Bark Busters Supports the Importance of Responsible Pet Ownership During May's National Pet Week and National Bite Prevention Week

Posted on May 05, 2008 by Bill Dube

In Celebration of America’s Love Affair With Its Pets, Bark Busters Offers Free Pet Safety Window Decals, Dog Safety Workshops, and Bite Prevention Tips

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—As part of its ongoing commitment to keep pets and people safe, Bark Busters, the world’s largest dog training company, will offer free pet safety window decals, dog safety workshops and bite prevention tips. These free community programs are part of a nationwide effort by the 250+ Bark Busters dog behavioral therapists across the country in honor of National Pet Week (May 4-10) and National Dog Bite Prevention Week (May 18-24).

“In celebration of the two national awareness weeks in May, Bark Busters is launching a three-part community education effort to help keep people and their canine friends safe,” said Liam Crowe, CEO and master dog behavioral therapist, Bark Busters USA. “By providing free dog safety workshops and bite prevention tips, Bark Busters hopes to reduce the number of dog attacks. And, to help keep pets safe, our window decals are designed to alert rescue personnel, like firefighters, that pets are inside the home.”

Free Pet Safety Window Decals

In response to National Pet Week, Bark Busters has created a free pet safety window decal. “Bark Busters is dedicated to helping Americans keep their beloved pets safe,” said Crowe. “To do this, people who own pets must create a pet safety plan in case of fire or other emergency. The first part of this plan is alerting emergency-response personnel to the existence of pets inside the home. The Bark Busters pet safety window decal does just that.”

The “Pets Inside” decal asks emergency personnel to “Please save our pets,” and it features space to indicate the number of dogs, cats, birds and other pets that live inside the home. Decals are available for free from participating veterinarians and local Bark Busters dog behavioral therapist.

Free Dog Safety Workshops

Nearly 5 million Americans are bitten by dogs every year—and more than 40 percent of these are children bitten by their family dog, according to the American Veterinary Association. To combat this serious problem, Bark Busters is offering free dog safety workshops to community-based organizations. Specifically designed for parents of small children, these workshops leverage the content developed for Bark Busters’ Dog Safety Program, which helps professional organizations keep employees safe from dog bites and dog-related injuries.

Hosted by Bark Busters’ dog behavioral therapists, these free community workshops will give participants dog-safety tips while helping them understand how to communicate more effectively with dogs by using voice control and body language. According to Crowe, fear is the most common cause of aggression in companion dogs. During the workshop, participants will learn how to recognize the signs of fear and aggression by reading a dog’s body language. In addition, the hour-long workshops will include important dog safety guidelines.

Bite Prevention Tips

Bark Busters offers the following tips for recognizing fear in dogs and preventing attacks.

Dog Body Language that Signals Potential Danger:

• Ears flattened against the head
• Tail lowered
• Backward-leaning posture
• Hackles raised on the back of neck
• Teeth bared or mouth shut tight

“If you encounter a dog exhibiting these signs, always face the dog,” said Crowe. “A fearful dog almost always attacks from behind.”

Safety Tips to Follow When a Threatening Dog Approaches:

• Stand still, stand tall and don’t move a muscle.
• Allow the dog to smell you but don’t put your hand out.
• Face the dog at all times but don’t stare or look into its eyes.
• Don’t run.
• Wait for the dog to lose interest.
• Back away slowly, watching the dog from the corner of your eye.

Bark Busters dog behavioral therapists are renowned authorities in the area of correcting dog behavior. The Australian training system can successfully train any dog, any age—even puppies. The company’s natural training techniques leverage the same communications methods—body language and voice control—that dogs follow as part of their instinctual pack mentality.

About Bark Busters

Bark Busters, the world's largest, most trusted dog training company, started in Australia in 1989 and came to the United States in 2000. Since inception, nearly 400,000 dogs have been trained worldwide using its dog-friendly, natural methods. With 250+ franchised offices in 42 states and more than 400 offices in 10 countries, Bark Busters is continuing its mission to build a global network of dog behavioral therapists to enhance responsible dog ownership and reduce the possibility of maltreatment, abandonment and euthanasia of companion dogs. Bark Busters is the only international dog training company that offers a written lifetime guarantee. SPCA International selected Bark Busters dog behavioral training services as the “Best of the Best” in its category. No other training company or dog trainer received such a distinction.