Central Bark Doggy Day Care Celebrates National Bite Prevention Week with "Bite Prevention" Curriculum Geared for Elementary School-Age Children
West Allis, WI (PRWEB) May 02, 2014 -- Central Bark Doggy Day Care, a pioneer of the doggy day care industry and creator of the “UnKennel” concept, celebrates May’s National Bite Prevention Week with the franchise’s “Dog Safety and Bite Prevention” curriculum developed for elementary school age children. Program objectives include helping reduce the preventable public health problem of dog bites; educating children on dog behavior and how dogs communicate; educating children on how to approach dogs; and educating children on what to do if they are approached by a stray or loose dog.
Central Bark’s “Dog Safety and Bite Prevention” curriculum includes a classroom training session completely geared towards younger children, as well as an interactive activity coloring fact sheet – also handed out in all of the Central Bark locations throughout the country for the month of May. The stores post the coloring sheets in their lobbies as another way to reach out to consumers on the importance of Bite Prevention.
According to the AVMA, “There are 70 million nice dogs, but any dog can bite!” The following statistics are listed on the AVMA website relating to dog bites in the U.S.:
• Each year, more than 4.5 million people in the U.S. are bitten by dogs.
• Almost 1 in 5 people bitten by dogs require medical attention.
• Every year, more than 800,000 Americans receive medical attention for dog bites; at least half of them are children.
• Children are, by far, the most common victims of dog bites and are far more likely to be severely injured.
• Most dog bites affecting young children occur during everyday activities and while interacting with familiar dogs.
• Senior citizens are the second most common dog bite victims.
Children need to be able to:
1. Recognize dog behavior:
• Tail is up and stiff or tucked tightly between the dogs legs
• Mouth and lips are pulled back showing teeth (dog may be barking or growling)
• Eyes are hard and may appear black as the pupil is dilated
• Ears are folded tightly back in a defensive position
• Hair on the back and shoulders might stand up and stick out
• Body very rigid and upright leaning forward and high
2. Understand that dogs are animals and by nature unpredictable, which means you don’t always know what they are going to do.
3. Acknowledge that any animal with a mouth and teeth can, and under the right circumstances, bite.
In addition, the children are taught the safe way to approach a dog, how to socialize their own dog, and what to do if a stray dog approaches them, which is the “meat and potatoes” of the curriculum – as it is the most likely “unsupervised” scenario that could potentially happen, including tips on:
What NOT TO DO:
• NEVER run or scream.
• NEVER look directly into the dog’s eyes.
What TO DO:
• If you are standing, you should pretend to be a tree, stand straight and tall.
• If you are sitting, you should pretend to be a rock, curled up and low.
• No talking, because trees and rocks don’t talk.
• Fold your arms across your body.
• Do not move.
• Do not look at the dog.
• After the dog leaves, tell an adult what happened.
Central Bark’s “Dog Safety and Bite Prevention” curriculum is an interactive program, which includes utilizing Barkley, the company mascot, to demonstrate what is being taught and helping the children to grasp the concepts. Between 2012 and 2013, approximately 4,000 students were exposed to Central Bark’s “Bite Prevention” program.
About Central Bark Doggy Day Care:
The Central Bark Doggy Day Care franchise system created in 2003 recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. The system currently has 27 locations in six states, with Gurnee, IL having just opened in September, Atlanta, GA opened in April and Falls Township, PA opening in the coming months. Co-Founders Jackie Jordan and Chris Gaba created the system based on a foundation of best practices to provide personalized pet care in an environment that is clean, safe and fun, and, as an alternative to kennel boarding. The company pioneered the doggy day care concept coining the phrase “the UnKennel” and set the standard of excellence in canine care that helps dogs become better canine citizens, improve the quality of dogs’ lives and enhance canine/parent relationships.
The company is a VetFran participant, the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) veteran program, and offers a 50 percent discount off the franchise fee for those qualifying veterans. Central Bark is also an IFA MinorityFran participant. For franchise information, please log onto http://www.centralbarkusa.com/franchising or call 866-799-2275.
Ellen Bookman, Bookman Public Relations, +1 770 971 9675, [email protected]
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