Placing Children with Dog-Owning Families

PRACTICE NOTE 42 PLACING CHILDREN WITH DOG-OWNING FAMILIES Introduction beaches. Cultural factors may also have a bearing on how dogs are regarded. Dog owners in turn, This Practice Note is designed to offer some guidance therefore, are viewed positively or negatively and can to social workers, carers and members of adoption sometimes be seen as irresponsible, or dismissed as and fostering panels on the question of dogs in foster being over- sentimental and unrealistic where their families and adoptive families. It identifies the context pets are concerned. Childless applicants for adoption surrounding the subject, looks at the relevant or fostering can also find themselves facing legislation, specifies issues to be clarified in the care assumptions that their dog is “a substitute child”. and management of dogs in the home, and explores the potential benefits and disadvantages for a child of Dogs do present dangers and risks, of course, and being placed in a household where there is a dog. these must never be minimised. There have been occurrences where children have been injured or, While many of the matters addressed in relation to tragically, even killed by dogs. Inevitably, such dogs and children will be equally relevant to other incidents, although rare, receive high media attention animals, it is not the intention of this note to explore which, while warranted, has not always been well issues surrounding other pets, domestic livestock or informed, has frequently been sensational and exotic companion animals. emotive and has often singled out specific breeds as “killers” or “devil dogs”. Such high profile and dramatic coverage has caused many social work Context agencies to introduce policies on dogs and some, for example, will not approve substitute families owning It is estimated that there are over six million dogs in a Rottweiler. Many more use foster care agreements Great Britain today. This means that approximately which require notification to the agency should the one in four homes has a dog. Dogs are, therefore, a family at any point own a dog which is or becomes prominent feature in our society. Children often have registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (see a marked interest in animals, especially dogs, may below). Adoption and fostering panel members have well have been brought up with dogs prior to become understandably worried about becoming looked after and, for many, the dog is a recommending the placement of children in dog- significant member of the family and a very real owning families and in an attempt to address such friend (Thomas et al, 1999). worries, some agencies have developed checklists or questionnaires for assessing social workers to use to Attitudes to dogs vary considerably and are not provide information on the dog, its temperament and always consistent, however. Dogs are traditionally the arrangements for its care. Fears that a child may portrayed as “man’s best friend”, capable of providing be attacked, therefore, or that his or her health may great loyalty and protection and contributing be compromised by the household dog, have considerably to the overall quality of life of many justifiably brought consideration of substitute carers individuals. The dog also performs many useful tasks who own a pet dog under even closer scrutiny. for humans as a guide dog, guard, police dog, search and rescue worker, sniffer dog, hearing dog for the deaf, trained aide for the disabled, PAT dog (Pets as Dog breeds Therapy – visiting hospitals, residential homes, etc.) as well as working on farms and estates. These roles The governing body of the world of dogs in the United are greatly valued but the dog is also seen by many Kingdom is the Kennel Club.* It recognises 196 as a nuisance, noisy and intimidating and the breeds, broadly classified in line with their original creature responsible for fouling the streets, parks and function under two main headings, sporting or non- * The Kennel Club, 1-5 Clarges Street, Piccadilly, London W1Y 8AB. 1 sporting dogs. Sporting dogs are further classified position, the owner of two or more dogs needs to into three groups: Terriers such as Cairns, Scottish identify the pack leader and bolster his or her Terriers, West Highland White Terriers and position. The owner should always be the ultimate Staffordshire Bull Terriers; Gundogs like Cocker “pack leader”, of course, with every other human Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, Irish Setters and member of the household holding a “pack position” Weimaraners; and Hounds, for example, Beagles, above any of the dogs. Whippets, Basset Hounds and Dachshunds. The non- sporting dogs are divided into the Pastoral Group, for In an increasingly urban society, most people spend example, Border Collies, Corgis, Shetland Sheepdogs less and less time in close proximity to dogs and and German Shepherd Dogs (Alsatian); the Working opportunities to observe canine behaviour and to Group which contains among others the