Give a Dog A Home Article: Protecting Children From Dog BitesMay 29, 2003 12:33 a.m. Thursday I found this a couple years ago at a website called BabyCenter (I have no idea what or where that is though) and just found it again. How To Protect Your Child From Dog Bites at Home by Stephanie Watson Frightening accounts of children being bitten by a stray or unfamiliar dog make headlines, but many more children are bitten at home by a family pet, according to a new report from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Out of an estimated 4.5 million dog bite incidents each year, almost half of the victims are children under the age of 12, and nearly half of those incidents involve family pets, according to the report, which was published in the June 1 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Many parents make the mistake of leaving a young child alone with a pet, says Sheryl Dickstein Pipe, director of humane education for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Children under 6 years old may make a sudden move, tease, or grab a dog, which can cause an otherwise sweet-tempered animal to bite. "Whenever young children are around animals, they need to be supervised," she says. "That's for the safety of the animal as well as the child." What you can do Dickstein Pipe offers the following advice to keep your children safe around the family pet, as well as strays and unfamiliar dogs:
The AVMA also recommends that you neuter your dog. Research shows that un-neutered male dogs account for more than 70 percent of reported dog bite incidents.
The last five entries: National Dog Bite Prevention Week May 16-22 - May 21, 2004 URGENT: Two Shih Tzu in VA Need a Home by Thursday - May 19, 2004 Ohio Puppies Need Homes ASAP - May 19, 2004 New Jersey's Animal Friendly License Plates - May 17, 2004 Swiffer Wet Jet Rumor - May 14, 2004 |
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