Dog Blog Radio  

Summer is "Dog Bite Season", with bites increasing by 75% over the summer months when more people and dogs are outdoors. According to the Centers of Disease Control, over 2 million children are bitten annually and a recent study by Safe Kids Canada revealed that children are 10 times more likely to be bitten by a dog, than struck by a vehicle. What is even more dismaying is that 70% of the victims knew the dog that bit them!!!  --So these aren't stray dogs or abused animals, these are family dogs and neighbors' dogs! There are a number of Dog Bite Prevention programs for school-age children to teach them how to handle a confrontation with a strange dog. But what about confrontation with a familiar dog? Most kids, parents, and dog owners trust dogs they are familiar with, and so do not look for the subtle warning signs indicating a familiar dog is preparing to bite. In addition, the methods for diffusing a confrontation with a strange dog versus a familiar dog are different. Despite this, there is almost NO instruction provided to parents or dog owners on diffusing high-risk scenarios: --> When a child is charged by a strange dog, the child is usually off their home-turf, and the stimulus for the dog's attack is usually territorial or predatory. --> With dogs in the home, the situation is inherently different. Most bites in the home are normal child-dog interactions that have edged into the "Danger Zone" without parents realizing it. According to the ASPCA, kids that love animals have empathy for other living creatures, are kinder, tend to not bully others, are more social and do better in school. So having a family dog is a great thing -- all that is needed is a little instruction! If you know of a parent or dog owner who should hear this show, please let them know about it.