HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2014-10-29, Page 7Wednesday, October 29, 2014 • Lucknow Sentinel 7
Children Learn to be Safe with Dogs
Valerie Gillies/Lucknow Sentine
Amanda Kerr was so impressed after taking her daughters to the Doggone Safe presentation at the
Lucknow Library that she arranged to have the program come into Normanby Community School
where she teaches. MacKenzie Kerr volunteered to help Lary Lindsay in a presentation given at the
Lucknow Library on July 31, 2014.
Submitted
Just in time for Hallowe'en,
Lary Lindsay, owner of
DreamDogs in Lucknow,
assisted by Donna Hazelden,
delivered the "Doggone Safe
Be a Tree" children's dog
bite prevention program to
three classes at Normanby
Community School in Ayton.
This program, for school
age children, is a short pres-
entation with large photos
and lots of activities to teach
children to understand the
signs dogs send with their
body language. The central
message of this program is
"Be a Tree! That is, stand still
if a strange dog approaches
or any dog is threatening or
overly frisky. Children learn
to be doggie detectives, look-
ing for the clues that dogs
give with body language to
show how they are feeling.
Amanda Kerr is a primary
teacher at Normanby Com-
munity School, Ayton. "After
taking my children Macken-
zie and Mikayla to the Dog-
gone Safe presentation at
the Lucknow Library this
summer, I felt this was an
important program to pre-
sent to the children at the
school where I teach."
Amanda presented the
idea to Darlene Lamb, the
Primary Coverage and Well-
ness Contact for the Blue -
water School Board. Dar-
lene still bears the scars of a
bite received from her own
dog as a child. She immedi-
ately recognized the impor-
tance of the program. It was
decided to present consecu-
tively to the junior kinder-
garten, kindergarten and
grade 1 classes on Thursday,
October 23rd.
At the beginning of the
first presentation, one little
girl stood up to tell us that
her own dog bit her finger
that morning. It was clear
her finger hurt, and she was
upset. In the Grade 1 pres-
entation, another child
asked what she should do if
her dog was in a fight with
another dog.
Afterwards, Darlene
Lamb described the Dog-
gone Safe presentation as
"Excellent to help students
be safe around dogs! ... Eve-
ryone has fun, practicing
the "Be a Tree" and "Be a
Stone" safety poses.
Young children are most
likely to be the victims of
dog bites, with approxi-
mately 50% bitten by age
12. Doggone Safe is a non-
profit Canadian organiza-
tion formed to provide dog
bite prevention education
to children, as recom-
mended by the coroner's
jury after the death of
Courtney Trempe of
Stoufville, Ontario in 1998.
Over 500,000 children
around the world have ben-
efited from "Be a Tree"
presentations. Their web-
site, at www.doggonesafe.
com, includes a variety of
resources for parents and
children to learn about dog
bite prevention.
DreamDogs owner Lary
Lindsay and Donna
Hazelden are available to
make Doggone Safe pres-
entations to schools or
groups working with ele-
mentary school children.
There is no charge for
these presentations. Con-
tact Lary at 226-222-1000
for more information.
Halloween Tips from Doggone Safe
Courtesy of Lary Lindsay, DreamDogs
Submitted
Tips for Dog Owners
Secure your dog behind a
closed door or in a crate in
a room away from the front
door or the party if children
are meeting at your house.
Give him a chew toy or
Kong stuffed with hotdog,
Rollover or other soft dog
treats. Be sure that he can't
chew off pieces and swal-
low them before leaving
him unsupervised.
Play music or leave a TV
or radio playing in the dog's
room to help mask the
sounds of the activity at the
front door.
Close drapes so that the
dog does not see people
coming and going through
the window.
If you have a dog that
barks at the sound of the
doorbell, disconnect it or
watch for trick -or -treaters
so that they do not have to
ring or knock.
Puppies and dogs that
like to chase can get overly
excited by costumes with
dangly bits or streaming
material. Supervise very
carefully if you have a dog
that may try to play with
your children's costumes
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while they are wearing
them. Teach kids to Be a
Tree and stand still if the
dog does start nipping at
their costume since the
more they move, the more
excited the dog will get.
Keep your dogs (and
cats) indoors around Hal-
loween time. Pets have
been stolen, injured or poi-
soned as part of Halloween
pranks or other rituals.
Tips for Kids and Parents
Avoid houses if you can
hear a dog barking behind
the door, you can see a dog
behind a screen door or
you see a dog tied up in the
yard or barking behind a
fence.
Never approach any dog,
even if you know him. He
may not recognize you in
your costume.
Seasonal Sale
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1.11.1W 14LINfaLtid
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Product Open House
November 1st and 2nd - 10:00am to 4:00pm
85399 St. Helens Line, RR 2 Lucknow, ON
Door Prizes! Everyone welcome!
10% OFF
All Home Scents & Accessories
Offer valid for home scent mixers, catalogue, and
online parties only.
Not valid for fundraising events.
October 1 - December 31, 2014
10% OFF
All Home Scents & Accessories
Offer valid for home scent mixers, catalogue, and
online parties only.
Not valid for fundraising events.
January 1 - March 31, 2015
If an owner opens the
door and there is a dog
there, just stay still and wait
for the dog owner to put the
dog away. You can tell them
you do not want to come
near the dog. Do not move
toward the person and dog.
Wait for them to come to
you to give you your candy.
Wait for them to close the
door before you turn and
leave.
If a dog escapes just
stand still and Be a Tree
and wait until it goes away.
It is best to ignore other
people's dogs on Hallow-
een if you meet them out
walking. The dog may be
worried about all the
strange creatures that are
out and about Even if you
know the dog, he may not
recognize you in your
costume.
Product Open House
November 1st and 2" 110:00am to 4:00pm
85399 St. Helens Line, RR 2 Lucknow, ON
Make and Takes and Door Prizes! Everyone welcome!
Christmas Card Stamp -A -Stack
November 19" 6:00pm to 10:00pm
St. Helens Hall, RR2 Lucknow, ON
www.balc.stampinup.net
Make and Take 20 greeting cards with envelopes for $30
Reservations required - RSVP to Annette @ 519-812-1088 or balc@hurontel.on.ca