A ROBOTIC retriever visited one St Helens school to help teach children how to behave around dogs.

Merseyside Police have launched a campaign to reduce the number of children who suffer dog bites ahead of the summer holidays.

Figures show that more people are bitten in the summer months than any other time of the year and children aged five to nine are the most likely victims.

Parks and open spaces have been seen as hot spots and in Taylor Park alone there were eight incidents in just 12 months.

In Merseyside in February 2014 there were 21 victims of dog bites while in August this rose to 69.

However the police are keen to stress that dog bites can happen anywhere including the home and since May incidents in private can be prosecuted.

Stuart Davidson a dogs officer from Merseyside Police has teamed up with Kate Scott a teacher at Liverpool College to create a hands on example to teach children the best way to behave around dogs.

He has been taking the robotic golden retriever Fred into schools across Merseyside and visited Allanson Street Primary last Friday.

Fred responds positively to being stroked and gets angry is the children become too enthusiastic.

Inspector Gareth Phelps from the Dogs and Mounted Section at Merseyside Police said: "We are absolutely determined to reduce the numbers of children in Merseyside being hurt by dogs.

"We use simple messages such as asking how they would feel if someone bothered them while they were eating their dinner and to imagine how a dog would feel if their mealtime was interrupted."

Deputy headteacher at Allanson Street Paul Boyle said: “The children had great fun interacting with Fred. More importantly, they listened very carefully to everything Constable Davidson said. Nothing is more important than the safety of our pupils so we welcome the efforts of Merseyside Police to help educate them on their behaviour around dogs.

“The children took on board all of the safety messages, particularly that they should not disturb a dog when it is sleeping or eating, and that they should always ask permission from a dog's owner before approaching dogs. I am confident they will be much better equipped to deal with dogs in future.”