'My child's headteacher brings her Rottweiler to school it makes me feel uneasy'
A mum has raised concerns after finding out her child's primary school headteacher regularly brings her rottweiler dog into school for the children to stroke and play with. She claims she feels "uneasy" as it is such a big dog, and wonders if she is being unreasonable to be worried.
Rottweilers have been branded with many negative connotations over the years, but some parents think it's good that the dog is in school as it will "help those who are scared of dogs" get over their fears, but others think there is no place for dogs of such a big nature in primary schools.
Sharing her worries with other mums, she took to Mumsnet for other opinions. She wrote: "The headteacher has a Rottweiler dog who is by nature a huge dog. He's brought into school a lot and the children get to play with him and look after him. Am I being unreasonable feeling uneasy about this? It's a primary school."
However, it's created a divided opinion online, as one mum thinks it's a good idea as "interaction with animals is beneficial" and good to help "overcome their fears" She expressed: "If your kids are scared of dogs then that's precisely why the dog in school is a good idea to help your child overcome their fears," and added that if the parent made a fuss it would make the child's fears even worse.
"Pets are beneficial, interaction with animals is beneficial, dogs are everywhere in the UK so it's a great idea for kids to be comfortable with them and be taught appropriate ways to interact with a dog. Complaining and having the headteacher remove the dog will compound your child's fears," the mum added to her response.
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It's worrying due to the recent increase in dog attacks, but another mum was quick to defend the dog by highlighting it's not a "banned breed" and said: "Any dog can be a problem with a bad owner. Some dogs have breed traits that are potentially a problem - bred for fighting and they're highly reactive and aggressive. We've seen this with Pit Bulls and now the closely related bully XLs.
"Rottweilers are not a banned breed. They were bred for herding and working and pulling loads and search and rescue as well as guarding. There's no reason to think a well-trained, socialised, supervised Rottweiler will be a problem with children any more than any other big dog (except the four banned ones and others we know are a potential problem)."
However other mums agreed that it was wrong, as one user wrote: "It's less about the breed to me than the fact this isn't a guide or support dog. Full stop a dog shouldn't be brought in around children, they can be unpredictable and it's making you feel uncomfortable. You deserve for your kids to go to school and feel safe. It's an unnecessary issue the head is imposing."
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