Family pets should never be allowed to become a problem part of a nanny's working day. But a well-managed pet can considerably enhance the time spent with the children.
CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION?
If you're attending an interview and there are pets in the house you should always enquire, after you've asked about the children and all the other important issues, who looks after the animals. You need to demonstrate a professional attitude right from the start, even if you are an animal lover and the dogs come forward with adoring looks and wagging tails. You are applying to care for children, not for a job as a kennel maid.
If you are happy to walk the dog during your working day and incorporate this into your childcare routine, you still must be absolutely clear about what you are agreeing to do. Large dogs often need lengthy walks, which are impractical if you have a toddler in tow or have to collect children from school at certain times.
It is also important to ensure that you will not be held responsible if anything happens to an animal while it is in your care, for example if it runs away. It is easy for employers to wave this kind of thing aside and it's natural to assume that the children will be everyone's only priority, but you should, if you accept the position, send a letter confirming everything you have discussed and include a couple of lines that make it clear you will not accept any responsibility, financial or otherwise, for accidents or the welfare of the family's pets. Be sure to keep a copy of the letter.
If you are not confident around animals, or the one in question appears fierce or uncontrolled, you should think again about whether you would feel happy sharing the house with it when your employer is not present.
Cats are usually a less obvious presence but they can still cause you problems if you suffer from asthma or allergies. Even if the cat is not around during your interview you will be aware of it by the time you leave the house when your allergy has been triggered. Indeed, if you are asthmatic or allergic to cats and dogs, you should mention this whenever you go for any interview, in case your employer has plans to acquire a pet.
PETS AS TEACHING AIDS
Don't get bogged down with negatives - there are lots of ways in which a family pet can enhance your working day. Encouraging children to respect and handle animals sensibly and sensitively will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives. Young children may relish the sense of responsibility that caring for something more vulnerable than themselves can bring, and if they ever have to handle the illness or death of a beloved pet it can teach them some valuable lessons about life.
Pet care can also increase a child's sense of stability and routine.
Whether it's hamsters, rabbits or fish, they all require regular feeding times and have hutches and tanks that must be cleaned. You could start with a visit to the public library for books on pet care, and this could lead on to a trip with the children to their nearest animal rescue or wildlife centre for a broader understanding of nature.
As common pets go, dogs demand the biggest commitment, but they also offer the greatest potential for constructive time spent with the children. In the current climate of panic over childhood obesity and lack of exercise, walking and playing with the dog is a positive way of instilling a healthy attitude towards regular outdoor activity. You can gradually increase the amount of actual walking that you do according to the child's age and needs, and he is unlikely to complain or even notice. Try to vary the venue as much as you can and incorporate games or picnics and playgrounds (tie up the dog outside the children's area) into the dog-walking routine so that the child remains interested.
PETS FIRST
Employers who were pet owners before they became parents sometimes have less than scrupulous attitudes towards pet hygiene and behaviour. Cats should never, ever be allowed on surfaces where food is prepared; dogs should never be permitted to lie on beds or sofas, lick children's fingers or snatch food from their hands. These are all obvious 'no-no's' that are constantly ignored by pet lovers across the land and pose a real health threat to young children.
However, housetraining your employer is not part of your job description.
These issues need not become contentious, as long as they are handled in a subtle manner.
When you are preparing food you should make absolutely sure that the cat or dog does not come into contact with work surfaces and utensils. Keep the dishwasher firmly closed so pets can't lick the contents, and wipe the food preparation area with an antibacterial cleaner before you begin. Be sure to shoo the cat away from the area and give a firm command to the dog every time they try to take liberties - eventually, the animals will know that you will not tolerate this behaviour even if their owner does.
If you feel too tired or rushed to fend off animals in the kitchen, shut them out until the food is ready. When your employer is the one preparing food, however, it is entirely up to her and you should avoid commenting, although you can politely refuse anything she offers you if you are worried about hygiene.
As for animals colonising sofas and beds, there is more to worry about than getting covered in their hair. Exposure to pet hair and dander during the first year of a child's life can cause hypersensitivity to it in later life, and any inherited predisposition towards asthma and allergies a child has is likely to be aggravated. Again, however, if your employer chooses to cuddle up to the dog on her sofa during her spare time it is pretty pointless for you to draw her attention to the risks. The best you can do in this situation is to avoid sitting with the child on the dog's favourite sofa, and to prevent cats and dogs from going anywhere near the bedrooms when you are in charge. But if you do detect a wheeze or allergic reaction in the child when he is exposed to pets, you should mention this to your employer.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
If the family cat uses a litter tray you must make sure the child in your care keeps well away from it at all times. If the cat uses the garden you should stop the child from digging in the earth, and always wash his hands when he has been outside. Toxoplasmosis, an infection contracted from handling cat faeces, can cause sore throats, tiredness and enlarged glands in humans, and it is extremely dangerous for pregnant women. Dog faeces must always be picked up in a plastic bag and disposed of in an outside bin. They may be infected by the roundworm Toxocara canis. The eggs of the worm can be accidentally picked up and passed to the mouth through licking the fingers or eating food before the hands are washed. This can cause blindness in a child or infect their lungs.
It is advisable to remind your employer about the importance of regular worming treatments for cats and dogs. Worming tablets are inexpensive and easy to administer with the animal's food.
Always wash the child's hands after outings to the park or garden and before eating. It is also a good idea to keep an antibacterial hand gel or wet wipes with you when you go out.
Animals encountered on a farm or on visits to theme parks or patting zoos are another matter - but as always, the important thing is for everyone to wash their hands, because of the added risk there of E coli infection.
You can take all these basic precautions in a matter-of-fact manner without scaring the child or becoming paranoid yourself. Then, enjoy the company of furry friends.
EMERGENCIES AND PREVENTION
Cat scratches should be bathed with dilute antiseptic. Teach young children not to tease cats, who will quickly retaliate. Put a cat net on the cot and buggy if there is a young baby in the family, and avoid leaving a baby in a buggy in a garden where cats may be around.
Wash dog bites with water, followed by dilute antiseptic. Serious wounds may require stitching and an antibiotic injection from the accident and emergency department, where a tetanus jab will also be given if the child has not received routine vaccinations. Do not allow children to approach dogs they don't know, unless the owner has reassured you first. Teach children to keep above the dog's eye level - they should not crawl about alongside the dog.
