Sunday, April 18, 1993 — North Shore News + 29
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arn to be aware of dog-bite danger signs

DOG BITING season is just
around the corner.

By Anna Marie D'Angelo
News Reporter

According to Stephen Huddart,
executive director of the BC
Humane Education Society
(BCHES), summer is the season
when children are most likely to
be bitten by dogs.

Dogs bite children in the sum-
mer because both parties are out-
doors for jonger hours, said Hud-
dart.

“Strange dogs are something
chitdren encounter a lot in their
neighborhoods, in their school
yards, in playgrounds and so on.

’ “Children need information for
their safety and self-confidence in
dealing with (unfriendly dog) situ-
ations,’’ said Huddart.

He said about every three out
of 100 children gets bitten by a
dog annually. Seventy per cent of

- these children are under the age of
nine. . oS

According to the North Van-
couver SPCA, so far this year in
North Vancouver District 11 inci-
dents have been recorded concern-
ing aggressive dog behavior
towards people and other animals
(including dog bites) and five in-
cidents have been recorded in
North Vancouver City.

Last year, North Vancouver
District recorded 38 incidents and

_North Vancouver City recorded 14

‘incidents of aggressive dog
behavior and dog bites.

‘The West: Vancouver SPCA
does not keep statistics on dog-
bite complaints. -

But North Shore dogs seem

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“tame’’ when compared to dogs
in Surrey, where last year 700 dog
attacks were recorded.

More than 350 dog bites causing
injuries to humans and more than
190 dog bites causing injuries to
other animals were recorded in
Surrey in 1992. :

In Vancouver, recorded dog
bites numbered 770 in 1992.

According to the BCHES, some
of the reasons dogs bite children
include the following:

@ dogs sometimes view children
as the puppies of humans who
need to be disciplined and dogs
discipline puppies through bites;

@ children are smailer than adults
and aggressive dogs may view a
small child as a more attractive
target;

@ children unaccustomed.to dogs
may enter or create a situation to
make a dog unfriendly in in-
stances such as if a child is around
the animal’s food or if a child
reaches inside a car to pet a dog.

The BCHES has a program that
is presented to elementary pupils
to help them be safe around dogs.
The program is called Becoming
Bite-Free and includes informa-
tion on the following:

@ how to tell if a dog is ready to
bite;
© how to avoid being bitten;

_ @ what is a dog’s territory.

Turning and running may also
provoke the dog to bite,

If a bite appears likely, the
BCHES suggest that children try
and make the dog bite something
else like the child's jacket or a
stick.

A dog’s territory may be a car

. Signs that a dog is ready to at- .

uk are when the animal’: body is
stiff, its hackles are raised and its
tail is up. A dog may also snarl,
stare and lower its head.

A child should not stare at an
unfriendly dog as the dog may in-
terpret this as aggressive behavior
that is worthy of retaliation.

Instead, a child should face the
animal and move slowly away.

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interior, a back yard or other
places, depending on the situation.

“We should also emphasize that
the companionship of dogs is a
wonderful thing for childrea,”?
said Huddart.

“Pets offer special gifts of un-
conditional love and a sense of

fun to children,"’ he said.

So far, North Shore students
from Plymouth Elementary and
Eagle Harbour Elementary have
taken part in the Becoming Bite-
Free program.

For more information about the
program, call 681-3379.

NEWS photo Mike Wekefletd

SAFETY AROUND dogs is emphasized in the Becoming Bite-Free program for children presented by
the BC Humane Education Society. The soclety has conducted two presentations on the North
- Shore this month including one at Eagle Harbour Elementary.

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