April 2005
Volume 2 Issue 4
A non-profit organization dedicated to Dog Bite Prevention
Doggone Safe is the first federally incorporated non-profit organization in Canada dedicated to dog bite prevention education and victim support. Doggone Safe provides services in Canada, the US and around the world through its website and network of volunteers.
In This Issue Bite Prevention Initiative in Saskatchewan
Member Update
Website Update - Be a Tree Reference Page
Case File - Littlest Trees
Understanding Dogs
Be Doggone Smart at Work Program
Be a Tree in Australia and Hawaii
Upcoming Events
Our Sponsors
Join the Dog Bite Victim Support Group - this is a forum for families of child dog bite victims to talk about their experiences and concerns, learn from and support each other.
Bite Prevention Initiative in Saskatchewan...
The Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association takes the dog bite problem seriously and views education as an important part of the solution. Doggone Safe is very pleased that the SVMA has printed 40,000 of our bookmarks for distribution to every school child in the province from Grade 1 to Grade 5.
We hope that other veterinary medical associations will follow this lead. We will be sending an information kit to veterinary medical associations across North America in order to forge strong bonds with the veterinary community and to enlist their help in education on the front lines.
Member Update...
Join Doggone Safe and become part of a growing movement of professionals dedicated to dog bite prevention education. Get a free calendar when you join - while supplies last.
The Member section of the website is on-line at long last! If you are a Doggone Safe member and have not received your password - please send an email and your password will be sent to you.
Topics covered on the member page are:
Members-only Yahoo discussion group for presenters - discuss presentations issues with other members and program creators
Logo Usage - download member logo versions for use in print and on on-line
Member wall certificate - download the member wall certificate that you can personalize and print
Sponsorship Proposal - view the Doggone Safe sponsorship program description
Educational Give-Away Materials - order free materials to give away at your presentations or public events
Send us information about any community events you will be attending so that we can include these in the newsletter and on the website.
Website Update...
In addition to the new member page, we have added a new Reference Centre to the website. The first section of the Reference Centre is the Reference Page for the Be a Tree Program. This includes everything you ever wanted to know about the Be a Tree program. The topics covered are...
Program Description: The Be a Tree Program is a dog bite prevention education program designed for primary school age children
Become a Presenter: There are several ways to become a Be a Tree presenter
Teacher Kit: A self guided teacher's kit is available for purchase
Supplementary Materials: Educational materials to leave with students are available for purchase
Become a Sponsor: Sponsors can participate in the Adopt-a-Classroom program and provide branded material for students and the classroom
Downloads: Teacher Kit materials and new items not included with the kits can be downloaded from this reference page
FAQ - Be a Tree Program Technical and Content Issues
FAQ - Booking a Program
FAQ - Becoming a Presenter
FAQ - Becoming a Sponsor
Other reference pages will be added that cover the other Doggone Safe programs as well as an indexed library of all the articles that appear on the site.
If you have any questions about the Be a Tree program that are not answered on the reference page, please send them to us.
Case File - Littlest Trees...
This month's case file was kindly provided by Joan Orr - Doggone Safe President
Doggone Safe co-founder Teresa Lewin presented the Be a Tree program to Kindergarten students at our local school. One of my neighbours, 5 year old Shawna, was in the class during the presentation. The teacher has been using the snarly dog photo supplied with the teacher kit to reinforce the Be a Tree message and to gain the children's attention from time to time since the presentation. Shawna came over to my house and was standing inside with her back to front door. My rambunctious foster poodle puppy Josie (who was on a leash of course) tried to effect an overly friendly poodle greeting on Shawna. Shawna had nowhere to go, with her back to the door and immediately went into the tree position, afraid that Josie was going to jump on her. Josie stopped right away - since she also knows what the tree position means (no fun for a poodle). I was impressed and asked Shawna how she knew to be a tree. "A lady from Be a Tree came to my school and told us to be a tree to make a dog go away", she said. Shawna did not know that I have anything to do with Doggone Safe, but I knew that the presentation had taken place two weeks before this incident. As Teresa would say... "Is that cool or what?"
This story illustrates the importance of having your dog on a leash when small children come into the house. It also shows us that even the littlest students are getting our message and remembering what to do even in a high stress situation. Josie's reaction was interesting as well and I have seen this in my own dogs and in other dogs I have babysat. The dog learns that children in the tree position are not going to play or keep moving and the dog loses interest immediately.
Understanding Dogs...
The basis for the dog bite prevention programs created by Doggone Safe is the understanding of how dogs think and how they communicate. While we can never presume to understand another species completely, we can try to understand dogs better and treat them in ways that do not cause undue anxiety. Dogs that are happy and content and not in a state of conflict or anxiety are less likely to bite. Recognizing the situations that cause anxiety and the dog's outward response to feeling anxious or conflicted can go a long to way to avoiding these situations, especially where children are involved.
Here is an excerpt from a fascinating article that provides insight into how dogs might think and how humans may misinterpret canine behaviour ...
The Puppy's Dilemma
Consider the new puppy whose owners come home at regular times and join in
an ecstatically joyful greeting ceremony. This imagery is quickly ingrained,
and the pup begins to anticipate the experience, just as Konorski's dogs
hallucinated about the flickering light and the food tray. However, as will
happen in even the most well regulated household, one day the owner is late.
The puppy begins experiencing the images of his tardy owners ... starts
fretting, pacing. Well primed energies, ready for the greeting ceremony,
demand an outlet as the adrenaline starts pumping.
