April 20, 2009

Dog Bites Increase with Warmer Weather...

I came across this article on MSNBC implying that warmer weather brings about an increase in dog bites to children. I can see how this could be true, however no where in the article does it say that children should ALWAYS be supervised when around dogs. It also doesn't mention the increase in dog bites when a dog is chained or tethered which has been well documented on Dogs Bite and Dogs Deserve Better. So while I agree with this article...I think it could have been written in a way that could actually prevent dog bites rather than just report about them.
Children should always be supervised around Fido, even if he is your beloved family pet. Young children do not understand how to properly approach dogs in a non-threatening way. Children often do things inadvertently that cause dogs to react either in a fearful or aggressive way. As a parent and dog guardian...it is extremely important to observe your dog's behavior daily. If you notice your dog behaving out of character, you should consider a visit to your vet and keep a watchful eye on how your kids interact with the dog. There could be a medical reason causing the dog to not feel well or it could be something the kids are doing (and I don't mean something intentional). Be aware of the warning signs your dog is trying to give you. Dogs don't want to bite. They do so when all warnings are ignored and they feel they have no other choice.

1 comment:

  1. i work in a veterinary clinic and i had to put a dog down the other week because she bit a child. She was a beautiful 3 year old black standard poodle, and had passed amazingly all of my temperment tests. Just apparently she bit a kid, i have no idea what the situation was. The woman who brought her in refused to sign her over to my rescue. I would have worked on her potential child agression/fear and found her a home where she would be in little to no child contact. Kids should not be unsupervies around dogs, and it is horrible that dogs get killed because of lousy parent supervision. It really broke my heart when i had to hold her as she got put down for such a silly reason, and she was such a sweetheart.

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