At Animals at Heart, we take bite prevention seriously because we have children at heart, too! While dog bites are not limited to children, a majority of the victims are children - over 2 million each year - and the number continues to climb. Many of these bites could have been prevented simply by better educating both the pet owners and the children. Through better education, Animals at Heart hopes not only to prevent bites, but also to save pets. Many of the dogs responsible for bites are either euthanized by the owner, or confiscated by the local animal control organization as a "dangerous animal" and then euthanized.

When you prevent dogs from biting children... everyone wins!

Correct Handling             Proper Play            Unfamiliar Dogs  

What You Can Do            Children and Aggressive Dogs

Correct Handling:

** 61% of dog attacks happen at home or in a familiar place, with 77% of biting dogs belonging to either the victim's family or a friend.**

There is basic information that every child should know when handling animals. The most important, and most likely to prevent bites, is the method of correctly handling a pet. Children should be taught at an early age what is and isn't appropriate ways of treating an animal.

Below is a list of the most common things you can teach your child that may prevent bites. 

• don't pull on a pet's legs, ears, whiskers, or tail

• never try to dress a pet in clothing not intended for animals

• never get too close to or try to touch a newborn litter of pups

• don't try to pet/play with an animal that is eating or sleeping

• avoid sudden movements around or towards a pet (especially elderly or skittish pets)

• never poke or get near an animal's face

• never try to restrain an animal, whether in play or just giving a "hug"

Like some people, pets are very sensitive of their "personal space". It is never a good idea to get close to a dog's face and, unfortunately, most young children's first reaction is to try to hug or kiss the pet. When a child tries to hug a dog, they wrap their arms around the animal, who then feels like it's being restrained. This puts the animal on the defensive and could prompt the dog to bite out of what it feels is self defense. Over 77% of injuries to children under the age of 10 years is to the face and head.

Proper Play:

Aside from correct handling, proper play techniques are also an important way to prevent bites. It's important to teach your child to play in such a way that the pet feels like he doesn't have to defend himself or protect his environment. The easiest way to do this is to teach your child that pets are living, breathing, loving creatures that deserve our respect. Tell them to pretend they are the family pet, and then ask them how they would like to be treated.

Here's a list of things children should do while playing with pets.

• do not tease or taunt your pet

• never stomp your foot at, yell at, chase, or otherwise try to frighten your pet

• do not try to force a dog to play that does not want to play

• never sneak up on an elderly, skittish, or hard-of-hearing pet

• do not take food items such as snacks or treats away from your dog

• don't tease the dog by playing games where you pretend to hurt another family member

Unfamiliar Dogs:

Sooner or later your child will meet an unfamiliar dog, whether it's the neighbors new pet or a stray walking along the street. It's important to teach your children how to react to or approach an unfamiliar animal. Of course, the first and best rule is to teach your children to stay away from strays and unfamiliar animals that belong to strangers. Tell your children that strange animals have the same rule as strange people - stay away unless with a trusted adult.

If the unfamiliar pet belongs to someone you know, or someone who has given you permission to approach, here are some rules to teach your children for a positive encounter with a non-aggressive pet.

• always get the pet owner's permission before you approach the pet

• never approach and touch a dog that doesn't approach and touch you first

• if the dog does approach, have your child extend a fist for the dog to sniff (extended fingers can be threatening to a dog)

• teach your children not to pat the dog on the head, but scratch under the chin instead

• if the child is taller than the dog, have the child kneel or squat so he/she seems less threatening to the pet

• avoid direct eye contact with the dog

• make sure your child is calm - an excited and hyper child is going to lead to a nervous and possibly defensive pet

What You Can Do:

As both pet owner and parent, you have the awesome responsibility of keeping peace between your two-legged and four-legged family members and preserving their safety. The best way to do this is to educate your children at an early age to respect their pets and to not treat the pets in a manner that they themselves would not want to be treated. Children need to understand that pets are living, breathing creatures with feelings and not toys that can be played with carelessly. However, there are things that you can do that will further help prevent your child from becoming a bite victim.

• Educate your child about proper handling and playing.

• Practice what you preach - follow the same rules yourself that you teach to your children. Children learn by observation.

• Never leave your child unattended with your dog, no matter how gentle the dog is and how well behaved your child is.

• Never take your dog's "gentle" breed for granted. Any dog will bite if treated harshly or threatened. It's important to also understand what a dog perceives as a threat. In October of 2000, a 6-week old baby that was left unattended with the family's Pomeranian was mauled to death for no other reason than the dog considered the infant a threat to its territory.

• Keep your children away from animals that could potentially be dangerous, such as a neighbor's chained dog. A chained dog is an accident waiting to happen and is 3 times more likely to bite than a dog that is not chained. Dogs that are not spayed or neutered are also 3 times more likely to bite than an unaltered dog.

• If you have a toddler, provide your pet with a safe haven - someplace that he can get to where your child can not follow. Often this can be achieved with a baby gate that your pet can jump over, but that your toddler can't climb over. Also, teach your child that the pet wants to be left alone when it goes there, so that the child doesn't stand at the door or baby gate trying to get the pet to come out.

Children and Aggressive Dogs:

It's important to teach your child how he/she should react if ever faced with an aggressive dog. An aggressive dog is better identified by their behavior than their breed and children should be taught to look for warning signs that a dog is not friendly.

 Warning signs that a dog is aggressive include:

• freezing and giving a direct, hard stare

• leaning forward with it's ears pricked and/or growling

• a dog that has it's hackles raised (hackles refers to the hair on the shoulders and back area)

• bared teeth or snarling/snapping

• stiff, rigid appearance and movements

• a dog on a leash who lunges violently towards other animals or people

• any dog that has a history of biting other people or animals

If your child is confronted by an aggressive dog, it's important that they know how to react. Here are some guidelines to teach your children what to do when faced with this dangerous situation.

• First and most important rule - NEVER, EVER SCREAM AND RUN FROM A DOG. That is the worst thing anyone can do when confronted with an aggressive dog. A dog's natural instinct is to chase and catch what runs from it.

• Remain motionless, with your hands at your sides, and avoid eye contact with the dog. These are calming signals which tells the dog that you are not a threat. Then, once the dog has lost interest, very slowly back away until the dog is out of sight.

• If the dog does attack, instruct your child to "feed" the dog anything they have that they can put in between themselves and the dog, such as a jacket, backpack, or bicycle.

• If your child falls or is knocked to the ground, teach your child to put their hands over their face with their forearms over their throat. This puts bone in front of your child's face and neck for better protection. They should lie motionless, face down, and try not to scream.

Remember, these are only guidelines and are not fail-safe. Education is critical in helping to prevent bites, but equally important is the close supervision of your child anytime there is the possibility they might come into contact with a dog.

**In 1997 and 1998, in the state of Texas, 27 people died as a result of dog bites and attacks. The majority of these victims were children. 67% involved unrestrained dogs on the owner's property; 19% involved unrestrained dogs off the owner's property; 11% involved restrained dogs on the owner's property; and 4% involved a restrained dog off the owner's property.**

Resources

Facts & Stats about Dog Bites

<www.dogexpert.com/HomePage/DogBiteStatistics.html>

Dog Bite Prevention

<www.dogscouts.com/biteprevention.shtml>

Dog Bite Law - Dog Bite Statistics

<www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html>

Humane Society of the United States - Avoiding Dog Bites

<http://www.hsus.org/ace/11764>