national dog bite prevention week

[~corrina~]

i got this in an email.... god bless
This Is National Dog Bite Prevention Week

I know, your dog would never bite anyone. If I had five cents for every time I've heard that, I'd be rich, really, I would be rich.

This week is National Dog Bite Prevention Week, so, not only to make you aware of what your own pet can do, but what can happen to you from others pets, we are recommending that you read this blog and pass it on to others.

The AMVA reports show that most dog bites happen to small children first, then the elderly and then postal workers. Dog bite victims account for nearly 5% of all ER visits. Many bites are not even reported. Each year 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs, with one in five of them requiring medical attention.

It is reported that more males then females are bitten by dogs. Also, the greater number of dogs in the home, the greater the risk for dog bites.

To help prevent dog bites in your home, here are a few suggestions:

1. Consult with a professional about the breed of dog you want to bring into your home.
2. Do not bring a dog that has a history of aggression to your home.
3. Get to know the dog some before bringing it to your home.
4. Spay or Neuter the dog to help with the temperament.
5. Be sure your children and family members are comfortable with dogs before bringing one into the home.
6. Make sure your dog knows from the start that you are in charge. Do not engage in aggressive playing right off.
7. Never leave small children unattended with a dog.
8. Do not tie up your dog for long periods of time ignoring them.

To help prevent dog bites when outside your home:

1. Do not approach an unfamiliar dog
2. Do not scream and run from a dog, they have 4 legs, they can outrun you.
3. If you are knocked over by a dog, roll into a ball and lie still.
4. Always let the dog sniff you with your hand face up and low first.
5. Do not disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies.
6. Avoid Eye contact

How to prevent your puppy from becoming a biter:
1. Condition your puppy for the world and what it brings, i.e. Scares, children, loud noises, etc.
2. Use positive reinforcement when training your puppy.
3. Supervise your pup at all times when children or strangers are around making the visits pleasant.
4. Let your puppy know that you are always in command

[nanamouse]

A lot of very good advice to the dog owner, but there is a need to advise those who do not own dogs. Keep an eye on your child, teach them the meaning of boundries and property lines. Teach them enough manners to ask permission before touching anything that belongs to someone else, including and especially dogs!

My daughter's friends son was recently severly bitten by a dog, (not a pit or rottie, so no publicity). Why was he bitten? He was teasing the dog, and had been for some weeks. This particular time it happened to be able to reach him. I'm afraid to ask what happened to the dog, I just hope they make the boy understand it was his own actions that caused it.

[-Megan-]

A lot of very good advice to the dog owner, but there is a need to advise those who do not own dogs. Keep an eye on your child, teach them the meaning of boundries and property lines. Teach them enough manners to ask permission before touching anything that belongs to someone else, including and especially dogs!


That is good advice. I was one of those silly kids who would pet any dog, even if it was snarling in my face. I just loved all animals so much that I thought they all loved me too, and that I just had to touch single every one. I realize now that I'm older how wrong I was and how lucky I am that I was never hurt! My heart was in the right place, but I was wrong to do that.

[CKelly976]

I agree, A friend of mine had this beautiful pit/lab mix named smokey. Sweetest dog! he'd bring him to my job at night to visit me while he bought his cigs and I'd give smokey bacon and play with him, the dog would let his infant pull on his cheeks and ears like it was nothing. Smokey is now dead, because the town drunk walked past the dog daily and made sure to kick him and throw things at him every day, so smokey not only bit him, but developed a hatred for drunk men.

Smokey ended up biting three people, all of them were drunk, all of them had been warned to leave the dog alone, all of them walked over to the dog (who was kept away from them) to mess with him, and because of their ignorance, smokey had to be put down.

even worse was when he came in to the store with the dog so I could say goodbye to him before he had the dog put down (and the fact that my eyes are watering thinking about it)

so yes, I most certainly agree that people and children need to be more aware of the proper way to act around animals (especially ones with teeth) I've seen more people get bit by running up to a random dog than by an actual attack.

[MustLuvMutts]

My dog has bit a few people. He's the sweetest dog, but he's a fierce protector of my family and our home. He bit a boy who came up into our backyard on his bike with no warning. We did not let the boy into the yard and none of us were with the boy. Usually, my dog knows that if we are with someone, that person is safe. Anyway, the boy came riding into our backyard and my dog bit his leg. Not a huge or vicious bite, but enough to make it bleed a bit. The boy went to the med center just to make sure it was okay. They just called the vet to make sure my dog has all his shots, which he did.
Nothing happened to my dog as a result of the incident. I believe this was because he was in his own yard and it was basically an uninvited intruder that had been warned multiple times not to come into our yard if we weren't there since our dog would go after him! We even have a "beware of dog" sign up on our fence.
I don't really know the laws concerned dog bites, and I'm sure they are different in all areas. In general, when is the owner held responsible for a dog bite? In what circumstances do dogs have to be put down as a result of biting people? Should my family/dog have gotten in trouble, even though we warned the boy and had a beware of dog sign up?

