How do dogs perceive their environment, what scares them and why is it sometimes advisable not to look them in the eye? Only a few people can correctly interpret the behaviour of dogs. "It becomes particularly dangerous when children do not understand the body language of the four-legged friends," Carina Amali knows. "Around 800 small children are injured by dogs every year, some of them seriously."

Amali, dog owner and neighbour of a kindergarten, had been carrying around her idea of teaching dog language in a child-friendly way for a long time. It was only in the Upper Austrian creative business coaching C hoch 3 that the PR expert found the right format and, with Helene Roselstorfer and Christoph Grubmair, creative partners for "Wau statt au".

 

The right nose
Seven months after the start of the project, the book "Betty burns out" was published, which tells children how dogs smell, hear, what they like, and how children avoid risks when dealing with dogs. Cheerful, understandable, and child-friendly - thanks to the collaboration of elementary teachers, dog trainers, the author Stephanie Doms and the illustrator Evelyn Faulhaber.

Amali, Roselstorfer and Grubmair obviously had the right instinct. "To our delight, the book has been very well received everywhere, the City of Linz and the Province of Upper Austria immediately supported the project, so that instead of the planned 500 copies, 5000 are now being printed," the team is pleased to report.

Within a very short time, the cooperation project developed into a commercially successful campaign with a wow effect. On www.wau-statt-au.at, in addition to the book shop, you can also find practical tips, learning videos, event dates, the Betty song and, soon, teaching materials.

 

Photos: Antje Wolm