Dogs and Kids - Keeping Both Safe!
Bay St. Louis fire chief - and dog lover - Pam San Fillippo gives some sound tips on keeping canines and kids happy and safe in your family.
Thinking about this for a minute, we can see why children are most often bitten on or near the face. When a child is bitten the dog usually gets the blame for being “vicious” or “unpredictable.” Sadly it’s us humans who are to blame (in most cases) because we don’t teach our children the safe way to interact with animals.
If you have small children take time to talk to a veterinarian, or someone reputable who has experience in working with dogs. Even if you don’t own a dog your child is very likely to interact with one at some point, and if you plan to get a dog you’ll get invaluable advice. With so much information available on the internet, I won’t try to list all of the right and wrongs here but I can touch on a few:
Often when we think of dogs biting or attacking people, we tend to think of the “pit bull” breed. I’ve seen pit bulls that were wonderful pets and great working dogs… and I know the other stories too. All I will say on the subject is to point out the difference between the bite of a pit bull compared to the bite of most other breeds. Most dogs, even large dogs, bite and then let go. They may bite more than once and with great force, but they usually bite down and release – the bite wound is probably limited to small lacerations and punctures. The breed we know as a pit bull does not bite that way. They bite with great force and lock down; they will often tear and twist while locked on - this is what causes the great damage to tissues, nerves or bones, and often requires reconstructive surgery for severe cases.
Dogs are a big part of our lives and they are a pleasure to have around - we should do everything possible to keep them, and our children, safe and happy. Please, follow this link and learn more about how you can help make that happen. Comments are closed.
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