How to avoid a Dog Bite and What to do if you are bitten -
When around dogs, it is important to keep in mind that they are often unpredictable, and you need to behave in certain ways in order to avoid being bitten. Dogs may bite for many reasons. When they feel threatened or afraid, they will often snap or give warnings if they feel threatened, cornered and feel they cannot run away. When protecting their territory/yard/neighborhood, food, toys, family or pups, they can also be more aggressive. Dogs do not understand the normal boundaries that we as humans do, just because a yard may end at the sidewalk or road, to us this may be interpreted as the end of someone's property, to a dog, their property could extend much further and even include the road, sidewalk or neighbors yard, if they have been allowed to be on this property repeatedly and/or unsupervised, thus they will consider this their own territory and may feel the need to protect it. Dogs can get over excited during play and will sometimes bite too hard, or will bite because they learned as a puppy, from their mother, that play biting is acceptable to do. Dogs that don't know you are also more prone to biting, since they may be afraid/leary of you and this is their only method of defense or communication. Other reasons for biting include being trained/raised to be aggressive, when in pain or irritation, sickness in their body, or if you or another animal runs away from it, triggering the chase and attack response.
Being watchful and alert to these dog behaviors and be mindful or your actions, this will greatly reduce your risk of being bitten:
When approaching a dog to pet or interact with, stand still and calm and let the dog smell you first or allow the dog to come to you, regardless of how long that will take, if the dog does not come to you, don't push the issue and assume if you do, you could be bitten. Offer the back of your hand for the dog to sniff.
Ø Never pet a dog without letting it see, smell or come to investigate you first.
Ø Never go up to a strange dog and assume it is friendly based on it's breed and in some instances regardless if the owner says the dog is friendly.
Ø Never go into a house or yard with a dog present, whether loose or tied and no owner is present.
Ø Never run past a dog, or turn and run away from one. This will trigger their chase response.
Ø Don't play rough with a dog, or act too excited. Even in a playful mode dogs can bite, unknowingly harder than they realize. The dog uses its mouth to play and over excitation can lead to harder grabs and rougher mouth play.
Ø Don't make fast or jerky motions around a dogs' head.
Ø Never disturb a dog that is sleeping or eating, or a dog caring for puppies.
Ø Don't pet or pick up a sick or injured animal, without taking precautions, it is best to call a professional such as an Animal Control Officer who will have the training, tools and skills to safely handle a sick or injured animal and get it the help it needs.
Ø Don't teach your dog or any dog to attack or "sic" someone, in certain instances this could be a violation of Vermont State Criminal law.
Ø Never stare into a dog's eyes, particularly one you don't know, this is a trigger response that dogs may take as an offensive or challenging stance on your part, causing them to be aggressive with you.
Ø Always assume that a strange dog will view you as a threat or intruder, and act with caution.
When faced with a possibly aggressive dog, there are signs you can look for when a dog is about to bite. Watch for these signs and behaviors:
Ø Dogs may stand stiff and still, possibly with hair (hackles) up.
Ø Dogs might intensely stare at you, with little or no motion displayed.
Ø The tail is up, out and held stiff, or is wagging in short, twitchy, fast motions.
Ø Dogs might growl, snarl or show its teeth and bark
Ø Some dogs show no signs or may not have a tail. When in doubt, be careful and cautious and assume the dog is agitated and will bite.
Ø Ears may be forward an erect while barking or back, flat against the skull.
Ø Dogs pupils will become enlarged and you may see nothing but the black pupil (no color to the eye), with eyes wide open and little or no blinking.
If you feel that a dog is about to bite you, you can do certain things to avoid or lessen the attack. These would be:
Ø Stand very still and calm. Don't scream or run.
Ø Be aware of the dogs location. Don't turn your back on it, and don't stare into its eyes.
Ø Let the dog sniff you if it wants too. If it realizes you are not a threat, it may leave you alone.
Ø If you say anything, speak calmly and firmly giving commands such as; Go Home, Sit, Stay, or No!
Ø Stay still until the dog leaves, then back away, keeping the dog in your sight.
Ø If a dog suddenly attacks you, "feed" it your clothing, purse, wallet, shopping bag or anything else you have to keep its mouth full and away from your skin but do not allow the dog to knock you off balance and to the ground, where it will have the advantage.
Ø If you do fall or are knocked down, curl into a ball and cover your neck and head with your hands and arms. Do not scream, roll around or flail your arms.
In the unfortunate instance that you do get bitten, report the bite to your parents (if you are a child), or if you are an adult, report the bite to the police, animal control officer or health officer in your town or city, per Vermont State Law, you are required to report all bites to the proper authorities; T-20 chapter 193, Rabies Control 4-401. Make sure you go to a hospital or physician for treatment. Be a good witness, gather as much information as you can and tell the authorities in the town or city of were the bite occurred, as much as you can about the dog, the owner, and the circumstances of the incident. Authorities will investigate the situation, ensure that the dog is properly vaccinated or quarantined for your safety and take further actions to avoid further bites when necessary.
Statistic show that on an average 2% of the U.S. population is bitten each year. This works out to be approximately 4.7 million people. These incidents are primarily young children, and the elderly.
It is important for you to be educated about these warning signs and practices when around dogs. Spend time teaching your family, so that dog bites can be avoided.
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