A Welsh cardigan corgi named Ghost visited Tamworth Public School’s Kinder Smilies class last Thursday to teach the students how to live safely with dogs.

He was accompanied by Jacqueline Roper, his owner and pet educator for the government-funded Responsible Pet Program. 

Mrs Roper said, while Ghost had to pass a temperament test before he could work with children, the lesson for the students was not all dogs react the same to strangers.

So, while the young audience was eager to meet their mild-mannered, furry presenter, he was unavailable until the basics of dog etiquette was presented by Mrs Roper.

The Living Safely with Pets primary school program and Living Safely with Dogs preschool program use techniques such as roleplay, music, dance and interactive multi-media activities to help get a serious pet safety message across.

The innovative programs conveys age-appropriate messages about animal welfare, training, pet ownership and how to choose an appropriate pet.

Children also learnt what to do if they find themselves at threat of being attacked by a dog.