DOGS

Dog bites are a very serious concern for children. Children under the age of three
are more likely to be bitten in the face because they are short and are crawling/learning to
walk and they have their faces level withe the dog's mouth. Children 4 and up are more
likely to have their hands bitten---they are taller and are more likely to reach for the dog
with their hands, rather than crawling face first into the dog. Permanent disfiguring, scars,
eye damage, or damage to fingers and hands may be the result.

Even some very friendly dogs can be intolerant of children and may bite.
Dogs that don't like kids should be kept seperate fromthem and should never be left unsupervised
when kids are around. Other times, a friendly dog may be enjoying a nap and is
startled awake by the child suddenly crawling or touching it, and its natural response to
protect itself is to snap. Older dogs may have losses in hearing or vision that make them
startle more easily.

Protect both your dog and children by keeping babies and toddlers away from
dogs, especially when they are sleeping or eating. As soon as they can understand the
concept teach, teach kids safety around animals---they should ask if the dog is friendly
before petting and they shouldn't bother dogs when they are sleeping or eating. Teach
them to "be a tree" or "be a rock". If the kids are playing outside and a strange dog comes
up, they should stand still and be quiet like a tree with arms down at their sides and not to look at
the dog; or if already playing on the ground or if they get knocked down, they
should be a rock and curl up into a ball on their sides with their hands tight to the sides of
their heads and be perfectly still and quiet. Some dogs have very strong predatory instincts
and will attack small, squeaky things that move (your kids), so by being still and quiet the
dog will lose interest and go away. Kids shouldn't start moving until the dog is gone, and
then they should tell an adult so that the loose dog can be reported.

Help keep your children safe and help to prevent serious injury by supervising all
dog/child interactions until the child has learned how to be safe around them.

Lisa VandeBerg, DVM