Hi Liz:
Welcome aas a guest to the forum. A few things I might point out, we have a teen forum here which just started and whether Beekeeping is your object or not the Teen Forum is for ANY TOPIC that interests teens.
About your dogs, all animals (domesticated at least) learn quickly to shy away from the hives, a single sting on the nose is usually MORE than enough for any dog to get the hint - but as Jas said, stinging is rarely an issue as they forage around.
I hope you visit and follow alone, asking uestings as you think about beekeeping - it is a great family activity for parents and kids alike, educational and interesting - not to leave out relaxing. I'm sure everyone here will tell you the time you spend around your colonies is very peaceful and meditative, interacting with the bees is a always fun and eye-opening.
So stick around the forum, let us know where you are from if you would, I'm guessing maybe the UK but we never know - there are members and guests from around the world and the information and friendly nature of the forum makes it a fun place to visit often.
Lastly, we have a humor section with some great links to fun sites, mind puzzles, games online, animations, jokes and other fun stuff too So you shouldn't get bored too easily if you lose your interest in the beekeeping part.
If you or anyone in your family join up, you won't be alone as a member without honeybees - many members are in the LEARNING STAGES of the hobby, picking up ideas to make NEXT YEAR come off smoother than it otherwise would!
Thanks for stopping by here and I hope the forum and my other beekeeping links (especially my pretty massive beekeeping course for Novices) listed in my SIGNATURE below this post help you in your decision process.