Shrek helps with dog lesson
There are six simple rules for being safe around dogs — and Taupo¯ primary students are learning them this month.
Vetora veterinarian Stacey Tremain, one of the stars of TV2’s children’s show Fanimals, and colleague and fellow vet Rebecca Newth are visiting local schools explaining to children how to interact safely with dogs. They have summed up dog safety with some simple rules. They include asking the owner first, introducing your hand for the dog to sniff, only patting dogs on the shoulders, chin or chest, and not running or shouting around dogs or interrupting them while eating.
If a dog does approach a child without the owner present and the child is worried — and the kids were taught how to recognise the signs of happy dogs, playful dogs and upset or angry dogs — the advice was to be quiet and slow (it’s the way to go) and if things get really hairy, to stand like a tree, feet apart and hands together.
Dr Stacey explained that if a dog is sniffing around your feet and growling, the best thing to do is to act like a tree until the dog loses interest.
It also will make the child feel safe.
When the pair visited Hilltop School recently, the highlight of the morning was when local dog owner Verna Jensen brought her Leonberger dog Shrek to the stage to meet some of the children and they had a chance to practise their new dog safety skills.
At more than 60kg with a shaggy coat, Shrek is a loveable bear of a dog and the children selected to meet him were delighted to be able to introduce themselves to him, passing Shrek their hand to sniff before gently patting him underneath the chin.
Volunteers Jack Horotini and Connor Falconer also modelled being trees while Shrek had a quick look at them and then moved on to something more interesting.
Dr Stacey explained that dogs show how they are feeling with their ears — back is not a good sign, forward and to the side is — and their mouths. He told the children that if a dog was showing all of its canine teeth, the dog was upset or scared and that was a good time to stand still, quiet and calm.
Dr Stacey is based with Vetora in Rotorua but is also the resident Ask Me Anything vet on children’s TV show Fanimals, which screens weekdays on TV2 at 4pm.
Fellow vet Rebecca Newth explained that she and Stacey had been wanting to get out in the community and help children, and dog safety classes was the obvious choice.
“We both have young kids ourselves and we’re going around all the schools in Taupo¯ that have responded.”
Stacey and Rebecca also visited Tauhara Primary last week and were due to visit Waipahihi School yesterday.