DSS Animal Management Senior staff and Education Officers give many talks to adults who work in the community and who therefore have to deal with dogs as they go about their work. Part of the presentation to these organisations and companies includes showing the Adults At Risk DVD to illustrate the strategies recommended to avoid dog attacks and unpleasant experiences with dogs.
Organisations that our staff have presented to include: Home Care Nurses, truancy officers, Community Constables, Housing NZ, Building Inspectors, Council workers and many others. Recently Mike and Brad from our Manukau team spoke to the Corrections Department Probation Officers and we received the following feedback.
Hi Tricia,
Thanks for your email and to Mike for his time last Tuesday. The presentation was very well received and all attendees found it valuable. Some POs hadn't received any training at all and even those POs who had some knowledge of dealing with dangerous dogs felt they still learned something. It was particularly useful to learn that there are so many officers in the area and that should we have any difficulties we can contact the team for assistance.
The DVD was a great tool and presenting the different scenarios was a fab idea. The pamphlets Mike left behind have been distributed around the team and those who were unable to attend have received these also. Mike's presentation was very informative and he presented confidently, I don't have any recommendations for improvement.
Thank you again to your team for taking the time to visit our centre.
Kind regards, Theresa
The Adults at Risk programme is relevant to anyone who, through their employment, is required to visit houses or visit people in their homes or who can be in a situation where dogs may be a problem to them.
The aim of this programme is to educate people about dogs and to give them strategies to protect themselves against dog attacks or being threatened and intimidated by aggressive dog behaviour.
The components of this programme are the booklet with DVD for those training staff. Extra copies of the booklet are available for purchase and it is highly recommended that these are given to staff as an ongoing reference for them.
The booklet outlines many strategies to help keep people safe from dog attacks and from being threatened by dogs as they go about their work activities. The DVD shows many examples of these strategies. The strategies outlined in the programme are also applicable to any adult or child when they come into contact with dogs.
DVD and Booklet chapters include: Entering a property by appointment, Entering a property without an appointment, Entering a fenced property that has dogs, Entering an unfenced property that has dogs, Safety Equipment, Understanding a dog’s behaviour, Territorial Aggression and Stray Dogs. Also information on: Dog laws – offences and rights, Dog Owner Responsibilities to the Community, a copy of an Appointment Form, a copy of a Dog Incident Report Form, First Aid, Useful phone numbers.
"Statistics NZ are using the Adults At Risk programme for their field staff and have found it a valuable resource. The handy package of the booklet for quick and frequent reference, with the DVD for group and initial staff training has drawn a really positive response from our staff."
This programme can be purchased by companies and organisations employing staff or by anyone who comes into contact with dogs and would like to know how to behave in order to minimise the risk of a dog attack. It is an essential part of any training programme for employees who are working out in the community to ensure their safety as they go about their business.