Offering Better Care: Statistics on Youth Education Programs

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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: Dog Bite Prevention Effectiveness (Edinburgh, UK) | Dog Bite Prevention Effectiveness (Turkey)

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 ScoreIntervention Group Pre-testIntervention Group Post-testControl Group Pre-testControl Group Post-test
Total Correct Answers5.07.35.05.3
.. Training videos2.23.62.62.4
.. Test-only videos2.83.82.62.7
Target Behaviours Identified4.49.15.15.4

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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 GroupAverage Scores
Before Program 		Average Scores Immediately
After Program		Average Scores One Week
After Program
Dog-human Interaction
Group 1 (Kindergarten)2.163.343.45
Group 2 (Pre-K)1.982.853.15
Group 3 (Pre-School)2.062.612.33
Total2.062.943.02
Contexts for Approaching Dogs
Group 1 (Kindergarten)3.393.533.50
Group 2 (Pre-K)2.933.053.16
Group 3 (Pre-School)2.562.913.23
Total2.963.173.30
Being A Tree
Group 1 (Kindergarten)3.863.85
Group 2 (Pre-K)3.503.52
Group 3 (Pre-School)3.483.65

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Primary School

Jump to: Dog Safety Program Effectiveness (Graz, Austria)

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)
  • 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%)

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