Pitbulls at Preschool

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AngelsMom
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Pitbulls at Preschool

Post by AngelsMom »

As many of you know, I work at a local preschool. Yesterday my heart stopped while we were at recess.

I looked up at a small group of our students (who are three) and noticed they were standing next to the fence looking at a woman. I cautiously walked over and one yelled out "Miss Robyn, I fed the doggie!" I looked and there was a HUGE pitbull with the woman. She was handing dog cookies over the fence and having my three year old students give him treats.

As a responsible dog owner, I was shocked! I would never bring my dog to a place where there are such small children! What if one of them poked her in the eye or pulled her fur and got bit!

What a stupid thing to do.... I know she needs to socialize her dog, but can't she find a better place to do it?

Thanks for listening...
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Post by sit_by_the_beach »

We have a daycare a block away. I walk past, the preschoolers love to call Mikki, doggie, lion, big *Censored Word* cat, teddy bear, the daycare workers tell me that the fluffy, long furry dogs are the most popular with the kids. I stay a foot away from the fence. The kids can look but don't touch.
I would have told the woman to take her dog elsewhere or keep a distance.
I just found out the word putty tat is not allowed?
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Re: Pitbulls at Preschool

Post by RHENEGADE CHOWS »

Gosh that must have startled you. She should have asked you if it was ok first.
We have had Newfies, and I myself have brought my chows to my kids preschool. One of my chows was born in a daycare, and I myself had a certified daycare where he grew up. I'm sure her intentions were good, and you can't breed generalize. Our chows get a bad rap and most of the time they are complete putty-dats.
I totally agree that she should have handled it in a better way. If you see her again, maybe explain that to her. Find out if ther dog has had any formal training or a CGC.
I took my chows into my sons first grade class and taught them how to go about meeting someone elses dog if the person is there, and to never approach a dog that they don't know without an adult with them.
Hope tomorrow is a better day.
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Post by redangie24 »

My daughters pre-k class has pets (one pet each month that was talked about ahead of time) come to classes one Friday a month. The kids love it. I don't think there is anything wrong with it. Just like a cat that comes along and they want to pet it. Just teach proper pet manners and make sure they don't all rush at once, that can overwhelm any pet. I would just ask if it would be okay with the director and see if she could bring the pet by at an appropriate time to meet the children.
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Post by Victory »

Pit bulls have a bad rap just like our chows do, they are big, silly lovebugs for the most part.

This woman should have asked the school if she could come with and visit, yes. But don't panic because it was a pit. I think every school and pre-school should have some dogs of all kinds visit the schools so that children learn proper behavior around dogs. Many of them are not getting this at home and this only increases the incidence of a child being badly bitten.

Right now I'd love to get my boy into more contact with chilren in a controled environment. He sees them at the park but he's on a leash then and they come running at him, I've even had some little ones chase him in circles around me, (while their parents watch and think it's cute). He's becoming a little wary of them, and I don't like it, so in a controled place where he was controled and they were controled would help greatly now. And NO I'm not going to take him to the nearest pre-school uninvited.
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Post by Salandra »

Right now I'd love to get my boy into more contact with chilren in a controled environment. He sees them at the park but he's on a leash then and they come running at him, I've even had some little ones chase him in circles around me, (while their parents watch and think it's cute). He's becoming a little wary of them, and I don't like it, so in a controled place where he was controled and they were controled would help greatly now. And NO I'm not going to take him to the nearest pre-school uninvited.
Some parents need their heads examined! I would so be calling my kid back, even if the dog was a toy poodle. Kids just should have better manners than that! Besides the potential danger to the kids, you could be injured when/if your guy (sorry, memory issues, is your male Dreamdancer?) decides to try and run away and his leash is wrapped around your legs.
grrrrrr!
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Post by AngelsMom »

Honestly.... It wasn't just because he was a pit bull. I was angry because ANY dog has the potential to bite if provoked. Some of the children in our yard are two, three, four, and five years old, each with various dog knowledge. If someone ever got bit (by a pit bull, a poodle, a lab or even a squirrel) I'd be so upset. Why bring your dog to a FENCED in area and have it get prodded by children... It just didn't make sense. I didn't even acknowledge her. I was so angry I was afraid I'd say something that I would regret later. I just told the children to come away from the fence.

As mentioned, you are right, Chows have a bad rep and so do pit bulls. But even if your animal is as sweet as a kitten, why risk it? What would she ever do if one of the children got bit? Run?

Thanks for listening to me vent. I am always shocked by irresponsible dog owners.
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Post by TJordan »

Butters always gets chased by hoards of kids. But I try and out run them. Sure he looks sweet and cuddly, but not a fan of the touching anymore, even kids. So we avoid groups of kids.

