Editorial
Beyond the Books:
What D.O.G. - Dedicated Online Guardians Has Grown Into
Guest Authors: Steve Shepherd and Samantha Meghawry
If you've only met Fizz and Pixel through the books, there's quite a bit more going on than you'd expect. The five stories sit inside something we call D.O.G. - Dedicated Online Guardians, built around digital safety, emotional resilience, critical thinking and trusted connection working together. Around that framework, we've built classroom session plans and facilitator packs so teachers can run the lessons without starting from scratch, alongside parent and carer resources designed to carry the same conversation home.
The thinking behind all of it stays consistent with the books themselves: Key Stage 1 first, rather than content adapted down from older age groups, story-led rather than lecture-led, and screen-free in how it's delivered. We're also working on a school licensing model, so the programme can scale into more classrooms without losing the quality control that comes from us being closely involved in every piece of it.
None of this happened to a plan drawn up in advance. It's grown the way most useful things do, one request at a time, from teachers asking for session plans, then parents asking for something to use at home, then schools asking how to license it properly. Each addition has been built to bridge school and home, so the same message reaches a child consistently, whoever happens to be delivering it that day. We're now looking at what a fuller Key Stage 1 offer looks like, with an eye on whether Key Stage 2 and 3 content makes sense further down the line.
About the D.O.G Books
Children are entering the digital world earlier than ever, often before they have the experience or language to recognise risk. The D.O.G. books make online safety accessible at exactly the right time, using memorable stories and relatable characters to explore sharing, privacy, misinformation, gaming and screen time. Crucially, they do more than warn children; they build emotional resilience, critical thinking and the confidence to seek help.
The books are available at thedoguk.com
Steve Shepherd
Co-Author and Online Safety Specialist for D.O.G. books.
Working alongside Samantha Meghawry, he helps write the books and shape their safeguarding themes, drawing on three decades in policing, defence and digital resilience to turn complex online risks into clear, practical lessons for children and families.
Samantha Meghawry
Founder and Creative Director, Little Star Design Studio
Creator of D.O.G books
Drawing on seventeen years’ experience in design, education and creative learning, Samantha combines storytelling, emotional wellbeing and online safety to help young children navigate digital life with confidence.
