Dog Safety Program
What is the Hills Shire Council Dog Safety Program?
Please note this program is only available to educational facilities located within the Hills Shire Council Local Government Area (LGA).
Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world. Most dog attacks involve children in 0-8 age range. A high number of these attacks occur in the home environment.
There is a high rate of dog ownership in The Hills and Council encourages all residents to learn more about how children can interact safely with dogs.
Educating children and their families ensures the child-pet relationship is not only physically and emotionally rewarding but also a safe one as well.
The program also allows children to become better prepared when dealing with dogs outside the home and throughout the community.
The Hills shire Council Dog Safety Program is available to all primary schools throughout the Hills LGA. It targets children from the 4-12 age range and teaches them how to live safely with dogs.
The Hills Shire Council is dedicated to providing the community with relevant dog safety information. The aim is to prevent avoidable dog attacks with this education program.
Who teaches the program?
The Hills Shire Council Community Safety Team provides qualified dog safety experts. They deliver presentations to children on dog safety in the home and the community.
These presentations use chat, role play and interactive activities that engage children to learn more about dog safety.
All educators complete extensive mentoring and professional training to deliver a high quality presentation to children.
What do children and parents learn in this program?
- when dogs should be left alone
- things we should not do to dogs
- how to tell if a dog is happy, scared or angry
- safe ways to approach a dog
- what to do if approached by an unknown or aggressive dog
- the importance of actively supervising your children’s interactions with your pets
- basic dog behaviour
How much does the education program cost?
Primary schools in the Hills Shire Council Local Government Area can access the program free of charge.
If your school is located out of area you may wish to contact your Local Council to enquire if they have any similar programs.
The Office of Local Government (OLG) may also have some educational programs available. Visit the OLG website here.
Registration
Complete the online registration form below:
Click here to view form.