DOGS Trust Manchester is offering free workshops and assemblies to help Oldham school children learn how they can live safely alongside dogs.

The ‘Be Dog Smart’ workshops, aimed at seven to eleven-year-olds, focus on helping children understand what safe and appropriate behaviour around their own dogs is, as well as dogs they may come across when they are out and about.

Melanie Tomkins, education and community officer based at Dogs Trust Manchester said: “Millions of households in the UK share their home with a dog, so even if a child doesn’t have a pooch in their own family, it’s highly likely that they will come across dogs in their day-to-day life.

“The workshops are key to helping children understand dogs as well as how to behave around them. Pupils learn how dogs should be treated so that they can be happy around us, and we can be happy and confident around them.

"We have a pretend furry friend as our assistant, so nobody needs to worry if they aren’t used to being around dogs.”

Schools that want to book a workshop can contact Melanie by calling 07443 680414.