DOG FEDERATION OF NEW YORK LAUNCHES
DOG BITE PREVENTION PSA RADIO ADS IN HUDSON VALLEY

Local Broadcasters Team Up With Dog Federation Of New York and
Campaign for Responsible Ownership To Help Create Dog-Friendly, Dog-Safe™ Communities

Poughkeepsie, NY – May 4, 2009 – The Dog Federation of New York has launched a new, public service awareness radio campaign to help educate the public about dog safety, prevent dog bites and with the help of local radio broadcasters, create Dog-Friendly, Dog-Safe Communities™ across New York State.

The statewide dog bite prevention project is intended to reduce or prevent the estimated 4.7 million dog bites that occur each year. According to the Centers For Disease Control, most dog bite victims are young children under twelve, and through education most dog bites are highly preventable.

The public service radio campaign kicks off just in time for National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which runs from May 17 to May 23, and will air on local stations across the Hudson Valley region. The PSA radio spots are based on research and recommendations from the Centers For Disease Control and the American Veterinary Medical Association, and communicate simple dog bite prevention tips.

“The spots are easy for parents to remember” says Mahlon Goer of the DFNY, coordinator for the dog safety effort in the Hudson Valley. Please Say Please teaches children to ask permission before petting a dog. Loose Dog, Lost Dog and Be A Tree are spots about staying safe. Listeners learn how to Contain Humanely and equally important in preventing dog bites, Social Animal reminds us that dogs really do need a social life.

Experts Dr. Julie Gilchrist, MD of the Center For Disease Control and Dr. Gail Golab, PhD, DVM of the American Veterinary Medical Association are co-authors of the joint CDC/AVMA report, A Community Approach To Dog Bite Prevention. As the country’s leading authorities on dog bites, they say it’s critical to appropriately choose, train, socialize, and maintain a dog. Furthermore, the experts say it is owner behavior, not the breed of dog or other factors, that is the key to bite prevention.

“We need to make sure that every parent and every child is educated about dog safety – even if they don’t own a dog”, said The Campaign’s founder, Ms. Haywood, “We can prevent dog bites and we can work to eliminate rare but tragic serious attacks. Thanks to the generous and caring support of local broadcasters that air the PSA radio spots and the Dog Federation Of New York, we’re all working together to protect children and create Dog-Friendly, Dog-Safe™ Communities”.

“We are extremely grateful to Franz Kaisik at WDST Radio Woodstock, and Kenya Gipson of Clear Channel of the Hudson Valley for airing the PSA’s, such as Supervise For Safety, Be A Tree and Please Say Please, from the Campaign For Responsible Ownership. We thank them for sharing our commitment to protect our children and the entire community."