Teaching Children How To Prevent Dog Bites

If you know me, you know I'm an animal lover. I am also a huge advocate for dog owners being stupid and not blaming breeds of dogs for dog bites. I don't know the actual percentage, but MOST dog bites could have been prevented if the dog owner wasn't an idiot. That also goes for the person who got bit. If children are not taught properly on how to act & behave around dogs, then it's their parents that are the idiots when the child gets bit.
Most dog bite for a reason ... fear. It's nothing they did wrong, it's what the person did wrong.

I saw this article today on our local news website and had to repost it. Read it, learn it, pass it on. Especially to parents who are idiots.

Teaching Children How To Prevent Dog Bites

Dr. Teresa Hershey teaches children how to be safe around dogs in a dog-bite prevention class. She shared some of her tips with WCCO, after two bad dog attacks in Minnesota in two weeks.

Hershey said the first thing you want to do if a dog runs up to you is to stand like a tree.

If the dog knocks you down, you should lie like a log. Hershey said you should put your hands over your neck and stay very still until the dog leaves.

If you want to pet a dog, it's best to first ask permission from the owner. If it's OK, approach the dog from the side and squat down, especially if it's a small dog.

"Then you want to offer out your hand with the fingers curled up and let the dog sniff you," Hershey said. "If the dog doesn't move away, then you know that he's relaxed and doesn't mind you petting him. Then you want to pet just over the shoulder."

Hershey said you don't want to pet the dog's head, feet or tail, because some dogs don't like that.

"You never want to pet a dog that's tied up," Hershey said. "You never want to pet a dog through a car window. You never want to pet a dog through a fence. You never want to pet a dog that's hurt."

Hershey also said you shouldn't try to hug or kiss a dog, because they often don't like that.

I have a Pomeranian and a Golden Retriever. Both are well behaved dogs, but they are also dogs that can bite. You would not believe how many kids will walk right up to their face! Especially to Chico, our pom. They want to put their face right up to his like they think he can't see them otherwise. It's a bite waiting to happen. I've had to tell so many kids to back off and pet his back and stay out of his face. Think of how you would feel if a giant bear came up into your face - well even a toddler is a giant bear to a little dog.