News Beat
Stanley author Catherine Hepburn launches children’s dog safety book
Catherine Hepburn, from Stanley, welcomed around 30 people to her book launch on Friday, November 28, including representatives from Durham police, the RSPCA and local MP Luke Akehurst.
With Christmas just around the corner, she said she hopes the book will help young children and families prepare safely for bringing new pets into the home over the busy Christmas period and after.
“I’m a big fan of if you want a dog for a Christmas present, you don’t get it right at Christmas,” said the 40-year-old author.
“If the kids get some small presents, like my book, they can get all the excitement out of the way before getting the actual dog.”
Her book – ‘Is It Okay For Us To Play?’ – is a gentle, illustrated guide designed to help children understand dog behaviour and reduce the risk of incidents in the home.
The idea first came to Catherine years ago after seeing national coverage of a tragic case in which a young boy died after being attacked by the family dog.
The book uses easy rhyming language to help children recognise when a dog wants space, is feeling stressed or is ready to play.
Catherine said: “The book did sell out quite quickly on Amazon. It’s great and I can’t believe how many people came to the event. All the guests loved it and so did the RSPCA.
“An MP was even there and he absolutely loved it. I was talking to him about how society has become so dismissive of dog’s and their behaviours.
“The children reading it are still learning how to be human and they won’t automatically know how to communicate with other species, but this way they have the tools to learn.”
With qualifications in animal management and an understanding of dog behaviour, Catherine emphasised that incidents often stem from misunderstandings and are no fault of bad dogs, parents or children, but simply not understanding each other’s signals.
She previously described the book as a ‘labour of love’ as its creation became more meaningful to her after she suffered brain damage in 2008, leaving her to relearn how to draw and write.
Her aim was to create artwork that was clear, calm and engaging for young readers, while accurately showing canine body language.
Representative from the RSPCA also turned up to support Catherine’s initiative, with hopes the book will help support children who may be getting a new pet.
Catherine has begun working on the second book in the planned four-part series, which will focus on dog safety in public spaces. Future books will cover working dogs, pet loss and, hopefully, safe interactions with other species’.
She said her ultimate goal is to help parents and children recognise when pets need space and to avoid moments of miscommunication that can lead to accidents.
Catherine added: “A lot of issues can be solved by just putting good practices into your daily routine. All it takes is a split second for an accident to happen and a dog can’t say if they’re hurt so they snap.
“Even if I only prevent one incident somewhere in the world, all of this work will have been worth it.”
