Safe behaviour around animals
Pets and animals play a big part in many people’s lives.
Pets can be loving and special playmates for children. They can help children to learn to be responsible and caring.
Safe behaviour around all animals is extremely important for both the animal and the persons involved.
Pets and children
Most dog attacks occur in the 0-4 age group and are usually in the home or that of a friend.
Young children should never be left unsupervised with pets. If they cannot be directly supervised, then they should be safely separated.
A pet-free zone for the children and a child-free zone for the pet is a great idea.
Children need to be taught how to interact with a pet and not tease, hurt or provoke.
Similarly, pets (in particular dogs) must be taught how to interact with children.
Leave pets alone
Pets should be left alone when they are:
- Sleeping
- Eating
- Playing with their toys
- Sick or injured
- On their beds or in their kennels
- Going to the toilet
Points to remember
When with pets, children should not be allowed to:
- Play roughly with their pet
- Tease or injure
- Handle inappropriately
- Grab around the neck
- Squeeze or confine
- Wrestle on the ground
For more information, check out the info at GoodDogSA.com