National Dog Bite Prevention Week

Posted by Clare Bristow

dog-snarling This week is the American Veterinary Medical Association's Dog Bite Prevention Week, and there has been a number of press articles published on how to reduce the risk of being bitten by a dog.

As dog owners it's our responsibility to prevent our dogs from biting and a big part of it is showing people how to behave sensibly around dogs.

Here are some startling statistics from the US:

dog attacks cause 4.7 million injuries annually and 800,000 of these require medical attention;
Approximately 70% of dog bite victims are children under 15 years of age;
More than 25 different breeds of dogs have been involved in the 238 dog-bite-related fatalities - it's not just Pitbulls doing the biting; and
Of the human deaths resulting from attacks by dogs, 24 percent involve unrestrained dogs off their owners' property and 58 percent involve unrestrained dogs on their owners' property.

I've found that a Guide to Dog Bite Prevention produced by Ontario SPCA neatly summarizes how to behave around dogs - both your own and unfamiliar dogs.

For a longer article, have a read of Dog Bite Prevention from the Dog Scouts of America - the article is very good at explaining why children are prone to being bitten by dogs, how to approach a dog and how to reduce the risk of dog bites in the home.

Dog bite prevention has to be an ongoing education for us, our dogs and everyone who comes into contact with our dogs.

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