IT ALL STARTS AT SCHOOL...

As I was walking Cleo & Lucky this morning, we ran into a whole bunch of school kids who were doing some kind of cross country running thing.

So all three of us stopped and waited patiently at the junction for all the kids to go past... There were hundreds of them. Cleo and Lucky behaved exceptionally well and just stood there watching the kids. The school kids however, were not nearly as well behaved as my fur-kids.

Almost every single one of them started to - get this - BARK!!! - when they saw us. I was quite horrified at their behaviour and told many of them to stop doing the nonsense that they were doing

If they were faced with dogs that were not as well behaved or strays, they may have put themselves in danger of being bitten by the dogs. Thankfully, my kids didn't flinch in the slightest bit with all the ruckus.

But what irked me most this morning, was not the behaviour of the school kids, but the behaviour of some of the teachers that were chaperoning the kids. One of the teachers who rode past on a motorcycle actually turned around to the children and started shouting and waving like a lunatic!

He shouted: Anjing kat depan! Anjing kat depan! Tepi! Tepi! Tepi! Nanti kena gigit! Tepi! Tepi! Anjing kat depan! Nanti kena gigit! (Dogs up ahead! Dogs up ahead! Move! Move! Move! You'll get bitten!)

This ridiculous behaviour of the teacher got the kids into a right frenzy and they literally all started to run helter-skelter, and scream and shout hysterically as they passed us!

I nearly had a heart attack right there and glared at this stupid teacher! Seriously if my dogs were easily spooked or not as well trained, they would have most probably gotten very excited and may have actually bitten some of the kids.

I feel that as an adult the last thing that teacher should have done was to make the kids panic! He should have told them to walk by calmly and quietly instead of scaring them like he did. And the worst part of this fiasco, was that he rode away after shouting at the kids, instead of staying there to ensure that the kids were safe from my two "ferocious" dogs!

This is probably why so many kids react so badly when they see dogs or when a dog approaches them. Their reaction can cause them to be seriously hurt.

I hope that parents and teachers will actually teach their kids to react the correct way when faced with an unknown dog. Here are some tips on how to prevent being attacked or bitten by a dog!

Avoiding dog attacks

The following tips may help you avoid being attacked by a dog:

• Don't stare dogs in the eyes - dogs often feel as though you're challenging them when you make direct eye contact with them, so this should be avoided to reduce the risk of attack.
• STAND STILL - or maintain a constant slow pace while BACKING out of the dog's territory if you are withdrawing. Do not turn away from the dog.
• Never try to outrun a dog as this will provoke the dog to chase you and this can end in an attack.
• Start by slowly distancing yourself from the dog if it begins to approach you. Get something between yourself and it - for instance if you're on a bike, place the bike between you and the dog; if there is a tree post or bench, ensure they are between yourself and the dog. Once behind the object you can speak softly and gently to calm the dog.
• Do not use part of your body - e.g. an arm - to distance yourself from the dog as the dog may snap at you, causing injury.
• Keep a safe distance between yourself and dogs being walked on a lead, and always ask the owner's permission before approaching any dog.
• Be aware of areas that dogs frequent and change your route to avoid dogs which are not on leads. 

 

What to do if a dog attacks you

• Call 999 (or ask somebody else to) as soon as it is possible to do so. 
• Do not use part of your body - e.g. an arm - to distance yourself from the dog as the dog may snap at you, causing injury.
• If you are attacked or knocked to the ground, take measures to protect your face, neck and head by curling up in a ball and putting your hands on the back of your neck. Try to be still and do not wave your arms around.