CHILDREN at a Whitefield school had an unusually furry visitor during Science Week.

Year four pupils at All Saints CofE Primary School in Rufford Drive met the Dogs Trust education pooch Mo in order to learn about how our four-legged friends see, hear and smell.

Dogs Trust education and community officer Anna Baatz arranged activities for the pupils to compete in to understand how dogs use their senses and how that can help us ensure they are happy.

She said: "Dogs experience the world very differently from humans and if we understand that, we can be much better dog owners.

“For example, a dog's hearing is far better than ours so noises that may not seem loud to us might make a dog anxious. Their sense of smell is also incredibly strong which can be a benefit. For example at Dogs Trust we use strong smelling treats such as tiny pieces of sausages when training our dogs, and positive training can really help build a bond between a dog and their owner."

Pupils competed against Mo in activities that tested their senses such as a 'smell the sausage' game which saw them challenged to find the sausage under paper cups and doing a blind taste test where they were asked to guess the food they were eating — which was chocolate.

Ms Baatz says: “Chocolate is poisonous to dogs, as are many things that people can eat, so being aware that however tasty we might find things, and however much our dogs might want to eat what we enjoy, being a responsible dog owner is about knowing what is good for them and what isn’t.”

Year four teacher Stephen Webb said: "The children, and teachers, thoroughly enjoyed having Anna and Mo here.

"It was a very different kind of lesson and the activities Anna did were really hands on which helped the pupils learn so much.

"They have certainly gone away with a great understanding of what it takes to make sure dogs are as happy and healthy as possible."

Dogs Trust offers free, fun and interactive workshops to all schools. To find out more visit learnwithdogstrust.org.uk.

To book a workshop, call Anna on 0161 337 3613.