I have been a primary school teacher for most of my life .Last year I took early retirement and decided to spend the rest of my working life with animals. I now work part-time for Vets-Now (out of hours vet service) and often deal with animals who are in pain and therefore prone to bite. I started to research this and discovered that over 2000 children a year in the UK are bitten by dogs seriously enough to require hospital treatment. With my teaching skills and growing understanding of dog behaviour I felt passionately that I wanted to increase awareness of this issue ,as dogs often give many warnings before biting. The training includes reading dog behaviour, how to treat dogs, how to greet a new dog and how to protect themselves should a dog bother them. I have been told that I present this in a positive way that enables children to understand dogs rather than to become fearful of them. By empowering children they can enjoy the company of dogs which I believe can enrich their lives.
I have developed a program that I hoped would engage children 5-11 years (most frequently bitten ages.) I have now trialled it in some local schools where I live in Essex. I have been delighted by the positive feedback and I am now massively motivated to expand the project. Research in the States shows that dog bite awareness programs can reduce bites in children who have taken part by up to 80%.

My basic plan is to provide training for every school in Essex and possibly beyond, but this is dependent on funding. The figure targeted would enable the project to run for a year and would hopefully help to improve the program and enable me to recruit one or more people who feel equally driven by the need to provide this service to our children. I am also approaching companies and organisations that may offer sponsorship in future.