How to Teach Pet Safety to Kids
Most children have a natural affinity for animals and show little fear when approaching them. Teaching pet safety to kids is a matter of allowing kids to hang on to that attraction to animals while explaining, and emphasizing, safe practices. It's vital to prepare kids with simple, easy-to-remember guidelines for interacting with pets so they will know what to do when on their own.
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Instructions
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Talk about all the kinds of animals that might be pets, including your own if you have any. Explain that some people have no pets at all, but others might have what seems like a little zoo at their house. Explain that the most important rule is "Don't touch until a grownup says it's OK." The same goes for any pets out in a yard or walking with their owners. Once children have permission to pet or touch an animal, here's the rule:
No ears, eyes, mouth or nose.
And never ever touch a tail. -
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Teach children what to do when confronted by a strange dog. According to the kidshealth.org article "How to Stay Safe Around Animals," kids should learn if a dog starts running toward them, they shouldn't run because most dogs will run after them, not necessarily to hurt them but just for the fun of the chase. Let the child act out the part of the dog and model how to stand very still and let the dog sniff you if it wants to; explain that most dogs will get bored and leave. Keep your hands at your sides, stay silent and look straight ahead, not at the dog. After a few minutes, start to walk away slowly.
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Talk about all the free-running animals kids might see that are not pets. Tell kids to pretend that these animals are wearing signs that say "Do Not Touch." Emphasize the fact that no matter how little and cute a bunny rabbit, a squirrel or a bird might look, it is not safe to touch them. Also, except for bird feeders hung high on poles or in trees, explain that feeding wild animals is not a good idea.
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Practice appropriate actions with stuffed animals. To ensure that kids will remember what you have said about how to stay safe around animals, do some role-playing using stuffed toy animals. For example, put a stuffed dog on a "leash" (you can use a belt) and pretend to be walking it. Have the child ask if he can pet the dog and ask the child to demonstrate where it is appropriate to touch the dog. Put down a saucer in front of a toy cat and ask the child whether or not she thinks this would be a good time to approach the cat. Set up a play fence around a toy dog and talk about why a child should not stick his hand through the fence.
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Read books to children about pet safety. With bright-colored illustrations and engaging text, some vital information might be more easily accepted than what a parent says. Check your library or local bookstore for such choices as "Be a Dog's Best Friend: A Safety Guide for Kids," by Renee Payne and Jennifer Gladysz (Doggie Couch Books 2009), "Tails Are Not for Pulling," by Elizabeth Verdick (Free Spirit Publishing 2005) or "May I Pet Your Dog? The How-to Guide for Kids Meeting Dogs," by Stephanie Calmenson (Clarion Books 2007).
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Tips & Warnings
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry advises that because young children are not mature enough to control their impulsive behavior, "they should be monitored with pets at all times."
References
Resources
- Photo Credit boy with dog image by Marzanna Syncerz from Fotolia.com
