Data and facts on the efforts of humane education that teaches animal care and empathy to children.
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Preschoolers | Primary School
Highlights
Preschoolers
Jump to: Understanding Dog Distres Signals (Lincolnshire, UK) | Dog Bite Prevention Effectiveness (Edinburgh, UK) | Dog Bite Prevention Effectiveness (Turkey)
Ability of Preschoolers to Understand Dog Distress Signals (Lincolnshire, UK)
External link:
Meints K, Brelsford V and De Keuster T (2018) Teaching Children and Parents to Understand Dog Signaling. Front. Vet. Sci. 5:257. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00257
Pre- and Post-training Test Results
| Correct % | Baseline Test (Test 1) | Post-Training (Test 2) | After 6 Months (Test 3) | After 1 Year (Test 4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conflict Escalating Signals | ||||
| 3 year-olds | 47% | 50% | 64% | 66% |
| 4 year-olds | 55% | 72% | 70% | 76% |
| 5 year-olds | 64% | 83% | 77% | 81% |
| Parents | 83% | 100% | ||
| Conflict Avoiding Signals | ||||
| 3 year-olds | 23% | 26% | 33% | 30% |
| 4 year-olds | 31% | 27% | 33% | 36% |
| 5 year-olds | 27% | 42% | 25% | 20% |
| Parents | 52% | 93% | ||
| Conflict Defusing Signals | ||||
| 3 year-olds | 16% | 14% | 16% | 14% |
| 4 year-olds | 13% | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| 5 year-olds | 20% | 20% | 18% | 13% |
| Parents | 28% | 73% |
Research Summary | Back to Top
Campaign Effectiveness of A Dog Bite Prevention Program for Preschoolers (Edinburgh, UK)
External link:
Lakestani N, Donaldson ML. Dog Bite Prevention: Effect of a Short Educational Intervention for Preschool Children. PLoS One. 2015;10(8):e0134319. Published 2015 Aug 19. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0134319
Pre- and Post-test Results
| Average Correct Score | Intervention Group Pre-test | Intervention Group Post-test | Control Group Pre-test | Control Group Post-test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Correct Answers | 5.0 | 7.3 | 5.0 | 5.3 |
| .. Training videos | 2.2 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| .. Test-only videos | 2.8 | 3.8 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
| Target Behaviours Identified | 4.4 | 9.1 | 5.1 | 5.4 |
Research Summary | Back to Top
Campaign Effectiveness of A Dog Bite Prevention Program for Preschoolers (Turkey)
External link:
Sevim Isparta, Ufuk Kaya, Ozge Sahin, C. Etkin Safak, Ilknur Yardim Ozer, Sarah Heath, Marietta Papadatou-Pastou, Yasemin Salgirli Demirbas, The first assessment of a dog bite prevention program for pre-school children in Turkey, Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Volume 46, 2021, Pages 79-86, ISSN 1558-7878, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2021.05.008
Pre- and Post-test Results
| Questionnaire / Age Group | Average Scores Before Program | Average Scores Immediately After Program | Average Scores One Week After Program |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dog-human Interaction | |||
| Group 1 (Kindergarten) | 2.16 | 3.34 | 3.45 |
| Group 2 (Pre-K) | 1.98 | 2.85 | 3.15 |
| Group 3 (Pre-School) | 2.06 | 2.61 | 2.33 |
| Total | 2.06 | 2.94 | 3.02 |
| Contexts for Approaching Dogs | |||
| Group 1 (Kindergarten) | 3.39 | 3.53 | 3.50 |
| Group 2 (Pre-K) | 2.93 | 3.05 | 3.16 |
| Group 3 (Pre-School) | 2.56 | 2.91 | 3.23 |
| Total | 2.96 | 3.17 | 3.30 |
| Being A Tree | |||
| Group 1 (Kindergarten) | 3.86 | 3.85 | |
| Group 2 (Pre-K) | 3.50 | 3.52 | |
| Group 3 (Pre-School) | 3.48 | 3.65 |
Research Summary | Back to Top
Primary School
Jump to: Animal Welfare Knowledge & Attitudes Change (Scotland) | Long-Term Dog Bite Trends (Graz, Austria)
Scottish SPCA Humane Education Program Impact on Animal Welfare Knowledge & Attitude
External link:
Hawkins, RD, Williams, JM & Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, SSPCA 2017, ‘Assessing effectiveness of a nonhuman animal welfare education program for Primary School children’, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 240-256. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2017.1305272
