Work and Fun with Dear Jubilee

Teaching Children How to Be Safe Around Dogs


As an AKC Canine Ambassador, Neisha and Kate, my Airedales, helps me teach children about dogs. We visit schools, summer camps, Libraries, and Junior Girl Scout, Brownie and Daisy troops to teach children about being safe around dogs, how to take good care of dogs, and how to help dogs in their communities.

Some areas have serious problems with loose dogs, and I often find that many of the children that I talk to are afraid of dogs. Some have been chased by these dogs and knocked down. I talk to them about how to be safe around dogs, about never approaching a loose dog, about telling an adult about a loose dog so the adult could call for help for the dog, what to do if a loose dog is running towards them, and what to look for before approaching a dog.

Using advice from another AKC Canine Ambassador, I tell the children to be sure they can see a collar attached to a leash held by a person, or more briefly Collar - Leash - Person and I get the children to chant those three words so that they will remember to look for the collar, the leash and the person.

I tell the children that when they see a loose dog coming towards them, they need to stand still and “be a tree,” either crossing their arms on their chest or putting their hands in their pockets. And I tell them not to stare at the dog, but to look to the side or down at the ground. I tell them about a time when I was a child and two St. Bernards loved to chase me when I rode my bicycle by their house. I tell them how I learned to stop, be very still and firmly tell the dogs to go home. Amazingly to me as a child, the dogs stopped running towards me, turned and ran towards their house. They never chased me again. I tell the children how that worked for me and helped me get over my fear of dogs that were not part of my family.

I demonstrate how to ask permission to pet a dog (as long as it has a collar, leash and person) first with an Airedale stuffed toy and then with Neisha or kate. I show them how to determine even if they get permission whether the dog seems happy to be petted by the child, how to let the dog sniff their closed fist, and how to pet the dog under its chin or on its chest, and not on top of its head.

Then I let them approach me and my dog one by one. They are always so cute, and at this last visit, a child who had been knocked down by a loose dog was one of the first children to approach us. Neisha and Kate stand quietly, and lets each child approach them, sniff the children’s fists, and let the children pet them. When a child forgets to pet under the dog’s chin and reaches over to pet her head, both Neisha and Kate do just what I had demonstrated with the stuffed Airedale: the dogs follow the child’s hand with their nose making it impossible for the children to pet their head because they are so busy sniffing their hand.

When every child has had an opportunity to pet the dog, we relax with her, usually by sitting on the floor around her with one child at a time stroking her, giving her a treat, or just talking to her. Both dogs love this part of the visit, and often initiate it by lying down in the midst of the children.

All too soon, our visits are over. I give each child one or two AKC coloring books, one about safety around dogs and the other about responsible dog ownership, and a bookmark with reminders about caring for a dog. Then we pack up and head home..

All together, a great outing and a great experience. Neisha and Kate seem to enjoy doing this as much as I do.