But I agree that any dog around that many kids has a potential to turn a little ugly. I mean I turn a little ugly around that many kids LOL !!!
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Post by Auddymay »

You were right to be upset. How many times do we see the loopy pet owner say their dog won't bite, only to be proven wrong. A structured meeting of children and new dogs is always the best way.
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Post by sweetpea »

I'm sure she thought she wasnt doing anything wrong, and it was good social skills for the dog, but she went about it all wrong.
I use to walk Gracie by the school all the time, we never got close enough to the fence for any kids to touch her but in WI, the kids loved seeing Gracie go by.
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Post by Victory »

Please don't feel that I was in any way, shape, or form condoning that woman's behavior. She should have asked if you allowed pets to be brought into the day-care as a way of teaching children how to react around dogs, she should have proven that her dogs were well trained and she had complete control of them in all circumstances first. Like Melanie's girls.

I think that day cares and schools should be teaching children pet saftey and how to act around strange dogs, on and off leash. Here's why; I was walking my Darkwind one day, (Firesong had come joined us yet), we're on our walk, he's sniffing the grass, this little girl goes to walk by, Darkwind only slightly turned his head to see what was beside him and then started to lower his head to the grass again, putting the child from his mind. The little girl stopped walking, started flapping her arms around and began to scream in a high voice. Darkwind startled, (so did I) but then continued to ignore her, but as we walked she was walking right beside us, still screaming and flapping her arms. I pulled Darkwind to me and then told her that what she was doing was a good way to provoke some dogs. That she should be quiet and still around them.

Darkwind was a good boy who liked people and was very tolerant of children but many dogs aren't like that, and when confronted with a child like this many may have attacked her. I was taught dog safety as a child, (even though we had a Pek) my parents always reminded us how to act around other dogs and even our Pek.
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Post by Jeff&Peks »

I like Conners way of asking his teacher if he can bring Pekoe to School. Conner (5), Can I bring my Chow Pekoe to school, she's really mean and growls at kids if they get to close. she go's gerrrrrrr. Teacher, Ah Ah, I don't think Pekoe would like coming to school, that may not be a good idea.
“...There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because conscience tells one that it is right.” MLK

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Post by sit_by_the_beach »

I walk with my chow past a school in my neighbourhood. 90% of the kids are from thrd wrld. countries. Some scream bloody murder when they see my chow. Some run on the street to avoid us. I approached the school principal to find out if we could have a show and tell kinda thing. I bring my chow to the auditorium and show and explain about dogs. A neighbour agreed to brin her dog too. The principal said because of health reasons, the dept of health won't allow dogs on school property.
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Post by Jeff&Peks »

sit_by_the_beach wrote:I walk with my chow past a school in my neighbourhood. 90% of the kids are from thrd wrld. countries. Some scream bloody murder when they see my chow. Some run on the street to avoid us. I approached the school principal to find out if we could have a show and tell kinda thing. I bring my chow to the auditorium and show and explain about dogs. A neighbour agreed to brin her dog too. The principal said because of health reasons, the dept of health won't allow dogs on school property.
Karin
Yeah those kids do carry allot of germs and diseases, its nice to know the board of health is looking out for the safety of our Chows/Dogs.
“...There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because conscience tells one that it is right.” MLK

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Post by anita »

I would have been LIVID! I totally understand. I am pit bull biased, make no mistake about it; I can't stand them. Even the puddy tat ones. Because the thing is, I don't know which is which, and when one busts through a rickety old fence and tries to eat my dogs, (yes, it happened), the thought that it could have been neighborhood kids makes me even crazier livid. I agree, these people have no sense. And I tell them so regularly. I can only say it didn't make me very popular when I lived in the States, because they were absolutely the dog du jour. And everybody who owned one insisted on letting them run off leash to prove how what puddy tats they are. Sounds like this woman was self righteously trying to prove something. OK pit bull lovers, have at me...if you go for the neck...
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Post by TJordan »

Jeff, :D HA!!!
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Post by Salandra »

Yeah those kids do carry allot of germs and diseases, its nice to know the board of health is looking out for the safety of our Chows/Dogs.
LOL!

I try (probably like everyone) to keep an open mind about other breeds of dogs. Chows are on the same 'hit list' as pits and rotties, among others. But I've never had bad feelings around a chow, Doberman, German Shepherd, but I always get a bad feeling around pits.
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Post by AngelsMom »

It's true! Kids have so, so, so many germs! hahhahah and they sometimes spit pick their noses! I wouldn't want kid bugers on my precious baby girl!!
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Post by bama »

LOL @ Jeff!!!
Kids have cooties! :lol:


Sounds like the principal was giving you a stock answer.
Dogs with health certificates can go to public schools, as long as they do not go into areas where food is served.
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