[Husky06]

Well dang, I just posted pictures of one of my dogs biting someone..guess I should have read this first..okay it was protection work lol, but there are things I disagree with in this post and things I would like to clarify that people don't think about sometimes.

It states Get to know the dog first before bringing it home and to spay or neuter.

Most people don't realize that a lot of dogs don't display certain behaviors until they are fully comfortable in their new environment. A dog may be an a perfect dog, or a "perfect dog" until it comes out of it's shell and then you may see a dog with fear biting issues or just some kind of issue. And also spaying or neutering does not always do anything as far as making a dog better. If the dog is already in need of rehabilitation spaying or neutering is not a fix for that.....not stating that someone shouldn't do that, I'm just stating that the first thing I mentioned can happen, and the second I mentioned is not a fix. And also, one of the big reasons postal workers get bit so often....think about it like this. They come to the house, give the mail, leave. They came through...not invited in the dogs eyes, and then left with no greeting....which makes them an intruder, enemy, whatever you want to call it. Dogs tend to look at them as the bad guy for that reason. I will also say a lot of dog bites are caused by a human fearing a fearful dog. That big gasp you always hear when someone sees a big dog.....if that dog is fearful itself then theres a big chance he will run at you like a bullet and take a nip at you. I've seen it plenty of times, and if I reacted that way to fearful dogs I would have already been bit a lot.

[Wiztherewoz]

Should my family/dog have gotten in trouble, even though we warned the boy and had a beware of dog sign up?

I've heard that courts can make more of a case against you if you have a beware of the dog sign, because it's like admitting that you know your dog is a biter. I think this is ridiculous, personally.... What kind of ignoramus do you have to be to ignore a sign that is there to warn you of danger? And to just wander onto someone else's property in the first place anyway? It ticks me off. Dogs are completely at the mercy of random people, they rely on strangers to be sensible and leave them be. But people seem to know that they won't be held accountable for their own brainless actions, and do whatever they like regardless. (This is why I'm very, very careful to keep my dogs contained where they are safe from strangers, and away from the general public, even on walks we usually avoid people if possible.)

It's different with children, they don't know any better, and they're usually only wanting to pet the dogs out of misguided affection. It is all on the parents if their children get bitten, but you can be sure they'll be the first to point the finger at the owner of the dog, and demand the dog be put down. All because they don't have the common sense to teach their children correct behaviour around animals that they don't know, or even animals that they do know, should I say. Crazy-making.

[nanamouse]

That is good advice. I was one of those silly kids who would pet any dog, even if it was snarling in my face. I just loved all animals so much that I thought they all loved me too, and that I just had to touch single every one. I realize now that I'm older how wrong I was and how lucky I am that I was never hurt! My heart was in the right place, but I was wrong to do that.

I was one of those kids too. It never occurred to me to be afraid of a dog, and I guess that's why none was ever afraid of me. I never wanted to tease one either though. I guess really, growing up the way I did, I was probably more like an animal than a child anyway, and maybe the dogs recognized that. When I was 3 I wandered off and was found at the neighbors with their GSD's head in my lap. He was the terror of the neighborhood, kept on a short chain, even his owners wife was afraid of him. All I ever had to do after that was run across the street if I was in trouble and no adults could get near me. No wonder I grew up so rotten, with him to protect me from whatever I'd done wrong. ;)

[katiem]

I've heard that courts can make more of a case against you if you have a beware of the dog sign, because it's like admitting that you know your dog is a biter. I think this is ridiculous, personally.... What kind of ignoramus do you have to be to ignore a sign that is there to warn you of danger? And to just wander onto someone else's property in the first place anyway?

I've heard that too.

My insurance company will not cover me if I display "Beware of Dog" signs on my property, because they say it advertises that I have aggressive dogs. I can put out "Please close gate, dog in yard, rottie lives here, I love my dogs" all I want, but anything that can lead on that I might have an aggressive dog is a no-no! Its kinda funny when you consider 4 of my 5 have breeds in the top 10 biters in Canada in them!

[katiem]

Also, the greater number of dogs in the home, the greater the risk for dog bites.

Ya think? LOL!



2. Do not bring a dog that has a history of aggression to your home.
3. Get to know the dog some before bringing it to your home.

2. No? Shucks, I messed up!
3. Hmmm...messed up again!



4. Always let the dog sniff you with your hand face up and low first.

I thought this was considered outdated? Aren't they recommending a fist instead of flap hand palm up? Less damage to the hand if the dog bites?:confused:

[Wiztherewoz]

That's so funny, Katie, when I first read this post I thought pretty much exactly what you just posted. :p

[katiem]

That's so funny, Katie, when I first read this post I thought pretty much exactly what you just posted. :p

I was thinking of you and Franks when I read it too!

