Dogs on School Grounds

At Veritas we recognise that dogs are an important part of life for some of our families and, as such, are often included in day-to-day activities such as walking children to and from school. In our school we promote the relationship between people and their pets and accept and encourage the idea of pets as ‘family members’. We do see pet ownership as a valuable educational experience for children and are accepting of them on the school grounds.

We also acknowledge the views of families who have chosen not to have dogs or other pets. We also appreciate that bringing dogs onto the premises can be unsettling for some as they arrive and leave school. There are added risks of dogs fouling, dogs biting or showing aggressive unpredictable behaviour. Even well-behaved dogs can behave unpredictably when placed in an unfamiliar, busy, noisy and crowded school environment and this could lead to unexpected behaviour in even the best-behaved pet. Children can also behave unpredictably when in the presence of dogs especially where they are not used to being with them.

It is in considering this context that this Dogs on School Grounds Code of Conduct has been published to provide clear guidelines and expectation for the safety and comfort of everyone.