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Animals in Your Daycare?
I am in the process of purchasing a home and starting a daycare. My question to you guys is do you have pets- dog's, cat's etc. in your daycare homes? Are you allowed? If so, has anyone had problems between pets & children? Thanx in advance.
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sigpic(H)ave (O)nly (P)ositive (E)xpectations --H O P E! -
I have a dog and two cats...all three okay with licensing and my daycare liability insurance. We got all three as shelter rescues when they were just babies, so they "grew-up" with the daycare kids around, and are used to all the little hands touching and grabbing. One of our cats spends the day hiding from the kids, while the other one follows us around from room-to-room...and our dog is amazing at alerting me if anyone comes close to our fence while we're outside playing:-)My daycare parents like the fact that I do have pets, so even the kids with no pets at home, get the experience of learning how to be around animals. I know that licensing varies from state-to-state and insurance regulations vary too...best check with those to be certain you're within their guidelines:-)
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Pammie -
I have my dog. He has his shots and is well behaved. If parents dont like it they can leave. He is family.Comment
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I love all pets, but I wouldn't have one in my house now. We just bought a brand new home!
There are many parents who ask if you have any pets, some will not allow their child to be brought into a daycare with animals!! I have had that same question many times at interviews, from parents who do not want their children around pets at all. I agree if a parent doesn't want their children around pets, then they will have to search for one without any pets.
I am actually kind of allergic to long cat and dog hair as well now, I never used to be at all!!Comment
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I have: a dog, a rabbit, a turtle, a tree frog, salamanders and toads. They are all used for educational purposes, except for the family dog!Comment
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Having pets in my state is legal to, they are suppose to be clean and up to date on shots. If they are not friendly then they are not allowed near the children which is a no brainer. I'm with the others, he is family and great with the kids, if someone has a problem with him then they don't need to sign my contract, but we've only had our dog for 2 1/2 years and no one has yet had a problem.Comment
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When I have people interview and ask, I reply we have 2 1/2 dogs and 1/2 cat. This of course gets a chuckle with a few raised eyebrows. I then explain:
We have 1 (outside only) dog who is a Collie. He's got very long hair, sheds a little, but is strictly an outside dog. If it's dangerously cold he'll spend the night in the garage, but so far this year that hasn't been necessary.
We have 1 (inside) dog who is a Mini-Schnauzer. She does NOT shed at all, and is great with the kids.
We have 1/2 (inside) dog who is also a Mini-Schnauzer. She is my husband's dog and is only home when he is. She spends the majority of the time in the co-driver seat of his semi-truck. She's his alarm system for the truck. Sounds funny, but trust me, if you saw that dog in action you wouldn't doubt me. When she's home she's great with the kids also. She's here 1-2 weeks a month, depending on the month.
We have 1/2 cat. Really she looks more like a raccoon than a cat. She has a name, but we typically call her "basement kitty". She has taken up residency in the basement. She HATES our two dogs. Our basement is off limits to daycare children (unless we're practicing for storm drills) due to lack of egress. They have heard her and seen her. Every once in a while I'll lock the one dog up and bring her upstairs. She sheds tons, so really I don't mind her staying downstairs. Less hair mess for me to clean up.
So since the kids rarely see her we consider that a half cat.
As for allergens, we have a friend who is severely allergic to cats, yet with her (the cat) staying downstairs he can come over and is not at all affected by her presence. The schnauzers have hair with hair follicles, not fur, so therefore they don't have pet dander. It's like people hair all over their body. Some other dogs are like this too, like poodles (and I'm not sure which other types).
As far as licensing goes I am required to keep my pets healthy and all of their shots up to date. This is done anyway, but they do check our records. I'm not sure if my county has any limit to the breed of dog, but I know our home-owner policy does.
Other pets - I'm not sure about reptiles, but birds would need to undergo certain testing to ensure they don't carry some disease. I don't think most fish area problem either, of course if I had a piranha tank that might raise some questions/concerns. I'm also not sure about small animals/rodents (hamsters, gerbils, etc).Give a little love to a child, and you get a great deal back.Comment
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We have 2 dogs and 2 guinea pigs. I have had some parents not choose me due to the dog issue but that is their loss. My dck love my animals and they become part of our extended family. Some have requested during the interview that they be kept locked up but I simply tell them not at all times. I use my judgement for safety and if the kids are running around and the dogs get excited yes, they get locked up. If we are doing circle time, eating, playing outside ect. the dogs are with us. Most except this answer but others choose to look elsewhere. The scary part is not the dogs with the children, it is the children and teaching them to respect the dogs!Comment
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I have 1 dog & 3 cats. I must show proof of vaccines & daycares in my area are not allowed to have exotic pets.Comment
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Animals?
I would share the same concern w/ pets if I were searching for a safe home care as well. This will be our first home and I have a 6 yr. old daughter who wants a puppy dearly but again, I want & need to consider the families needs as well.
Thanx for the feedback
sigpic(H)ave (O)nly (P)ositive (E)xpectations --H O P E!Comment
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Thanx! Very helpful
sigpic(H)ave (O)nly (P)ositive (E)xpectations --H O P E!Comment
I agree, our pets are our family! Thanx!
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