Doggone Safe is World Rabies Day Partner

    /24-7PressRelease/ - CAMPBELLVILLE, ON, CANADA, August 29, 2008 - World Rabies Day is on September 28, 2008. Partners around the world are holding events and engaging in public education campaigns to help eliminate this completely preventable disease. Key campaign messages include: Vaccinate your companion animals and stay away from stray animals and wild animals.

Despite being 100% preventable, it is estimated that 55,000 people die worldwide from rabies each year, approximately one person every ten minutes. The World Rabies Day initiative is a global rabies awareness campaign being spearheaded by the UK charity Alliance for Rabies Control and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"This campaign offers all of us a unique opportunity to increase global awareness of the most deadly disease known to humans," says Dr. Deborah Briggs, Executive Director for the Alliance of Rabies Control. "A major part of this effort is the declaration of an annual World Rabies Day on September 28th. Events are planned throughout the world to increase awareness about rabies, and to raise support and funding towards its prevention and control."

The cornerstones of rabies prevention are vaccination of companion animals and avoiding contact with potentially infected wild animals.

Doggone Safe will join the list of international partners who are rallied towards Working Together to Make Rabies History! "Doggone Safe is proud to be a World Rabies Day partner and we encourage all our members to get involved with Word Rabies Day events in their communities" says President and co-founder Joan Orr. "We have produced a postcard to help kids and families learn how to help animals and prevent exposure to rabies." This can be downloaded from the Doggone Safe website http://www.doggonesafe.com.
The main focus of this is to stay away from wild animals and loose dogs and to tell an adult. The best way to help an animal is to stay away from it and call Animal Control.
Rabies is rare in domestic dogs in most developed countries, so a loose dog that a child encounters is not likely to be rabid. Children should be encouraged to stay away from all dogs that do not have an owner holding the leash and to Be a Tree (stand still and quiet and avoid eye contact) if a loose dog comes up to them.
Doggone Safe has experts in dog training, dog behavior and dog bite prevention education available for interview. More information about the World Rabies Day Campaign can be found at http://www.worldrabiesday.org.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Joan Orr
2295 Mohawk Trail
Campbellville ON L0P 1B0
977-350-3232
www.doggonesafe.com
[email protected]

About Doggone Safe

The not-for-profit Doggone Safe mandate is based on juror's recommendations following an inquest into the mauling death of 8 year old Courtney Trempe in Ontario, Canada..

Doggone safe offers information about reading dog body language, dog training and preventing dog bites as well as an on-line course on basic body language at its website http://www.doggonesafe.com

The Be a Tree program for dog bite prevention education for school age children is around the world with information at www.be-a-tree.com. This program is supported by veterinary technicians/technologist professional associations across Canada and by the Saskatchewan and Ontario Veterinary Medical Associations.

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