Would you have said anything?

[puma86]

ok, so.......... Your child is looked after by a childminder while you are at work. They (childminder & family) have recently bought a puppy from family. During the day when the childminder has children other than her own at home, she keeps the puppy either in a crate or kept behind a baby gate in the kitchen.
What would you do/say if........your child (1yr old) crawled upto the baby gate and stood holding onto it and the puppy managed to scratch your childs face (from under the eye to just below mouth)??

Many Thanks

[ganesh]

Should all dogs be kept away from all children then in case there is an accident?Puppies often get excited and jump up (which is probably what happened).Why are you suggesting it might end up in a 'full blown attack'.Thats just ridiculous!

[squarebear]

I wasn't suggesting that. You seem to think that it is ok that the dog scrached the child. I was wondering at what point does the damage to the child become unacceptable?

[ganesh]

When it becomes intentional and not accidental,I suppose.Like I wouldn't be cross if my child knocked into something and fell over and bumped its head!

[puma86]

i wouldn't say i was worried! i'm quite happy with my childminder. Like i said, just wanted to gather opinions as me and the OH disagreed with what i should and shouldn't have said. I think his main 'beef' was that it did state in the terms that the pup would be kept away from the kiddies (the kitchen leads onto the lounge - not quite all in one) and the scratch starts so close to his eye, that it there is a possibility that it 'could' have been nasty. I have on quite a few occasions been to drop him off/pick him up and the pup has been running freely around the lounge. But that doesn't really bother me as he is very used to animals. I know he is as curious as the pup and accidents do happen :o)

[puma86]

also, i wonder ganesh as you obviously had children.
Would you not be a little 'peeved' if it had happened to yours whilst in the care of someone you pay to do so. not family/friends?
Just out of curiosity??

[EcclesCake]

Mmm, I don't want to pour cold water on this situation but if the CM said the dog would be locked up and yet you arrive to find it running loose what other lapses are there in her offered 'care'?

There are processes and procedures in place to protect all parties, to not adhere to them is leaving both parties open to question.

[PipinHull]

The childminder I used to use (only stopped because she moved out of the area) had a dog. I'm not much of an animal lover and I'm quite scared of dogs - I had to really bite my tongue sometimes when I'd go to pick daughter up and she'd be sitting with the dog in the dog bed! It made me cringe and think of all the germs etc, BUT I never said anything as it was important to me that my children grew up trusting and liking animals. My daughter is now very confident around dogs, so I'm glad I didn't tell her to keep the dog separate.

[redcrx]

ganesh, to be fair to Rowan you didnt give her full quote, which was "any further incidence no matter how slight I'd consider reporting her to the local council department..."
did anyone else say that they would have called the council or reported the matter straight away?

[yinyang]

What was the childminder doing in the time it took this to happen? if she saw the child at the gate then surely she could have diverted him / her away. If she didn't even notice then that's what I'd be more concerned about.

[bimbo123456]

You are paying for this person to look after your child. I am sure there are rules regarding keeping pets away from children. You might contact your local council and see if they have a childminding inspector. Either way, I hope your wee one makes a swift recovery. I would be looking for an alternative minder if I were you.

[LoftyLottie]

I find it difficult to come to terms that pets should be kept away from children. If that is the case then surely they should be kept away from children in their own home too. I understand that you take care when children and animals are together, but to segregate them is a bit weird surely. Children need to learn to be wary of animals and also to learn not to poke them about and not tease them. It is unfortunate what happened to the baby, but the puppy was behind a gate and this could have happened anywhere.

I am glad I am not a childminder - obviously though I wouldn't make the grade!!

[boxtops]

I am not a dog person, but is it fair for the puppy to be crated while the children are there during the day? I know how my cats would feel if I shut them in a crate for several hours a day.

[LoftyLottie]

I would be more worried about the dog than the children!! Oh dear, definitely not childminder material!!

[LoftyLottie]

I often had a houseful of children, we Mum's would look after each others kids. There were dogs and cats and children of all ages. Times have obviously changed!! None of the kids suffered for it. Scratches and bruises happened. The kids learned by it.

[yinyang]

I don't think children should be kept away from animals either, lottie. I grew up in a house with a cat and we've had our cats longer than we've had our children so they get along nicely now the girls are older and have learned to serve out the Felix.

However, I do think that young children need to be watched around animals. Especially when, as in this case, it's a very young child that maybe hasn't learned to be gentle with animals and a young pup that gets over excited when playing. That's why I asked if the childminder knew the child was at the gate or was she not watching what the child was doing.

[LoftyLottie]

Yes, she should have been watching, but things happen, and she will be more aware of it now. I wouldn't actually ever use a childminder, because regardless of how flippant I might sound I only ever would look after my own child until it was at the very least past the toddler stage. I wouldn't trust anybody else except close friends and family - the people I know love my child and would give it individual attention.

As I said though, times have change. It has become normal for kids to go to childminders and nursery at a very young age. We were far from rich, in fact we didn't have two pennies to rub together, but our lifestyle expectations weren't so high.

OMG, I sound like a real old timer now!! ;o)

[yinyang]

I'm actually with you on that one, Lottie. I gave up work when my two were born and haven't got around to going back yet! I know not everybody has that option but it works for us. My two are 9 this week and the only other people that ever looks after them are my mum or my godmother.

I do admit to being an over paranoid mum sometimes and that's why I thought if she's taking her eyes off the child long enough for this to happen then it could have been a open door, some tablets, a Samurai sword etc, that the child got hold of - I like to deal in worst case scenarios LOL

[radiogaga]

hello. i believe incidents like this will happen because the childminder cannot keep her eye on everyone in her care at all times.
firstly, did the childminder fill out an incident / accident report?
secondly, the childminder has to report this incident ( if noted) to her regulatory body.
i suggest you ask her if she has filled in an incident report, and ask to see it.
thirdly, the puppy should have been risk assessed by the childminder, ask to see the childminders risk assesment.
lastly, you yourself can report the incident to the regulatorary body. you should have been given their address with a copy of your contract.

[ganesh]

Yes you're quite right.redcrx.I didn't quote the complete sentence,but I was just commenting on the way those firsts few posts were kind of over-reacting and the way the thread was going.
Even puma isn't reacting like that.Yes puma,I would of course be a bit 'peeved' as someone else who I was paying was looking after my child,I may be very angry if it was more than a minor injury,but I recognise that accidents happen. We're not dealing with an agressive dangerous dog and I don't think the childminder should keep it locked away for hours on end either. Maybe she shouldn't have got the dog if she had that kind of job,and she will probably lose some of her 'clients'because of it especially if it is too bouncy for toddlers.

[welshlibranr]

I personally wouldn't be happy!........ok, they are seperating the puppy from the children, and I'm sure the puppy was just being playful!..............but they need to do more!..............