Half of Dog Bite Victims Are Children

Dog bites happen all the time. A dog might be afraid, aggressive, territorial. There are so many reasons why a dog might bite.

This article states that there are 4.7 million dog bites in the US each year and that half of the dog bite victim in America are children:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/half-of-all-dog-bite-victims-are-children-2012-05-17

It does not surprise me that the report found that so many children are bitten each year. It surprises me that it isn't higher. Children are unpredictable. They pull on ears and tails. They suddenly run across the room. They jump on things. They are spontaneous and they don't really know how to judge if a dog's reaction. Even if you have a dog that is great around a children, a sudden jump on one's tail or being grabbed by the nose can upset any dog.

I am not sure some people take dog biting serious. I remember our postal carrier was charged by a dog when on his route a year ago. He was walking up to the porch when the dog got out the front door and ran at him. He bit his wrist. The owner came out and got the dog before anything more serious happened. The postal carrier said they didn't even apologize. I am sure they got an unpleasant warning letter and maybe a visit from animal services.

I am still working Misha through her biting problem. She has improved. She now understands the "no bite" command when playing and in most situations. But, she will still bite when scared. Did I mention she is a work in progress?

 

I got bitten by a puppy when I was still a kid.
I am fond of dogs and cute dogs are attractive to touch and as a kid, I am still not that aware of its danger not after I was bitten.
Good thing our dog now have not bitten anyone.... yet.

 

This doesn't surprise me at all. My Homer doesn't like children, but even if he liked them, I still wouldn't let them play with him without my supervision. I prefer not to take any risk.
Children don't understand that a dog may feel attacked if they jump on him or pull on his ears.

 

I think children are always at risk when you have a dog in your home. I know a lot of people say that their dog is friendly and even I can say my dog is as well. She has never bitten anyone and is even tempered. The issue really is that children will not be able to guage if what they are doing is already aggravating your pet. Any pet even if they are friendly will react if hurt or scared. We should not assume that since our pet has grown up with humans it will react like one and be understanding toward children. An adult should always be present when children are with pets.

 

I was a kid once, and believe me... I knowe why most bite victims are kids, lol! Sometimes even the nicest kids have no idea on how to treat animals in general, sometimes they treat them like they were toys and that can get in the nerves of a lot animals (not only dogs). Once you grow up, you start treating animals with more respect (if you were brought up right) and that's why there are far less adult bite victims.

 

My friend's daughter got bitten by a Chow dog doing nothing but just standing there. The little girl showed up for a play date, arrived at the door and was waiting to let in when the family dog jumped out and bit her cheek. Needless to say, it was a gruesome thing to see.

I believe it depends on the breed of dog, and how the dog was raised. Before I have Capone, I was afraid of Pitt bull too, so I kept an eye on how people interact with him and correct his behavior right off the start. Now, I am comfortable with Pitt bull but not totally blind about strange dogs when it comes to meeting or petting though.