some insurance companies don't allow any dogs within the dc space. I'm not sure what I'd do if that was an issue with me. My pups are my family. And the only times I put them in the bedroom are during meals and drop-offs/pick-ups.

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I have 2 big dogs. 85 and 110 lbs. Everything was good until about a year ago my 110 lb dog cornered a parent he didn't recognize. He wouldn't let her near her daughter because he had never seen her before. He was protecting her daughter, thinking a stranger was getting her. But the dcm didn't really understand that. And I can see it from her point of view.

To protect my business, my dogs are not indoors during business hours (don't feel bad for them, they love every minute of it). You can't even see them from my home. They have a glorious outdoor, huge pen in our pole barn with outside access. They can't wait to go to it.

So just a warning to be very, very mindful of what breed you buy. I had my bigger dog before I started daycare.

Two parents left because of the incident. One left because it was her last week for the summer, and she just didn't return in the Fall (good riddance, I had a deal with only her that she paid for only the days she attended - guess who was never here?) The second child, a super part timer (8 hours a week), made such a fuss, telling me how angry her dh would be, and she wasn't sure what he would do (it sounded very threatening), I asked her not to come back. She was quite ticked. I took responsibility in both cases and told all parents no more dogs during daycare hours.

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