Dogs in Daycare

[Ariana]

I'm not sure if my 7lb poodle counts as a dog But yes he is around the kids all day and they love him dearly!! He is very good with kids and is so excited to see them everyday. I do have a small travel bag he can 'escape' to if the kids maul him too much and he sometimes goes upstairs in his crate when he wants to.

[Heidi]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE your dog! I always wanted a St. Bernard! Does he shed as much as "they" say? My husband thinks they're ok, but prefers German shepherds.

I don't have any pets (with the exception of random bugs we take in from Insectlore and "raise" every spring), but eventually will get a dog as I feel like I'm doing a disservice to my children somehow by not having any. I think our next pet will be a golden retriever (it is our compromise between a St. Bernard and a German shepherd).

We (ex husband and I) used to have a St. Bernard, and I would say it shed less than my sister's German Shepard. The drooling, however, is another thing. Every time they shake their head, the spit goes flyin', man!::

I grew up with German Shepards, and I'd probably have one, but DH says no big dogs. It was no dogs period, but he reluctantly agreed to a Shih Tzu 4 years ago, and now he loves the little guy. He does have access to the kids, but if they get too riled up, I seperate him, and I keep a very close eye on him.

[Blackcat31]

We (ex husband and I) used to have a St. Bernard, and I would say it shed less than my sister's German Shepard. The drooling, however, is another thing. Every time they shake their head, the spit goes flyin', man!::

what she said.

I don't notice him shedding at all but yes, he drools just like the Beethoven movies show...LOTS!! Not so much in the winter but non-stop in the summer time.

Oh and another member pointed out that there is a rifle leaning up against the wall in my photo...so I want to reiterate I do NOT do child care in my home so there are no pets or guns where I work.

[saved4always]

When I did care in my home, I did allow very limited contact with my dogs so I answered "sometimes". I mostly kept the dogs seperate, not because the kids needed to be protected from my dogs, but because my dogs needed to be protected from the kids. My dogs are very gentle and put up with anything, but I felt bad when the kids would sit on the dogs, lay on the dogs, pull thier tails, etc. I also did not like when the kids would wipe thier boogers on the dogs (kind of like they did on the furniture :. I watched all toddlers at the end and they were the most rough with my poor, old dogs and the group most likely to get ickies in their fur (not so nice when we would go to pet them later).

[saved4always]

Some dogs and kids just plain go together.

My son was sick and couldn't sleep. My dog got him to settle down. This pic is about 19 years old.

This is what my daughter would do with our German Shepherd/retriever mix. I have many pictures of her relaxing on her poochie. lovethis

[saved4always]

My Golden was always present when I watched children in my home. He would eagerly greet anyone that came to the door and then mosey off to do his own thing. He loved hanging out under the kitchen table.

I never had a child treat him badly so it was never an issue. He was already 8 when the children came to my home so well over the puppy rambunctiosness.

It was so long ago - not sure if I should participate in your poll.

I will say that if you have a dog, to never leave the children and dog unattended. We had a neighbor that left her beagle in the basement with a few kids. One who didn't have animals decided it would be a great idea to ride the dog and bounced on his back. He damaged the dog so badly they had to have him put to sleep. While the neighbor blames the child, I sort of blame her for leaving them unsupervised. The child was somewhere in the 4/5 age group.

That is so sad. We have a beagle and I never let the kids be alone with him, partly for just this reason (and because you just never know with a dog). He is a sweetie but his back could not take that kind of weight. Our german shepherd/retreiver is much stronger and can take a little more but I even limited it with him.

[Blackcat31]

Some dogs and kids just plain go together.

My son was sick and couldn't sleep. My dog got him to settle down. This pic is about 19 years old.

lovethis That is one of the most adorable pictures I have ever seen! lovethis

[spud912]

what she said.

I don't notice him shedding at all but yes, he drools just like the Beethoven movies show...LOTS!! Not so much in the winter but non-stop in the summer time.

