kola Posted September 27, 2007 Report Share Posted September 27, 2007 Press Release Child Safety Around Dogs - Kennel Club Holds Safe And Sound Seminar 27-Sep-07 World Renowned Speaker Attends The Kennel Club’s Safe and Sound Scheme hosted a seminar on Friday 21st September 2007 at its headquarters in central London, in order to raise awareness of child safety around dogs through its educational programme. Around 50 people from various backgrounds attended, including head teachers, teaching staff, dog training instructors, animal wardens, veterinarians, local councillors and journalists. The seminar focused on the relationships and issues which cause canine aggression, media perception of dog biting incidents and the realities of children and dog interaction in today’s society. The presentations provided thought-provoking discussions and gave further understanding of the subject. Gerald King, General Committee member and chairman of the KC Safe and Sound Working Party, chaired the seminar. He was followed by world renowned behaviourist John Rogerson, who gave a fascinating presentation into the causes of many types of canine behaviour. John’s wealth of dog training experience in worldwide cultures provided further insight into the issues which can cause an aggressive reaction from a dog. KC Secretary Caroline Kisko spoke about the perception created by the media when incidents occur. She highlighted the positive work currently being done by the Kennel Club to counteract the negative assumptions associated with all dogs when biting incidents occur. Heidi Lawrence and Sarah Runchman, from the Kennel Club’s Education department then spoke of how, where and when children are likely to be bitten and how this links directly into the child safety developmental work included within the Safe and Sound Scheme programme. Jeff Lloyd, Head of Robin Hood Primary School, spoke of how his school had been the first to implement the Kennel Club’s Safe and Sound Practical Award pilot scheme. He discussed the success of the scheme and the positive impact it has already had on his students. Mark Callis and Lisa Martin, Animal Wardens from the London Borough of Wandsworth Council, concluded the discussions by outlining the current Active Schools programme within their borough, which includes the KC Safe and Sound Scheme. The seminar was aimed at those involved with education and safety of children, in particularly teachers, animal wardens and also the media. The aim of the seminar was to initiate a greater understanding of dogs and their behaviour, and of the awareness needed to keep children safe around dogs, wherever they are. The Safe and Sound Scheme allows everyone to learn about dogs and their behaviour, through its interactive online game and other educational resources which can be found on the KC website (www.thekennelclub.org.uk). The Safety Factor Challenge game encourages the user to consider the right course of action to take in a number of everyday scenarios with dogs. Said Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary; “The Kennel Club has been running the Safe and Sound Scheme since 2003, helping to keep children safe around dogs. Through this seminar we have reached a wider audience to convey its aims, help raise awareness and educate people to prevent further biting incidents.†For more information on the Safe and Sound Scheme please contact Heidi Lawrence or Sarah Runchman on 0207 518 1011 / [email protected] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramsey Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 Fantastic thing thats not had enough publicity if its been running since 2003!! Strongly think more of these seminars should be held all around the country and councils etc encouraged to educate parents and kids on responsible ownership and bite prevention. I have heard of a scheme called prevent a bite in schools and a family evening sort of thing where organisations teach both parent and child about the responsibilities of owning a pet, how to choose the right type of pet for them and bite prevention. Always heard positive feed back from this type of thing but they never seem to continue long term Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mop Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 There is some good information on www.safekidssafedogs.com on children/dog safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trallwm farm Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 Thats a good idea.... I think theres a new one on similar lines Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nettie Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 I'm very luck to have Mark Callis as our dog warden (Wandsworth), he's also very involved with promoting the Good Citizen awards. At the Gap show we had a demonstration by Benefit Dogs who give a short talk about child safety with dogs before doing their demos. They are also involved actively in this programme with the KC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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