20 August 2011 Last updated at 05:43 ET

Cornwall charity wants dog education on school curriculum

Sue Smith said there was ample room for the curriculum to include dogs

A Cornish charity wants dog education to be added to the school curriculum to cut down on dog "ignorance".

K9 Crusaders said it had seen a big rise in the number of bull breeds, like mastiffs, Staffordshire crosses and bull terriers in need of rescue.

The charity said it was mostly young couples who wanted to get rid of their dogs and education could address that.

The Department for Education (DfE) said it wanted to cut down the curriculum and give more freedom to teachers.

K9 Crusaders said a third of the 50 dogs on its waiting list were bull breeds.

'Ample space'

Charity manager Sue Smith said: "I think there's a great deal of ignorance of exactly what the needs of the different breeds are.

"Having a big dog, particularly a bull breed cross is nothing like having a Labrador.

"I think there is ample space for both schools and colleges to include dogs in their curriculum," she added.

A spokesman for the DfE said: "It's important to make a distinction between the national curriculum, which is the essential knowledge that every child should have, and the wide range of issues that can and should be discussed in schools.

"There is room within the school day for teachers to discuss and debate a whole range of issues and we trust their professional judgement on which subjects they choose."