A few hands went up.
Mr Hannam pointed to his ear.
“I was bitten by a dog when I was young but it wasn’t the dog’s fault. I just didn’t know how to be safe around dogs.”
Kaiti School principal Billie-Jean Potaka-Ayton said dogs often followed their owners to school.
“Kuri (dogs) are an important part of many families in our community so most kids have a good idea of how to behave safely around dogs.
“There are, however, tamariki who are quite anxious around dogs and the only contact they have is when they see a dog out in the community.
“When Anzac comes to visit, he exposes those kids to safe practices around dogs they may meet when walking to and from school, at the park or playing when adults aren’t around.”
Mr Hannam gave the students a golden rule to follow.
“If you don’t know the dog, leave it alone.”
Dogs attacked for several reasons, he said.
They might be angry, scared or they could be protecting their puppies.
A dog will tuck its tail between its legs when angry.
But a friendly-looking dog could be just as dangerous, Mr Hannam said.
A dog might be happy on its own but if the owner was not there it was best to stay away.
A dog might feel a person entering a property without permission was a threat, he said
Another tip — which he said could be hard to follow — was if an angry dog barked at you, the best thing to do was stay still and walk away slowly.
People who ran away were likely to be chased.
GDC engagement manager Fraser Hopkins said schools were keen on the dog safety programme.
“We’ve seen a huge uptake from local schools, with more than half accepting the offer to visit,” said Mr Hopkins.
“The main message for children is to be safe and to respect dogs, as they don’t always want to be patted.
“One of the key lessons to children is to let a dog sniff your hand to introduce yourself if you are allowed to pet a dog. If you don’t know it and it looks angry keep still if you can to prevent it chasing you.”