What's going on in its mind's eye or ear? It probably imagines hearing footsteps, perhaps even sees the door open... which doesn't happen. But it should. This introduces conflict between what it wants and expects and what is really happening. Conflict creates frustration. Frustration produces anxiety, which triggers an even greater adrenaline rush. The pup searches for something real to satisfy its desire to 'experience' the owner ... a magazine or book it saw the owner reading recently. It is rich with the owner's scent. If it cannot have the owner there, it can at least have their genuine odor or taste. So it sniffs, tastes, maybe even swallows parts of the article. Naturally, this does not fully substitute for the whole owner, so the puppy's social appetite is not really satisfied.
Finally, here comes the owner. The puppy innocently launches into its joyous, semi-hysterical ritual. The owner starts to join in, but spies the pulverized magazine or book. What's this? Naturally, if not wisely, the owner angrily grabs the pup, drags it to the demolished object and scolds it, or slaps it's snout or rump, or both. The pet's single-track mind is riveted on the owner. It yips, rolls over, or struggles vainly to escape. Punishment concluded, the owner angrily picks up the remnants of the article and storms to the trash basket.
Read the complete article by William Campbell
Be Doggone Smart at Work Program...
The Doggone Safe worker bite prevention program is for workers who must enter the property of other's during the course of carrying out the duties of the job. This could include, meter readers, cable installers, phone company workers, mail carriers, couriers, delivery people, police officers, fire fighters, real estate agents, nannies, house cleaners, window washers, social workers and the list goes on. Download the program profile and read an article about the program published in The Utilities Safety News (part 1 and part 2) to find out more about this program.
The Be Doggone Smart at Work Program has been well-received by supervisors and workers who have participated in this 2-hour seminar program. People who have attended a Doggone Safe presentation have generally given a ranking of 4 or 5 on a scale of 1-5 for learning, enjoyment and whether they would recommend it to others. Here are some comments from attendees:
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“Great program and very well presented”. Meter Reader |
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“I highly recommend this. Well done !!” Power Worker |
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“Dog body language is very helpful and interesting”. Meter Reader |
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“A++, a great course for everybody”. Cable Installer |
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“Very good risk assessments done during videos”. Meter Reader |
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“Very informative and enjoyable presentation. Thank you”. Meter Reader |
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“Educational, great seminar”. Cable Installer |
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“Great! Thank you”. Cable Installer |
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“Very informative program”. Cable Installer |
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“Good Job – very informative”. Power Worker |
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“I really enjoyed the presentation!! Very good information!! Oh My God!!” Power Worker |
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“Very interesting, will really help me to read how dogs are reacting”. Power Worker |
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“Very good information. Will make you stop and think about dogs in the work area. Never really thought about dogs when approaching work, unless challenged by dogs”. Power Worker |
Congratulations to Doggone Safe members Christina LeBreton of Ciera Canine Services in Sault Ste Marie ON, Lynn Hyndman of Dogs in Harmony of Nepean ON and Carolyn Clark of Carolark - The Centre for Canine Behaviour in Kanata ON who have received training and are now qualified presenters of the Be Doggone Smart at Work Program.
If you would like to promote this program to a group in your area and receive training as a presenter in conjunction with a local presentation please call 877-350-3232 or send us an email. Presenters for this program must be Doggone Safe members and have experience in the fields of dog training and behaviour.
Be a Tree in Australia and Hawaii...
Doggone Safe
is pleased to see the spread of the Be a Tree program as far away as
Australia and Hawaii. In Australia, Doggone Safe member Ron Court of Pet
Education Training of Caboolture, Queensland will begin presentations to
school children in May. In Hawaii, the Be a Tree program is also starting in
May, presented by veteran humane educator Carol Everett of the Kaiua Humane
Society. Carol tells us that she uses the Doggone Crazy! board game as part
of her bite prevention program with kids from kindergarten to grade 2 ...
I use 6 teams of 3 on each team in and put the board
in the middle of a circle. I pass out 3 bones for each team at the beginning
of the game. (I place the bones in a metal dog bowl and have the teacher
distribute the bones.) As we go through the game, I have the team select the
answer. If it is incorrect, they do not get a bone, but someone else in the
class has a chance to answer. The first one to stand like a tree when
someone lands on the snarling dog gets an extra bone for their team.
Everyone does the Simon Says, but every member of only the spinning team
receives the bone if they do it correctly (if 2 of the 3 get it, they get
two bones.) The students take turn spinning and we quit at a designated
time. The team with the most bones in the end gets to pick first from my
"goodie basket". The second team goes next and so forth. I love the graphics and
photos! I made an extra copy of the explanation sheet on how to read the
read the dogs body language and go over it before we begin the game. This
game is played after I have done a bite prevention program a week or more
prior and use the game as a follow-up. I have to say, I love the way the
students get it! It's fun and educational.
Upcoming Events...
Here are some events at which Doggone Safe members will be speaking or at which Doggone Safe will have a booth. Please find us and say hi!
Operation Child Safety May 7
Great Canadian Cottage Show May 12-15
Toronto Congress Centre, Toronto ON - Joan Orr and Teresa Lewin
Be a Tree presentation for kids and family May 16 & 19
Impact Athletics, Cary NC - Jen Shryock
Learning to Be a Dog Detective and Be a Tree presentation May 21
Cary Library, Cary NC - Jen Shryock
International Association of Dog Behavior Consultants June 3-5
International Professional Dog Training Assoc Conference Oct 29-30
Kitchener ON - Joan Orr and Teresa Lewin
Our Sponsors ...
Thanks to our sponsors. Their generosity and community spirit help us to spread the Doggone Safe educational messages more effectively.
For More Information...
For more information about Doggone Safe and for useful tips about bite prevention please visit the Doggone Safe website. Any materials found at the site can be used at websites or in printed matter without permission (unless specifically noted) provided proper credit is given. A link back to the Doggone Safe site is appreciated.
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