Safe
and sound
Helping to ensure your children
are ‘Safe & Sound’ around dogs
Earls
Court 2, London 22-23 November 2003
www.discover-dogs.org.uk
At
this year’s Discover Dogs the Kennel Club will be launching
its ‘Safe And Sound Around Dogs Award’ - a new
initiative that specifically focuses on the safety of interaction
between children and dogs.
A series of practical demonstrations will be featured at the
event in the Dog Training Display Ring, where children will
show how to stay safe and sound around dogs and this area
is currently being developed so that it can be co-ordinated
through designated Kennel Club dog training clubs.
In addition, an interactive children’s website will
go live, specifically concentrating on the safety issues where
children interact with dogs. A ‘Safety Factor Challenge’
will be demonstrated which puts the player into different
situations and children will have to take the right course
of action to stay safe around dogs.
The website will be accessible through www.the-kennel-club.org.uk
and is the first of its kind, showing children exactly how
to behave with dogs and teaching them how to read the warning
signs and avoid situations where accidents can happen. If
successful, they will be able to gain a Safe and Sound Certificate.
There is also a Safe and Sound Code which the children will
be taken through which includes the practical sides of dog
ownership and the responsibilities that this involves.
The information provided on the website will be free of charge
for teachers to download and use in schools. The interactive
game for pupils - in order to learn how to be safe and sound
around dogs - will be backed up by information for teachers,
to use in various areas of the National Curriculum.
Said Caroline Kisko, Secretary of the Kennel Club, "It
is a fact that children’s lives are enriched by living
with dogs. They learn responsibility, empathy and through
interacting with a pet this can increase their self-esteem.
Unfortunately, the majority of incidents happen to children
below the age of 15 and in most instances they are caused
simply by the child not understanding the basics of canine
behaviour and body posture. With education nearly 100% of
accidents are preventable and a little forethought can go
a long way to reducing any risks. Many people are unaware
of simple measures that can be taken to avoid problems altogether
and many do not recognise the tell tale signs."
Caroline continued, "Only very rarely does a dog bite
without warning and some of the indications can be very subtle,
whereas others are more obvious. There are also a number of
circumstances which are known to be more likely to cause a
dog to bite. They can bite when they are handled, frightened
or injured and can also become over protective of food, toys
or their owners. The behaviour of the person usually plays
a vital part, so by launching this Safe & Sound Award,
the Kennel Club is seeking to redress the balance and assist
in this problem area, by instilling Safe and Sound education
in all children whether they live with a dog or not."
