Dogs make wonderful members of the family

From guide dogs, police dogs, search and rescue dogs to beloved companions; dogs have a long history of being by humans’ sides. Dogs make wonderful members of the family and can deeply enrich our lives.

They offer wholehearted love and affection that can bring physical, social and mental health benefits to people, but dogs are still animals, with their own unique language and they can bite. In fact, there are thousands of dog bite incidents in New Zealand every year. Around a third of these involve children under the age of nine and approximately 75 per cent of these incidents happen in the home or an environment where the dog is known to the child. Most often these incidents occur due to children not understanding how and why dogs behave the way they do and therefore how to behave safely around dogs. This can sometimes result in the dog being put down.

As well as making bylaws and providing information, our district and city council’s provide or arrange local dog control services including dog registration, education about dog ownership and safety around dogs. SPCA acknowledges there are many great council-led initiatives promoting safety around dogs throughout New Zealand, including handbooks for dog owners and school visits to teach children about dog safety. Visit your district or City Council's website to find out what dog safety education they are able to provide your school.

The Dog Box

The Department of Internal Affairs’ Dog Box is a fantastic resource to incorporate into your dog safety planning. Some of the content of the Dog Box is available below.  The Dog Box resource kit is aimed at school children in years 1 to 8 to teach them how to be safe around dogs. The Department of Internal Affairs currently distributes the free kit to primary schools, youth groups and local councils. If you would like copies for your school or classroom please contact the Department of Internal Affairs here .

The Dog Box teaching resource was developed by Origin Design and Lift Education on behalf of Department of Internal Affairs in 2005. It was distributed to all primary schools in New Zealand. In 2009, DIA consulted a number of organisations to determine whether to update the content of the Dog Box and reprint it.

The organisations included RNZSPCA, New Zealand Veterinary Association, New Zealand Kennel Club, Companion Animal Society, Hamilton City Council, Hutt City Council, Massey University and the Ministry for Primary Industries. Upon agreement that the resource kit should be updated and reprinted, DIA engaged Lift Education to progress the work. The update included changes to the teachers’ notes, to ensure they would meet the requirements of the New Zealand Curriculum.