Dog Bite Prevention Information
May 22nd, 2009 Posted in UncategorizedWhen we were both young, my brother Mitch got bitten in the face by a dog. It happened when he tried to pet a small dog tied on a rope on a neighbour’s front lawn.
Dog Bite Prevention Week falls in May, making this a good time for me to write a column on the topic. Small children, elderly adults and postal workers are common victims of dog bites. Dog bites account for up to 5% of emergency hospital visits. The incidence of dog bite-related injuries is highest for children ages 5 to 9 years; the rate decreases as children age. Almost two-thirds of injuries among young children are to the head or neck region. Boys are more often bitten than girls.
What can you do to protect your children against dog bites? It all starts with education. Here are some things you should teach your children:
-Don’t ever pet a strange dog
-Always ask the owner if the dog likes children and if it is ok to pet it
-Hold out your hand, palm down, for the dog to sniff before you pet it
-Pet a dog under its chin (a submissive gesture) rather than on the head or back (a dominant gesture it might take as a challenge)
-Don’t approach a dog that is eating or drinking (some dogs are very protective of their eating area)
-Don’t pet a sleeping dog, even if it’s a dog you know (some dogs bite when startled)
-Don’t tease dogs. It’s mean, and it’s dangerous, for you and for other children too.
-Don’t run past a dog. That may stimulate a dog’s “prey instinct”.
-If a strange dog rushes at you, don’t scream and run away. Stand still (“be still like a tree”), talk to the dog, only look at it from the corner of your eye (a direct stare is a challenge to a dominant dog), and slowly back away. If you can, throw food or a stick to distract the dog.
-If knocked over, roll into a ball (to protect vital organs) and stay still.
Parents, here are some dos and don’ts for you too:
-Never leave young children unsupervised with a dog, even if you know the dog
-Spay or neuter your dog, to make it less aggressive, less moody, and healthier too.
-Be aware that “intact”dogs are three times as likely to be involved in biting incidents that dogs that are spayed and neutered.
-Don’t adopt a dog with a history of aggression if you have children. Spend time with a dog before buying or adopting it. Take it to a veterinarian for a post-purchase exam and personality assessment.
-When your dog is a puppy, socialize it well. Expose it to children, strangers, car travel and odd noises, so it is less fearful of these things as an adult.
-All dogs, big or small, should take obedience classes. It teaches them proper behaviour, and their owners how to control them in different situations.
-Do not wrestle with your dog. This can inadvertently encourage aggression.
-When a letter carrier comes to the door, keep your dog in another room or on a leash.
I don’t know why the owner of that dog left it tied on their front lawn the day Mitch got bitten. It was a breed of dog known to be timid with children. Luckily the scar on his face is not noticeable, and luckily he did not acquire a life-long fear of dogs, but it was a preventable accident. Hopefully this article will help spare your child from being bitten, and from having to learn a lesson the hard way, like Mitch had to.
