Vet’s book teaches kids to play safe with pets

Pets are an everyday part of childhood for more than 83 per cent of the Australian population, but current trends show that dog bites and fatalities are still a major concern. In addition, children continue to be at the top of the list for sustaining animal-related injuries and diseases such as roundworms, salmonella, and ringworm. 

The results of unhappy encounters between children and pets can be small or disastrous, leading to long-term disfigurement, scarring, fearfulness and in some very unfortunate cases, death.

Pets’ Playground: Playing Safe in a Dog-and-Cat World is a book with accompanying website that mixes fun and education to give children the necessary skills and knowledge to keep them and their pets safe. 

Topics such as dog and cat behaviour, nutrition and veterinary care are delivered through a range of fun activities, interesting facts, relevant tips and colourful illustrations.

“Pets promote the advancement of social attributes in children, including companionship, affection, responsibility and respect,” says the book’s author, Amanda Chin.

“However, this human-animal bond can quickly dissolve if simple safety is not practised, creating an unsafe environment for the child and the pet.”

Dr Chin says parents, doctors, vets, and teachers all play a significant role in educating children about pet safety and the book was created to help them provide children aged four to nine with the necessary skills and knowledge to promote safety for both children and their pets while strengthening their special bond.

Pets’ Playground: Playing Safe in a Dog-and-Cat World is Dr Chin’s second book, following Chaff n’ Skaffs: Mai and the Lost Moskivvy, a whimsical children’s book about a young girl’s journey in the Australian bush to help a friend in need.

Since completing her Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree, Dr Chin has worked in veterinary practice, for regulatory boards and with pharmaceutical companies in Australia, the UK and the USA. In between writing books, she consults on animal-related issues and creates resources to help improve pet ownership.

Pets’ Playground was prompted by Dr Chin’s experiences speaking to pet owners and veterinary staff about the importance of preventative medicine, as well as her time on the committee of the Australian Veterinary Association’s Pets and People Education Program.

Her interests in promoting pet health and welfare extend well beyond the written word and the public speaking circuit. Dr Chin, who believes that education about responsible pet ownership is essential for all ages, recently co-developed an iPhone application called FilaPet that allows pet owners to store essential information on their animals, email for repeat prescriptions and receive reminders about visits to the vet.

Dean of Veterinary Science at the University of Melbourne Ken Hinchcliff says Dr Chin has addressed the important challenge of ensuring the safety of children and pets that share the same household, and provides parents and parents-to-be with sound advice.”

www.vet.unimelb.edu.au