Children And Dogs
TheKansasCityChannel.com
2003, KANSAS CITY--Children and dogs should always be supervised by an adult. All dogs are capable of biting.
Factors that lend themselves to an increased chance of a bite incident occuring are:
- Dog poorly trained and socialized (socialized means the dog has been exposed to many different people, places and things during the first year of life, and that these events have been positive, not threatening or harmful to the dog.)
- Dog not supervised (chained in back yard, etc.)
- Dog not spayed or neutered
Children, especially young children, do not behave like adult humans. They make quick movements, scream, and have poor motor control, which may cause a dog to react differently to a child than to an adult. Always supervise children and dogs.
A dog on chain is an accident waiting to happen. Dogs on a chain are often isolated from their human family, which creates behavioral problems, as dogs are social creatures. Chained dogs have no outlet for exercise, which all dogs require. Chained dogs cannot escape from any threat, which puts the dog in a defensive mode at all times.
A child entering the yard may be viewed as a threat by the dog. In some cases, the dog or child become tangled or trapped in the chain and either one panicks, resulting in injuries.
Problems with dogs and children can be easily prevented by a level of responsible dog ownership at one end, and responsible parenting at the other end.
