Policy book blurb re:dogs

[Jenny]

Hello everyone,

I've come to you for pet advice!
I have a friendly, 3year old, golden retriever. She's awesome with kids (I have a 1 year old).
I've decided to start with her behind a gate in her own area until the daycare kids have been coming for a bit and at that point she won't even take notice of them and just do her own thing all day as per usual.

I was wondering if anyone has a dog in their dayhome and how I would:
1.) Approach/discuss it in an interview
2.) Talk about it in my policy/handbook
3.) Discuss with parents the eventual transition of her into the rest of the home.

I assume I would get kids that have no allergies, and are dog friendly.
Any advice from dog owners would be great!

[mlv]

I have a 9 year old mixed terrier/ sheep dog. I just told parents when they called or emailed for information. I like letting them know right away, for me it's no point to waste time setting up interviews if for some reason their child can't be around dogs.

[Jenny]

mlv I completely agree with letting them know ASAP. Did you include info. in your handbook about it, is your pup in the house with the kids, and did you find having a dog narrowed/made it difficult to find clients?

[mlv]

I didn't put anything in my hand book about my dog. To be honest I never even though about it. My dog is in the house with the kids and out side with us too. He loves the children and is great with them. For the most part he is just laying under the table. The children don't normally bother him, sometimes they will throw his ball for him.
I had no trouble filling my spots and I never had anyone not want to set up an interview because of my dog.

[Daisy123]

I have a golden retriever too and I swear that having her in my home actually helps get clients! I always let families know that I have pets right from first contact. As was said, why waste time? The dog is a part of my family and comes with the deal. The families I interview generally adore her and I let them interact with the dog so that I can get a feel for how the kids will react during care. Nervous parents, nervous kids etc. I feel that I can actually get a feel for people by watching how they interact with the dog sometimes! The dog is with the kids during the day but I do put her behind a baby gate during drop offs and pick ups. I explain to the parents that this is because the dog rushes the door to play with whoever is coming in and is usually in the way.

[Mike]

Interesting topic. I've been thinking about the topic of pets and will ask for opinions here, but in a separate thread. For you, I agree with the others. Be right up front about it. I wouldn't worry about putting it in the handbook, but do let prospective parents know right away that you have a dog. Most children love animals and most parents know that, so a pet can be a selling point.

Now I'll go post my question about pets.

[MonkeyPrincess]

I have 2 dogs, a 10 yr old female beagle (35 lbs) and a 9 yr old male jack russell terrier (18 lbs). They spend most of the time blocked off but i do let them the kids mix with them. The dckids love to feed and play with them, and most of my dckids have or have had dogs, so it makes no difference to those parents. The dogs were an issue with only one family because the child had allergies. They have always been around kids and are good with them.

I tell everyone in the interview process and it is in my handbook, i am upfront like that though. my dogs are current on all shots, and have been to puppy training and are fixed.

[AmandaKDT]

The families I interview generally adore her and I let them interact with the dog so that I can get a feel for how the kids will react during care. Nervous parents, nervous kids etc. I feel that I can actually get a feel for people by watching how they interact with the dog sometimes! )

Nothing at all wrong with what you wrote, just a thought from the perspective of someone married to an immigrant - sometimes cultural differences and people raised being mistrustful of dogs (and cats) has nothing to do with how they are to deal with otherwise. So of course those kind of people would not be interested in child care in a home with dogs, but I hope it wouldn't be used against them in anyway as a reflection of their character. My sister in laws are terrified to be in the same room as a dog, but they are good people. They were raised in a country where most dogs that roamed the streets were wild and they had to stay away from them for their own safety. Their fear is over the top, in my humble opinion, but that is just how it is.

[Fun&care]

I have it in my ad and in my handbook. I am always upfront about it, I will bring it up in the phone call or email before the interview to make sure they are ok with dogs, no allergies etc. However like anything else be prepared for some ppl to love your dog and for some ppl to be uncomfortable even after saying they are ok on the phone.

[sunnydays]

Amanda...I agree with you completely. My husband is an immigrant as well and would never have put one of our kids in a daycare with a dog...even a cat would have taken a lot of convincing for him. He is not afraid and he actually likes dogs...but he has a fear of dogs being around the kids and has kind of passed this on to our son who is a bit scared of dogs. We are not nervous people at all...but have taught our kids not to touch dogs we don't know etc. My husband's family would be pretty horrified I am sure if we got a cat or a dog...a huge part of this is the fact that in Canada it means the pet lives in the house with you. In many countries, animals live outside and are believed to be dirty etc (well they probably are because they live outside, are never washed, etc).