Dog Bite Prevention Week May 16 to 22, 2010

by Breanne Durning

ITHACA, NY-Warm weather welcomes Ithacan residents outside their houses after battling the snow for several months; while customers, children and skateboarders all take advantage of the sun’s presence, Ithaca’s canine population ventures outside along with their owners. May 16 to 22 is National Dog Bite Prevention Week, urging owners to learn about canine safety to protect themselves and others.

Public health sanitarian for Tompkins County Environmental health division of the health department, Frank Chase said, “In 2007 there were 161 reported dog attacks, 2008 had 183 attacks, and in 2009 there were 192 cases.” This year’s total has reached 32 incidents so far, Chase warns number will rise, “a majority of reports come in the hot weather.” While people put on sun block to protect from the sun’s rays, they should also know the basics to protect themselves from canines in order to have a healthy summer.

Tompkins County’s SPCA Web site provides guidelines of how to control aggressive dog behavior and prevent future situations from occurring. SPCA advocates socializing a puppy it is, “the most important thing you can do to create a wonderful dog. Many behavior problems in older dogs stem from the simple fact the dog was not socialized as a puppy.” When owners actively take part in introducing their puppy to new situations, it reduces the dogs fear and aggression, making those around them safer.

National Dog Bite Prevention week is sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association, and has been since 2001. The AVMA press release reads, “The American Veterinary Medical Association has joined with the U.S. Postal Serivce, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Society for Plastic Surgeons, the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery, the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons and Prevent The Bite to celebrate National Dog Bite Prevention Week, May 17-23, 2009. Children are the most common victims of dog bites, followed by the elderly and USPS employees.”

Barbara Baldwin a representative of the AVMA said, “we have brochures and pamphlets on our web site people can download to access information about dog bite prevention.” Public awareness is the key aspect to reducing the number of incidents involving dog attacks. “It’s important that people are aware of the information we are putting out there.” Baldwin reveals her mixed emotions about the increasingly warm weather, “the summer season is my favorite but it’s when most dog attacks happen.”

Ithaca’s Dog Park, located near Allan H. Treman Marina Park, allows dogs to run around leashless in the 6-acre fenced in area. Liz, a retiree of 10 years from the Ithaca’s public school system, brings her 3 year-old Collie, Sky, is a daily frequenter of the dog park. She’s been here for over 20 years keeping an eye on the park and the people. “Dog bite prevention comes from public awareness, when people are knowledgeable and are paying attention everything runs smooth. It’s when the parents are blabbing to one another that an unsupervised child is at risk for danger.”

“Just now we had a problem with an unattended child,” Liz said, discussing with fellow dog owner Marty. A father, with a larger dog, placed his young daughter in the “small dog” section of the dog park and walked away. The girl then proceeded to wave and taunt one of the dogs with a tree branch. “Had Marlene not stepped in that little girl could’ve gotten hurt.” Marlene, assessing the situation, escorted the girl out of the small dog park to her father. “I don’t know what people are thinking sometimes, if you have a child or dog you are responsible for their well-being and actions.”

Tanya Nelson, a 5-year resident of Lansing, brings her dog to the park about once a month. “He loves it out here, I try and get out here every time my work permits it.” While at the dog park, she noticed a girl approaching a grey hound inappropriately. “I had to speak up, she would eventually find out the hard way,” Nelson says of the woman’s inexperienced dog behavior. “You can’t stand tall over most dogs, they’ll feel threatened. You’re better off kneeling down and waiting for them to approach you.” According to Nelson, smaller dogs have a tendency to bite or nip more than bigger dogs; their small stature makes them more fearful and stressed.

To stop the slow increase in dog bites and attacks occurring in the Tompkins County area people must keep a watchful eye this summer. Those with young children or aggressive dogs should pay greater attention to their loved ones. There have been numerous reported cases where people, worse children, suffered serious injuries due to a lack of responsibility. In order to protect the public, there needs to be more focus on canine education among people of all ages.