Dogs on School Grounds & Animal Ethics

Dogs on School Grounds

Glen Eden Primary values the benefits that interactions with animals can bring to our school community. We encourage appropriate behaviour when interacting with dogs so that students have a positive experience and to reduce the risk of accident or injury.

Guidelines

Visiting dogs must have no history of aggression towards people and must be fully trustworthy in a school environment. Owners bringing a dog on to school grounds must follow the guidelines below. Disability assist dogs and support/therapy dogs are welcome at Glen Eden Primary and may be allowed inside school buildings.

• Dogs must be on a leash held by an adult, and kept reasonably close to the adult.
• Dogs can be tied up for brief periods e.g. long enough to take a child to their class. The dog must be on a short leash and away from entry points so that people in the school grounds have a choice about whether they come into contact with the dog.
• If the dog is considered by the council or any other authority to be a breed that needs muzzling, the dog must be muzzled on school property.Dogs are not allowed inside school buildings without prior approval.
• Dog owners should help educate children about how best to approach their dog.
• Dogs are not allowed to drink from school water fountains.
• Owners must remove any mess left by their dog.

We report any stray dogs to animal control, and follow our lockdown procedure if there is a threat to the safety of students and staff.

Animal Ethics

Glen Eden Primary complies with the Animal Welfare Act 1999 when considering the use of animals in our teaching and learning. As required, we attend to the welfare of any animals kept at our school and ensure they have:

• suitable and adequate food and water
• shelter
• appropriate handling
• the opportunity to behave normally
• protection from injury and disease.

We ensure that the benefits of using animals in teaching and learning are not outweighed by likely harm to animals. For certain activities involving animals, we seek ethics approval as appropriate.

When necessary, we seek a permit from the Department of Conservation to keep wildlife, including lizards.