Bullmastiff, understand it are restricted. It is essential, Rottweiler, Boxer and Dobermann; the Utility Group nevertheless, that social workers find out something including Dalmatians, Akitas, Poodles and Shih Tzus; of the owner’s perception of their dog, its disposition and the Toy Group where Cavalier King Charles and behaviour and this is dealt with in greater detail Spaniels, Pekingese, Bichon Frisés and Yorkshire in the section headed The Dog in the Home below. Terriers are to be found. All pure breeds of dog were originally evolved and then refined to develop Behaviour associated with dominant animals would inherent characteristics which humans then exploited include feeding before the others, taking food, toys, for their own benefit. Hunting dogs could, for bones, etc. from the rest of the pack, pushing others instance, be used to either find, course or retrieve aside to enter doorways first, urinating or “marking” game or their stalking instincts could be turned to at every opportunity, even in another dog’s sleeping good use as herders. Terriers’ propensity to dig could area and always getting the most comfortable, often be channelled into finding game or keeping down elevated, sleeping spot or the lion’s share of vermin while large dogs were used as guards or attention. The top dog will often approach other dogs draught animals. in an alert, stiff legged manner with tail raised, attempting to assert superiority and the owner needs Many families do not own pure bred dogs, however, to be aware of the tension in such situations. Left to but have opted for a cross-breed or a mongrel. A sort things out themselves, however, dogs will cross-breed is the product of a mating between two normally avoid an actual fight in most circumstances. recognised or “pedigree” breeds. A mongrel’s ancestry is much less clear and the dog is most likely Submissive behaviour is characterised by the tail to be the product of cross-breed or mongrel parents, carried between the legs, cringing, rolling the top lip sometimes referred to as a “Heinz 57”. back in a “grin” when challenged by another dog, turning the head to show the back of the neck, Predictably, opinion has varied on the merits of pure rolling onto the back to expose the belly, yawning, breeds as opposed to mongrels. The former are often licking the lips and generally avoiding confrontation unscientifically described as being “highly bred” or (Serpell, 1995). “in-bred”, physically and temperamentally unsound while mongrels are seen as being healthy and fit, the At this stage, it is important to heavily underline result of hybrid vigour. There is little evidence to again the dangers of ascribing characteristics support either hypothesis and it is important not to wholesale to particular breeds. It is as misguided lose sight of the need, in each case, to assess the (and even dangerous) to assume that all Labradors individual animal’s temperament and characteristics, are friendly, trustworthy dogs as it is to state that all regardless of breed, original function or pedigree. Yorkshire Terriers or Corgis are snappy and that all Rottweilers are savage and unpredictable. The Kennel Club publishes a written Breed Standard for Canine characteristics each recognised breed.* These provide not only a physical description of the dog but also a section on Dogs are fundamentally pack animals. In pack “characteristics” and another on “temperament”. formations, there is always a pack leader, usually a Certain breeds evolved for guarding and protection male but not infrequently a female, the “alpha” bitch. or for tackling dangerous game or vermin, may have Thereafter, there is normally a hierarchy or pecking been required to be “wary of strangers” or to “show order and to prevent squabbling or jostling for dominance over other dogs”. Many other breeds, * The Kennel Club – Breed Standards, The Kennel Club, London. 2 PLACING CHILDREN WITH DOG-OWNING FAMILIES including popular house dogs, are called upon to be enforce. Primarily, the Act was aimed at “dogs “fearless”, “bold”, “determined” or “alert” although it belonging to types bred for fighting” and calls for the is often frequently stressed that any sign of registration of all dogs designated as “dangerous”. In nervousness or aggression is highly undesirable and essence, the breed specified is the Japanese Tosa, a untypical of the breed in question. On a more positive large dog, originally bred as a guard and for note, many breeds are described as being “friendly”, fighting. No examples of this breed are known to “docile”, “gentle” or even “totally reliable”. Most dogs reside in Great Britain. The other specified “breed” today, however, are not called upon to work but live is the pit bull terrier which is not recognised as a purely as pets and companions. Generations of breed at all by the Kennel Club and which is really a domestication may have diluted many of these original “type” rather than an actual breed which breeds characteristics and regardless of what may be true.

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