Nov 27, 2007 4:41 pm US/Central
Preventing Bites: Kids Learn How To Act Near Dogs
(WCCO)
-
-
Madeline came to the north Minneapolis school to teach the kids doggie dos and don'ts.
CBS
A rash of
life threatening and deadly dog attacks has a canine crew taking action.
Rotta Love
Plus is on a mission to teach children ways to prevent dog bites.
The Rottweiler
and Pit Bull rescue group brings
highly trained dogs from the so called "bully breeds" to teach
children how to protect themselves from attacks and how to act around all dogs.
A number of
children at Jenny
Lind Community
School know about dog
bites.
"Yeah
we were bitten. This lady, she was looking for her dog and it came out and we ran," said 7-year-old Jayla Johnson. "It
was chasing us."
They have
the scars to prove it.
"It had bit me on the arm," said Johnson showing a mark on her arm. "I was
scared."
It was a
completely different kind of dog they encountered at the training Tuesday.
"She's
a registered therapy dog with Therapy Dogs International," said Pit Bull
owner, Britt Horob.
Madeline
came to the north Minneapolis
school to teach the kids doggie dos and don'ts.
"We'll
talk about basically, how to stay safe around dogs -- what a stray dog is, and what to do if
a stray dog approaches you," said Rotta Love Plus Volunteer, Kellie
Dillner.
Volunteers
use dogs like Madeline to show kids what to do if a dog charges toward them.
"Stand
tight like a tree ... and when Madeline comes up, don't look at her," said
Dillner.
She also said
you should curl up if a dog knocks you down on the ground.
"You
want to cover your head so the dog can't get to your head," she said.
They
students learned what not to do too.
"You
should not scream or run," said Johnson.
The goal of the program is
to teach kids to bark, be aware, responsible and kind.
The kids
get to take the lessons they've learned home with them.
"I
learned if a dog is coming after you, just stand quiet like a tree and if they
knock you over, you gotta curl up like a rock," said Johnson.
Rotta Love
Plus also did a dog bite prevention training session recently for the family of
7-year-old Zach King Jr., who was killed by his pet pit bull last summer.
To see a
list of doggie dos and don'ts, click here.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
