National Dog Bite Prevention Week-May 18-24

According to a study done by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year. Of those, almost 400,000 of those dog bites are suffered by children and require medical care.

The U.S. Congress has adopted a resolution that recognizes National Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 14-18, 2008, and calls on communities to find local solutions to address the problem.

The ASPCA website offers some simple tips to help parents educate their children about basic safety around dogs:

• Children should not approach, touch or play with any dog who is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies.
• Children should not pet unfamiliar dogs without asking permission from the dog’s guardian first. If the guardian says it is okay, the child should first let the dog sniff his closed hand.
• If a child sees a dog off-leash outside, he should tell an adult immediately.
• If a loose dog comes near a child, she should not run or scream. Instead, she should avoid eye contact with the animal and stand very still, like a tree, until the animal moves away.

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