The news reports about people being attacked and even killed by the American bully XL dog breed have been shocking.
For us in schools, the fear of a child being hurt is all too real - as a recent incident at our school underlined.
It was a Wednesday morning and, like every day, the senior leadership team, including myself, were on gate duty for drop-off.
I was standing by the kindergarten entrance when I suddenly spotted a pitbull-type dog running directly towards me at high speed with no owner in sight.
I realised the dog would rapidly reach the playground entrance, where hundreds of children were happily playing. I shouted to staff to shut the gates. They didn’t know what was happening but knew from my tone it was something serious and acted swiftly. Relief hit as the pupils were now safe.
Then I heard the scream. A three-year-old child, not yet in the playground, had seen the dog and was scared by it. His mum, a few feet away, had no idea a dog was on the loose.
The dog, hearing the scream, ran towards the child - reaching him before I or the mum could do so.
Thankfully, it didn’t directly attack but instead jumped around the child, scaring him but not doing any harm. The mum then grabbed the child and lifted him up, at which point the dog started jumping on her instead.
Dog attack danger
By now passers-by and other staff had seen what was happening and stepped in to help try to calm the dog down.
Some nearby roadworkers came over and, with the dog attracted to their fluorescent jackets, thankfully its interest in the mum and boy faded.
As all of this was unfolding other parents and children were arriving and had no clue about what had happened.
We were so lucky that nothing more happened than one child being scared. But it could have been so much worse. The dog’s speed and strength meant there was little I or the mother could have done if it had latched on to the boy.
Reviewing school protocols
We called the police after the incident and also undertook a critical incident review of our own protocols.
This involved watching video footage of the incident and reviewing the actions taken. One thing that became apparent was the need for improved communication between those inside and those outside on gate duty.
Because drop-off is on just one road and those outside can always see each other, we had not invested in a communication system between us and the reception team and staff inside the campus.
We had been unable to raise any alarm to the school, so people inside and out had no idea what was going on.
We realised that staff outside must be able to quickly inform staff inside of any incident so they can, if necessary, lock the campus down and shut doors or gates. This is something we are now reviewing.
We also reiterated to the local community that, regardless of legal compliance, it is best practice for all dogs to be safely on leads within the vicinity of the school. Responsible dog owners know this and are always willing to work with us for the benefit of all.
The need to be prepared
You may be wondering what happened to the dog. Well, it turned out that, while we were navigating the incident, the owner was calling the police to warn them their 18-month-old Staffordshire bull terrier had escaped their apartment by jumping over the balcony.
The dog loved children and clearly thought school was a fantastic place to be. It was found safe and returned to its owner, who now has better safety precautions.
We were lucky the dog just wanted to play. But it has cemented my belief that owners must be held accountable for their dogs, with laws making owners responsible for animals in their care.
Even with such laws and requirements in place, however, it is clear that school leaders need to be aware of the danger posed by dogs and have protocols in place for mitigating this threat should anything happen.
Liz Free is director and CEO of International School Rheintal, in Switzerland, an IB World School
