Bite Prevention Week: Moving Beyond Awareness Through AAS Programs

Written By Society for Companion Animal Studies SCAS

By SCAS Communications Volunteer, Raghad Hussein

Dog Bite Prevention Week takes place this week but it has nothing to do with avoiding dogs. It means awareness and safety, and for The Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) it also means safe interaction.

#PreventDogBites

Many dog bite accidents happen involving younger children, as shown in reports of paediatric dog bite incidents. Helping a new generation of kids to accept dogs while feeling confident around them is essential, and now with AAS programmes it’s not just about general awareness, it’s about real interaction with safe guidance.

Animal-Assisted Education can have a strong impact on developing empathy, boundaries, and compassion in environments such as classrooms where pets are present. The presence of a dog in a classroom, can support well-being, prosocial behaviour, emotional development, and cognitive growth in children. 

Institutions or educational spaces still find it difficult to implement programmes for very young ages, even though studies show that child–dog interactions preceding bites often occur in children younger than 6 years.

The question is: how can we actually share awareness in the presence of dogs, not just in theory?

Children are more likely to experience dog bites, often due to miscommunication rather than intention. There have been many programmes designed to raise awareness among kids.

It can start with:

  • Being introduced to stuffed animals to observe the child’s reaction first

  • Being introduced to gentle touch

  • Learning how to accept a dog approaching them without loud voices or sudden reactions

  • Being prepared, instead of reacting impulsively

  • NEVER leaving a child unsupervised with a dog (even for a moment)

  • Educating yourself on canine body language so you know when a dog is showing signs of distress or agitation.

  • Never forcing a dog or child to interact. 

Research suggests that seeing changes in a dog’s body language through a realistic immersive environment may accelerate learning compared to traditional verbal teaching.

Merging drama and role play with dogs around can also be helpful, introducing the right scenarios so children understand how to act and respond, while also giving them simple and practical tools.

Before engaging in or enrolling a child in an Animal-Assisted Education programme, enquire about the trainer’s qualifications and ask if they follow the SCAS Code of Practice to ensure safety for the animals, children, and educations. 

Bite prevention is not about creating distance between children and dogs but about building understanding well enough to keep them safe.

References

Society for Companion Animal Studies SCAS
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