Oh and another member pointed out that there is a rifle leaning up against the wall in my photo...so I want to reiterate I do NOT do child care in my home so there are no pets or guns where I work.

Haha I didn't even notice the rifle...my eyes were zeroed in on your cute "puppy" and cat. I love big dogs!

We used to have a German shepherd/Belgium malinois mix about 6 years ago for a period of 8 months or so, but had to give him away. My husband and I both worked ~12 hours a day away from our house and our poor dog was crated the entire time. We couldn't keep him outside because every time he barked (I mean just one bark in a 24 hour period), our neighbor would call the police. He was terrible about chewing on things and potty training, so we couldn't let him roam the house either. After a few months of very bad boredom problems related to him being crated, we decided it would be best for him to be in a better home. He ended up becoming a bomb sniffing dog, so I'm glad that he was much better off. He weighed in at 115 pounds at 13 months old, so he was definitely a big boy.

Oh, and yes, he did shed like crazy! I thought with his short hair, it wouldn't be as bad, but it was terrible!!! It's been 6 years and I still find some of his hair on things!

[AnneCordelia]

When I have questions about dogs I always think "what would Cesar Milan do?" and act accordingly. Pets are allowed limited and supervised access to daycare children here. And only with the children who know the rules of being around our pets.

[itlw8]

yES but most of the time she is out doors. Or in the winter I stick her upstairs. She is in the yard with us but mostly ignores the kids. I do not allow children to throw her ball as she gets too excited.

[texascare]

I have 4 dogs. 2 large and 2 small. They all are very friendly and love kids but for my own protection I keep them gated off from the kids. Every morning they lock through the gate but thats about it. The only time is when we go outside the smallest dog who is about 15 pounds goes outside with us. The others go in their own fenced in area in the back yard. I have them separate from the daycare ares.

[JaydensMommy]

I'm not sure if my 7lb poodle counts as a dog But yes he is around the kids all day and they love him dearly!! He is very good with kids and is so excited to see them everyday. I do have a small travel bag he can 'escape' to if the kids maul him too much and he sometimes goes upstairs in his crate when he wants to.

I love poodles, I grew up with one who is now 13 years old and she has been the sweetest dog. She is so good with kids. Somehow I ended up with a shih tzu not a breed I had ever considered, but he is a great dog. I got him from my sister in law because she didn't have the time for him. He is around all of the children and he is great with them. He has the laundry room to go to when he wants to get away.

[Childminder]

Our dog died of a neuropothy at age seven but was the best dog with children if she was being bothered she would just look at me with sad eyes and move. She was not very good with strangers though and was very protective of me and the children, getting between us and anyone she didn't know or wasn't scheduled to be there. More than once she got between a parent and child at pickup if they weren't the regularly scheduled person. I would have to settle her with a command to let the adult touch the child even if the parent had dropped off. One time she didn't let a dad pick up a child because he had a suit on and usually they were the best of friends and she always got lots of attention from him.

I never was comfortable with her or any dog around children though on the odd chance that something unfortunate might happen. You never know. As a child I was bit by two different dogs at two different friends homes that I had visited often and been friendly with the dogs for years.

Now I'm all sad cause I sure do miss our Abby and will not get another dog because no other dog could be as good. I can't take a chance of getting a dog that might be a problem with the children, my livelihood.

[jojosmommy]

I chose sometimes. My dog is present at dc most of the day. He is pretty lazy, sleeps on the couch or in his dog bed in the living room most of the day. The kids know they may not initiate contact with the dog. I choose who and how people interact with my dog. I would say that 1 day a month someone asks to pet the dog. They pretty much forget he is even here. I have never had a kid try to pet the dog without asking after they know the rule (day 2 usually).

He is crated when we leave for walks and I usually forget him in his kennel until the kids are napping. That way he gets a break and isnt around during lunch time.

[daycare]

I dont have a dog. Mostly becAUSE my insurance WILL not cover dog bites with the kids.

I also do not allow the kids to pet strangers dogs either....