Doggone Crazy Board Game Creator Announces “Dog Days of Winter” Promotion for Pet Supply and Toy Retailers to Help Prevent Dog Bites During Spring Break

Spring break is just around the corner, a time when dog behavior consultants brace themselves for an onslaught of calls from distraught dog owners and parents. “I have been receiving an elevated number of dog bite calls because of the recent weather-related school closures”, says Jennifer Shryock of Family Paws in Cary NC. “When dogs and kids are cooped up together and family routines change, dogs can become stressed and anxious and accidents can happen”. Kids and families will learn from the photograph cards in Doggone Crazy how to read dog body language and interpret the generally misunderstood, often subtle signals that dogs send when they just want to be left alone. Fun and action keep kids playing over and over and the bite prevention messages are cemented in their minds.

Doggone Crazy would like to put the game in as many hands as possible before spring break and to pass along bite prevention tips to families whether they buy the game or not. Pet supply and toy retailers in the US and Canada are invited to take part in the Dog Days of Winter bite prevention campaign (until Feb 27, 2004). They can purchase one game at the manufacturer’s cost and also receive a coloring page with bite prevention tips that can be used as part of a coloring contest. They will also receive a press release to customize and a flyer announcing the contest. The sample game can be given away to the contest winner, raffled off, won in a draw, sold at a discount or used in any way to promote participation in the coloring contest and dissemination of the coloring page containing the bite prevention tips.

According to Dr. Dan Simpson, spokesperson for the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association, “Dog attacks are the number one public health problem of children, with more than half of children bitten by age 12”. Prevention measures parents can take include, supervising any time dogs and children are together, ensuring that child-safe environments are provided at friends’ and relatives’ houses where there is a dog, providing dog and kid zones so that dogs do not have access to playing children, training the dog using non-aggressive methods, learning to recognize dog body language that indicates the dog should be left alone and teaching children to stand still like a tree and not look at the dog if a strange dog approaches or any dog is frightening them. Vigilance is especially important during spring break when increased activity in the home and disrupted routines can result in some dogs reacting with a bite.

For additional information contact: Joan Orr at 905-854-3232. Email info@doggonecrazy.ca

Doggone Crazy is a company dedicated to dog bite prevention education and the creator of the family board game Doggone Crazy This unique and action-packed game empowers kids with the knowledge they need to make safe choices around dogs.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Joan Orr
Doggone Crazy!
2295 Mohawk Trail
Campbellville ON
Canada L0P 1B0
905-854-3232 (phone)
905-854-3271 (fax)
http://www.doggonecrazy.ca