Features

About bites, dogs and children

Posted on: April 29, 2008

We all take dog bites as isolated incidents even if someone tells us that throughout the U.S., 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs annually and more than 800,000 people seek medical attention for dog bites; half of these are children. And if you have a combination of a dog and a 5-9 year old kid at home, chances are you’re already among the figures or will be this year if you’re taking the dog bite accidents lightly.

It’s almost impossible not to think of a pet dog as the benefits are like a blank check. Dogs entertain us, teach us, considerably reduce our stress, and sometimes they act as a sister or brother for a single kid family. Dogs also reduce the risk that young children will develop allergies like asthma, eczema and hay fever.

Most of the dog bite accidents among children occur at home with a familiar dog. And in all the cases bites result from the interaction initiated by children, out of curiosity I suppose. I always thought the best time to touch a dog is when it will be busy eating or sleeping, I got the answer when I had to do the up and down to the clinic for dog bite treatment. It’s the only time when you should never even thought of feeling the fur or neck folds of your pet.

Selection of dogs in homes with the kids below 9 years of age is also very important. If the parents can’t supervise all the time, its better to do a bit of research before getting a dog home.

Increasing knowledge does not necessarily improve behavior – In 2001, a Canadian team investigated factors contributing to in-home injuries in young children and found out that the reduction of injuries was not related to the children’s knowledge of their parents’ home safety rules. The reduction of in-home injuries was only related to the children’s compliance with these rules and to the extent of parental supervision. Similar findings were reported in UK with regard to prevention of road traffic accidents in young
children.

The third full week of May is National Dog Bite Prevention Week, and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the United States Postal Service, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be educating Americans about dog bite prevention.

Dogs can help teach a child responsibility, patience, empathy, and compassion, but remember, no young child is capable of properly training or completely caring for a dog. So the quick message is stay around between your curious dog and more curious kid.

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