We have established a policy of not placing  dogs into families with children under 6.  And of not placing small dogs into families with kids under 10.  Certain dogs - especially terriers - will rarely be placed into families with children under 14.  This is a general rule, and there are exceptions to the rule. The rule applies to full-time children, not visiting children.

This policy is followed to avoid the possibility of a dog being returned because of "growling, nipping" etc.   -usually due to misinterpreted body language of both kids and dogs. Almost all dog returns, and thankfully there are few - are because of incompatibilities with young children.  Since most of our dogs have already lost at least one home,  we have decided to not take any chances and avoid further confusion and displacement of our foster dogs.

We choose not to label our dogs as "No Young Children"  in the Petfinder database, since that may give the false first impression that they have a history of aggression, biting etc. 

Victoria Stillwell:Guide to Children and Dog Safety

Kids and Dogs

Kids and Dogs: A Common Sense Approach