May 16 to 22 is Dog Bite Prevention Week
National Dog Bite Prevention Week in the U.S. is May 16 to 22, according to this PRWeb press release. Organizations across the country will be calling attention to a serious problem – dog bites. Some experts estimate that half of all children will be bitten by a dog by age 12. The majority of these bites will be from the family dog or another dog familiar to the child.
One of the organizations promoting the week, Doggone Safe, a non-profit organization that seeks to prevent dog bites through education, is offering some tips to help keep children safe.
First, it’s important to teach your children some simple rules when they are around dogs. Children should not kiss or hug dogs around the face area. That is a common cause of St. Louis child dog bites. Instead, children who want to be affectionate with their pets should scratch the dog on the chest or side of the neck. In addition, if a strange dog approaches, children should “be a tree” and stand still. Doing this should bore the dog and encourage it to eventually wander away. Finally, children should not tease a dog, or disturb one that is eating, sleeping, or protecting puppies.
Some important steps parents can take with their own dogs are to supervise the dog carefully and to train the dog with positive reinforcement. Other dog owners should have their dogs spayed or neutered, which makes dogs less likely to be aggressive. Owners should also supervise their dogs, and condition them to be active in the world, which means providing lots of varied experiences and positive reinforcement.
If you have been bitten or attacked by a dog in Missouri, you need to protect your rights and understand potential legal options. Contact an experienced Missouri dog attack attorney at Page Law. Call us today at 314-322-8515 for a free and confidential consultation. We can help.
