(And How To Avoid it.)
After yet another case of a child being bitten by a dog (which will undoubtedly end in the dog being destroyed) will probably result in yet more calls to ban certain dog breeds, branding them "vicious". However, if only people in general knew ONE BASIC FACT about the way dogs think the incidence of dog bites would decrease dramatically, in fact I would go as far as to say that the number of such attacks would drop by 99%. It is a simple rule that we all understand when it applies to ourselves yet because humans continually deny dogs their nature they are surprised when dogs react. Are we ready? Sure? OK - here's the secret.......
DO NOT APPROACH A DOG. Full stop.That's all folks. Think about this - if someone you do not know came right up to you and invaded your personal space without permission, how would you react? You may tell the person to get lost, or even push them away. Dogs understand the same rule, and some dogs will tell you to leave them alone (in their own way). If you want to make a fuss of a dog, call it to you. If it comes then you have allowed it into your personal space, which gives a completely differentand positive signal. If the dog does not come to you then it is telling you it isn't sure about you, so DON'T then go up to the dog, unless you want to run the risk of being told off.
Little dogs bite more often than big ones, but this never gets mentioned - when have you seen the news paperheadline "Old Woman Savaged By Pekingese"? But they bite more often BECAUSE people go up to them more, thinking they are little fluffy cute bundles of sweetness, rather than appreciating them as the animals they are. Big dogs just make a bigger mess and so hit the headlines.
This is not rocket science - this is common sense. The only problem with common sense some times............ well it's not that common. If people understood and respected this one important yet incredibly simple fact, there would be virtually no more victims of dog bites....... And by victims I include the dogs who usually pay for people's ignorance with their lives. Knowledge is power (provided you act on it).
Respect, Tony
