FOR KIDS –
This week’s blog was inspired by someone who told me, “Frankly, that breed of dog scares me and the thought of a loose dog running up behind me or one of my grandkids makes me shudder.”
It doesn’t matter what breed scares you.
Dogs running loose without their owners should scare everybody, whether the dog is a seven-pound chihuahua or a seventy-pound retriever.
Loose dogs are a danger to themselves and others.
Kids often attract loose dogs, for many reasons. Kids are likely to be out on the sidewalk, playing with other kids, roller-skating, riding bikes, moving around a lot, making noise.
Dogs see and hear those kids, and dogs often want to be with them.
They may be very friendly dogs.
They may mean no harm.
But if dogs get out of their yards unsupervised … the kids could be in danger.
Friendly dogs can jump up on kids, playfully paw at them, pull at their clothing, knock off their glasses—and frighten them horribly, because kids have no way to tell whether or not these seemingly aggressive actions are meant to harm them.
What happens then?
Kids scream and run.
What does the dog do?
The dog chases them!
What happens next could traumatize a child, leaving scars that are both emotional and physical. The outcome for the dog is usually more deadly.
Parents, grandparents, and caregivers for children, a very simple system exists that you can teach your kids to use if they are approached by a dog they don’t know.
Be A Tree!
- Stop.
- Fold your branches.
- Watch your roots grow.
- Count in your head until help comes.
- Stop. Stand still. Don’t move at all.
- Fold your branches. Put your arms at your sides. Fold your hands together.
- Watch your roots grow. Look down at your feet, not at the dog.
- Count in your head until help comes. Counting helps the child concentrate on something other than fear.
Here is Be A Tree‘s explanation of why to be a tree:
Trees are boring to dogs. Be a Tree and a dog will just sniff and then go away. When was the last time you saw a dog chasing a tree?
Be A Tree in any of these situations:
- A strange dog comes near you (even if he seems friendly).
- Any dog is making you feel uncomfortable, worried, or scared.
- A dog is chasing you.
- Your own or a friend’s dog is acting too frisky or excited.
Count in your head to the highest number you know and then start back at 1 again until the dog goes away or help comes.
Most dogs do not intend to scare or bite people, but they do like to investigate. Most dogs will chase a person who runs, and will get more excited the more the person runs.
Shouting or screaming is also exciting to dogs—and can frighten some of them. Being still and quiet is the best way to show a dog that you mean no harm, and that you are not going to play with him or threaten him.
Kids can learn this program easily with your help. Don’t wait until they have a bad experience!
You can teach them the Be A Tree program today. It works for adults, too.
Doggone Safe is a nonprofit organization dedicated to dog-bite prevention through education and to dog-bite victim support. Be A Tree is Doggone Safe’s program for children, available for use by teachers or by individual families.
To find out more about Be A Tree, including some simple illustrations to show the kids, do an Internet search for “Be A Tree” or “Doggone Safe.”
