So I had this idea...

...of a Kindergaten where animals are also there.
I'm not talking about mice in a cage or rabbits in a hutch outside. I'm talking about highly trained dogs that work and interact with the children to promote learning and development as well as teaching the children life skills such as compassion and empathy.
Like the Reading Dogs they use to have.

I'm sure I've heard about studies that show that animals assist in learning and development with children.
I know I've heard about the study that was done showing a connection between animal cruelty at a young age which develops into violent crime later in life (so if you teach children compassion and empathy towards animals it should help to deter acts of violent crime later in life?)

I dunno...is it a feasible idea or am I just dreaming?
Would you send your child to a daycare/kindy that offered this?

I did a quick google search and can't find anything like it. But it was only a quick search so who knows.

No I wouldn't - I trust my dog with my children as it has been brought up with my kids and we know him... I just wouldn't feel safe with a whole bunch of doggies we don't know around the kids all the time... kids can be soooo rough with animals (when they're learning how to treat them) and they could snap back.

Is this something you are considering? I dunno if you are aware of the HUGE amount of rules, regulations and expense around starting an ECE... it's crazy stuff.... see here for an idea http://www.lead.ece.govt.nz/ManagementInformation/EstablishingAnECEService/FromADreamToReality.aspx

I would not send my kids to a kindy that had dogs.
I wont knowingly put my child in a position that could cause harm. Dogs can be unpredictable even well trained ones.

I have worked in an environment where I have seen the result of a dog attacks on kids & for what ever reason it was the results were horrific.

Yes and no.

I think that it would be good to have kids interact more with animals (I grew up on a farm with every type of pet) but I don't know that I'd be comfy with an unknown animal constantly around my child.

The most well trained dog in the world is still capable of biting (I saw an article on stuff about how a police dog taken into a kindy for a visit bit a boy on his face). The most placid cat can still claw, my horse which anyone could ride could still kick if it was pissed off.

Daniels daycare have the right idea. They have been across to the SPCA a few times to see the animals and they went to owlcatraz (another animal place)

nkap9 wrote: Even family pets could still snap. I went on a course last year with a woman who runs the dog handling part at the Auckland CC, she said one mistake people always make is that their pets will never hurt them or attack. It's simply not true though she said as you never know...

Yip true, but at home I am here to monitor the situation, at preschool, teachers have enough work keeping an eye on the kids, let alone trying to watch dogs as well

.

Maybe if it was like a subject at school or something when they are a bit older prehaps?

I wouldn't be comfortable sending my son to a daycare like that even though I'm all for animals (I was bought up on a farm and had heaps of different pets).

I would rather have them do excersions to farms, SPCA, pet stores etc. We used to do that sort of thing at kindy and it was great

Although I fully understand everyones apprehension in regards to the kids being around dogs in a daycare. My responce is, well don't let your kids outside incase they trip and break a leg, don't let them walk to school incase they get hit by a car, don't let them learn to drive incase they crash and kill themselves.

Yes, dogs are animals, yes they can be unpredictable but isn't that just life?

The dogs would be kept on lead 100% of the time and woud have a trained handler attached to the end of that lead at all times.

I myself learnt how to walk by pulled myself up on dogs. Yes these were family dogs and no, I wouldn't allow things like that to happen in this type of situation. I just know how much of an important role animals have played and continue to play in my life.

Perhaps it is a "way out" idea, but not because of the apprehension shown here. It's way out because it's not the social norm and the work that would be involved and the red tape to cut through would be massive.

Still, it was only an idea.

Hell no. My DD has plenty of contact with animals, but its on my terms - under my supervision with animals of my choice. She cuddled her first piglet this week

ETA - but just cos I wouldn't do it, doesn't mean you shouldn't. Maybe instead you could train a couple of dogs and go round visiting different centres?

Edited by T_Rex