Dog Bite Prevention Week
Jackie Valentine
The third week of May has been set aside as “National Dog Bite Prevention Week” to help us all become aware that far too many dog bites occur each year. It is estimated that about 5 million Americans suffer from dog bites each year. This includes bites that need a doctor’s attention as well as some fatal wounds.
This year we would like to center our efforts on teaching children how to react to approaching dogs. Far too many of these dog bites involve children who have either approached a dog in a way that frightened the dog or gone near a dog that was too aggressive to be around at all. A few tips for parents to pass on to their children are as follows:
1) To begin with, children should be taught to never run past a dog. A dog’s natural instinct is to run after the child in order to catch him. Moving slowly and quietly around the dog is much smarter, as it will not excite the dog, and he will not feel invited to chase.
2) Do not pet a dog that you do not know. Ask the owner first. If the owner says that you can pet their dog, begin slowly by letting the dog sniff you, and then petting him gently on his back and sides. Do not get your face too close to him or try to hug him. This is too much too soon for a dog that does not know you.
3) It is important to pet the dog in the direction that his fur grows. Petting in the other direction may bother and aggravate the dog.
4) Never sneak up on a dog that is sleeping, eating, caring for puppies, etc. Even the nicest dog may instinctively snap at you if it is frightened.
5) If you see that a dog is coming toward you in an aggressive way, it is best to be absolutely still; pretend that you are a tree, putting your hands down by your side (you could even practice this with your children, just so they get it into their memory). If you are on the ground, you can pretend that you are a log by tucking yourself into a ball and covering your ears with your hands. Most of the time when you stay quiet and still the dog will lose interest after he sniffs you and just go away.
6) Do not try to outrun a dog. If you back away from the dog slowly, it will be less likely to come after you.
Finally, how should we act if we find ourselves confronted by an angry dog?
Well, the first thing that we need to know is how an angry dog looks and acts. If Rover is mad he will try to make himself look larger than he really is. He does this by bristling his fur up and making his ears stand up. His tail will be straight up, and he will show his teeth and growl. If the dog is afraid, it will usually lower its body to the ground, tuck its tail between its legs and hold its ears back. Angry or afraid - makes no difference, if a dog feels that it needs to defend itself, the chances of it becoming aggressive are increased.
If you come upon an unknown dog when you are by yourself, you should act the same way that a dog would act if he did not want to fight, that is – do not look the dog in the eye and walk away slowly and quietly.
Parents, please pass this along to your children. We all know of instances in our communities where a child was bitten by a dog that was scared or misunderstood its surroundings. Giving your children instructions about this after an encounter with an aggressive dog, could possibly be too little too late. This is just another way that we can be responsible dog owners, not to mention responsible parents.