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Protect yourself from dog bites

Mar 21, 2008 | Smudge & Bryson | The Statesman

From Bryson: I've been very sorry to hear about recent incidents involving kids getting bitten by dogs. This makes me very sad, for the kids and the dogs.

As it's getting warmer and both humans and dogs will be getting out and intermingling more, I thought I'd take a minute to talk about preventing dog bites.

Remember that a dog's mouth is like your hands. We use our mouths to eat and bark, but also to explore our environment and defend ourselves if we feel threatened.

So here are some tips to avoid having a bad experience with a dog - and its mouth.

Never approach a dog you don't know, especially one that is behind a fence or in a car.

Dogs will defend what they think is their territory. Be respectful of their space.

If you are at a park or on the street and see a dog walking with its handler and want to say hello, say hi to the handler first. Ask them if it would be OK to meet their canine buddy.

Wait for the answer. I can't stress enough how important this step is.

If the person says yes, approach the dog slowly, with a kind word in a soft and friendly voice with your hand extended.

Let the dog sniff your hand and acknowledge you with a sweet look and a tail wag.

Then apply love in the form of a soft head rub or a little pat.

If the person says no, don't give them a filthy look for being honest or say something dumb like "Oh, he looks fine to me."

As a dog that exudes charisma, I am often approached by strangers.

While I love to meet people, it's very upsetting to have a strange child scream and run at me waving its arms and grabbing me by the jowls and pulling. Yes, this actually happened.

Sometimes we even accidentally hurt people with our mouths.

If you and I are both going for a tennis ball, you might get there first, and I might brush you with my teeth.

I wouldn't have done it on purpose, and I'm not a bad boy, but it still hurts (ask Mom and Dad).

So if you are playing with a dog, don't grab for a toy quickly and yank it away, or hold it up and away.

Dogs may want it so badly they will "grab" for it fast and get you by mistake.

Play politely and respectfully, and don't let things get crazy.

If you are confronted with a loose dog and you are concerned it might be aggressive, DO NOT TURN AND RUN.

If you didn't hear me the first time: DO NOT TURN AND RUN.

This will spur even the jolliest dog to chase you.

Why? Because you are acting like prey, and dogs are hard-wired to chase - and catch - prey.

Stand your ground and don't look the dog in the eye, which can be seen by a dog as a challenge.

Don't scream. Hold still, and keep your arms down by your sides.

Once the dog moves on to something else, back away slowly until the dog is out of sight.

If the dog attacks, try to put something between you and it - a bike, your jacket or backpack. If you fall down, cover your head and face, try to be quiet and hold still.

The more you fight, the more the dog will fight.

A few more tips:

Don't bother a mommy dog with puppies.

Never disturb a dog that is eating its food, sleeping or chewing on a bone or a beloved toy.

From Smudge: I get my wrinkles in a bunch when I hear about dog bites, primarily because culpability can be traced to humans - leaving dogs outside, failing to provide adequate enclosures or tethers, fostering meanness and primal instincts, failing to train properly, etc.

So I asked a Mid-Valley Salem veterinarian if she had any advice for the public, which needs almost as much protection from ignorant and careless dog owners as it does from dogs themselves:

From Dr. Stephanie Hazen of the Pet Clinic:

The stories in the paper about children bitten by the loose dogs reminds me of when I was in veterinary school in Ft. Collins, Colo.

Country kids often wait outside, unattended at rural bus stops, which complicates the problem of country residents who let their dogs out at night on purpose.

These people chose not to know that these dogs formed packs with other loose dogs and went on sprees killing livestock, chasing wildlife and mauling children at bus stops.

Children can be killed easily by a pack of dogs.

Dogs roaming together become competitive.

Even little froufrou dogs who show no signs of being aggressive when they are single dogs at home still have dog instincts.

When I lived in Colorado, a farmer warned a neighbor that his dachshund was killing chickens at night with a dog pack.

The doxie owner said it was not possible.

The farmer brought the dog's empty collar to the doxie owner the next day, and said that the problem had been taken care of.

This is an extreme remedy, but dog owners need to know that in Marion County, it is legal to kill a vicious dog if it comes on your property and you need to protect yourself, another human or livestock.

It should be noted that protecting oneself on one's own property by discharging a firearm is allowed under vicious-dog attack ordinances.

If you're not on your own property and a dog is chasing you, the best thing to do is to use the deepest loudest voice you can muster and YELL, "NO!, BAD DOG!" or something similar.

Think karate yell, kids, a voice coming from the center of your abdomen.

The worst things you can do is scream, run away, use a high-pitched voice, flail about with an object, try to be friends with the dog, or say, "it's OK," in a whiny voice.

Often, aggressive voices can stop a dog. If the dog continues to circle you or shows continued interest in you, face the dog and slowly back away to safety.

Think about it. Dogs don't chase parked cars. So don't run.

Also, don't corner a dog. Cornered dogs bite when they perceive they have no other option.

Don't reach out to a dog. If you do this you are presenting a target.

As Bryson said earlier, keeping an object between you and the dog as you back away may help distract it. Examples of an effective item include an umbrella, rolled up coat, stick, book bag, etc.

Residents should not tolerate loose dogs in their neighborhoods.

Over time I have found many loose dogs near my home.

I call them into my fenced yard, close the gate and call dog control. It is not necessary to attempt handling the dog.

Loose dogs cause traffic accidents, bite children, cats and wildlife, and get poisoned, run over and can cause unwanted matings with other dogs.

If a dog is aggressive in the house, the owner should keep it on a leash the entire time company is present, crate it or contain it in another room.

Dogs should not be allowed to claim the house as their own. If the pet owner says company is OK, then the dog needs to be OK with company or be put away.

Humans miss an opportunity to train their own dogs by forgetting to use the leash inside the house. It is a great tool.