Change in Knowledge & Attitude by Workshop Session
| Pre-Test | Post-Test | |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge about animals (high score = high knowledge) | ||
| Animal Friendly Citizen | 3.5 | 4.9 |
| You and Your Pet | 4 | 6 |
| Wildlife Welfare | 3.4 | 4.9 |
| Food and Farm Animal | 3.6 | 4.5 |
| Control Group | 3.2 | 3.3 |
| Knowledge about Scottish SPCA | ||
| Animal Friendly Citizen | 1.19 | 1.1 |
| You and Your Pet | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Wildlife Welfare | 1.23 | 1.1 |
| Food and Farm Animal | 1.23 | 1.1 |
| Control Group | 1.26 | 1.24 |
| Children’s beliefs about animal minds (low score = high BAM) | ||
| Animal Friendly Citizen | 1.8 | 1.75 |
| You and Your Pet | 1.8 | 1.72 |
| Wildlife Welfare | 1.8 | 1.77 |
| Food and Farm Animal | 1.8 | 1.73 |
| Control Group | 1.8 | 1.78 |
| Attitudes towards animals (low score = positive attitudes) | ||
| Animal Friendly Citizen | 1.69 | 1.68 |
| You and Your Pet | 1.69 | 1.67 |
| Wildlife Welfare | 1.7 | 1.69 |
| Food and Farm Animal | 1.69 | 1.67 |
| Control Group | 1.7 | 1.69 |
| Attitudes towards pet animals (low score = positive attitudes) | ||
| Animal Friendly Citizen | 1.16 | 1.15 |
| You and Your Pet | 1.16 | 1.15 |
| Wildlife Welfare | 1.17 | 1.17 |
| Food and Farm Animal | 1.16 | 1.15 |
| Control Group | 1.13 | 1.16 |
| Attitudes towards wild animals (low score = positive attitudes) | ||
| Animal Friendly Citizen | 1.16 | 1.14 |
| You and Your Pet | 1.16 | 1.13 |
| Wildlife Welfare | 1.18 | 1.15 |
| Food and Farm Animal | 1.15 | 1.12 |
| Control Group | 1.18 | 1.16 |
| Attitudes towards farm animals (low score = positive attitudes) | ||
| Animal Friendly Citizen | 20 | 19.9 |
| You and Your Pet | 19.8 | 18.9 |
| Wildlife Welfare | 20 | 20 |
| Food and Farm Animal | 20 | 19 |
| Control Group | 21 | 20.8 |
| Attachment to Animals (low score = high attachment) | ||
| Animal Friendly Citizen | 1.14 | 1.12 |
| You and Your Pet | 1.19 | 1.11 |
| Wildlife Welfare | 1.14 | 1.13 |
| Food and Farm Animal | 1.14 | 1.1 |
| Control Group | 1.15 | 1.13 |
Research Summary | Back to Top
Dog Safety Program and Reduced Severity of Dog Bites (Graz, Austria)
External link:
Kienesberger, B., Arneitz, C., Wolfschluckner, V. et al. Child safety programs for primary school children decrease the injury severity of dog bites. Eur J Pediatr 181, 709–714 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-021-04256-z
Statistics of Dog-Related Incidents Between 2014 and 2018
1. Demographics of Injured Children
- Age:
- Total injured children under 15 years: 296
- Age 0-10 years: 222 (75%)
- Gender:
- Male: 148
- Female: 148 (equal distribution)
2. Circumstances and Timing of Injuries
- Season: Majority during summer
- Month: Peak in July (n = 38; 13%)
- Day of the Week: Peak on Sundays (n = 56; 19%)
3. Type and Severity of Injuries
- Dog Bites: 212 out of 296 children (71.6%)
- Severity of Bites:
- Minor injuries: 195 (92% of bite cases)
- Location of Bites:
- Extremities: 100 (47% of bite cases)
- Head: 95 (45% of bite cases)
- Trunk: 18 (8% of bite cases)
- Severity of Bites:
- Overall Injury Severity:
- Severe injuries (requiring surgical intervention): 8% (significantly lower than a previous study’s 26% between 1994 and 2003)
- Hospitalization: 9.0% of patients (down from 27.5% in 1994-2003)
- Non-Bite Injuries (n = 84):
- Falls due to dog pulling leash/jumping: 43 (51%)
- Injuries related to the dog’s leash: 28 (33%)
- Falls over the dog: 11 (13%)
- Other: 2 (3%)
4. Characteristics of the Dogs Involved in Bite Cases (n = 212)
- Breed Identification: Breed could be determined in 183 cases (86%)
- Size of Known Breeds: All distinct known breeds were classified as large.
- Exception: Dachshund accounted for 5 bites (2.7% of bite cases).
- Familiarity of Dog:
- Familiar dog: 146 cases (69%)
- Own dog: 49 cases (23% of all bite cases)
- Unfamiliar dog: 66 cases (31%)
- Familiar dog: 146 cases (69%)