[~corrina~]

lol. well i didnt quite read proof the info and there are a few things that made me think to myself huh?
I had an lady tell me all about her dog and how sweet it was, then she brought it out to meet me.
I didnt get excited or reach for the dog, i stood and ignored the dog even though its was going nutts trying to come to me wagging its tail. i stood there with my hand in front of me just sitting there (not forceing myself upon the dog)
and about5 sec of it sniffing it just completely snapped and went balistic at me and tried to bite me and come after me. suprisingly it was a border collie, not a pit or ect. But it doesnt suprise me cause when you put a border collie in a 1 bedroom apt and dont take it for walks and it doesnt have any training then its just a mix for disaster







Ya think? LOL!



2. No? Shucks, I messed up!
3. Hmmm...messed up again!





I thought this was considered outdated? Aren't they recommending a fist instead of flap hand palm up? Less damage to the hand if the dog bites?:confused:

[Macawpower58]

I also was the child to approach any dog I saw. I also got bit for doing so. It didn't stop me, plus I got punished for approaching a strange, or chained up dog.

Things have so changed. Now all your dog has to do is scratch someone from jumping on them, and you can have an aggressive dog label slapped on you. It's no longer innocent until proven guilty. I know people injured accidentally by their own dog, they went to the hospital, were marked as having a 'dog bite' and animal control came out investigating. This is after they told the doctors it was an accident while playing.

I also agree with what Husky said 100%. Altering is not the fix it's toted to be. And most dogs have a honeymoon period, and you don't see their problems until later (unless huge problems exist).

[MustLuvMutts]

I've heard that courts can make more of a case against you if you have a beware of the dog sign, because it's like admitting that you know your dog is a biter. I think this is ridiculous, personally.... What kind of ignoramus do you have to be to ignore a sign that is there to warn you of danger?

Wow, I hadn't heard of courts doing that before. We put that sign up before our dog even bit anyone. People would always wander into our backyard, even when we told them not to. Our dog is a big dog and he's very protective. We thought it might be best to put the sign on the gate (and we hoped it'd just help deter the people from coming into the yard, b/c it's just plain annoying). The few times he's bitten "intruders" in our yard, it was after the sign was up. They have to pass right by the sign to enter the back gated area where the dog is anyway!

[MustLuvMutts]

Well, we almost just had an incident! A black man came to our door selling steaks out of his car. My dog hates black men. I do not know why this is. The guy opened the screen door! Luckily I grabbed the dog and slammed the door. That guy would have lost an arm if I hadn't grabbed the dog. Now, I swear, my dog is not usually vicious. He's a big baby that gives puppy kisses and wants to lay on your lap, but what do you expect when a man opens our front door? You see a large barking dog in the window, why do you open the door?! Come to think of it, why open the door of someone's house at all?

[Macawpower58]

It's very true about signs. Having a 'guard dog' sign or 'beware of dog' sign can make you doubly responsible for a bite. I've taken all mine down at my home. German Shepherd Dogs live here, is now my fence sign. I still have my Schutzhund signs on my car, and I know they could get me in trouble. Oh well, I love them and they are staying.

It seems backward to me also.

[MustLuvMutts]

I actually have to correct myself. I believe we were told to put a "Beware of Dog" sign up after our dog bit someone who came onto our property. I've also heard that some people have called the police after being bit or chased by a dog on the dog's own property. Because the owners had a "Beware of Dog" sign up, the police and SPCA said nothing could be done/the "victim" couldn't do anything about it. I guess it all depends on where you live.
I've also heard of some communities that require any homes with dogs to have a sign up, regardless of size, breed, or history of dog. That's a bit overkill if you ask me, but I guess their reasoning is that if your dog bites anyone on your property, you aren't responsible (unless you disobey the rule and don't have a sign up).

[Wiztherewoz]

I actually have to correct myself. I believe we were told to put a "Beware of Dog" sign up after our dog bit someone who came onto our property. I've also heard that some people have called the police after being bit or chased by a dog on the dog's own property. Because the owners had a "Beware of Dog" sign up, the police and SPCA said nothing could be done/the "victim" couldn't do anything about it. I guess it all depends on where you live.
I've also heard of some communities that require any homes with dogs to have a sign up, regardless of size, breed, or history of dog. That's a bit overkill if you ask me, but I guess their reasoning is that if your dog bites anyone on your property, you aren't responsible (unless you disobey the rule and don't have a sign up).

That makes more sense to me than penalizing people for having a sign up. Much more logical! Wish everywhere had that rule.