Dog Bite Prevention

Through education and awareness, most dog bites can be prevented. An estimated 4.7 million Americans will are bitten by a dog each year. Most dog bite victims are children. An average of a dozen people will die this year from a dog attack. About 1 million people will require medical attention.

Here are some things everyone (this includes non-pet owners) should know about dog bite prevention.

Because children make up almost two-thirds of all dog bite victims, never leave children alone with a dog or dogs.

It is important to register your dog with the town you live in. This allows the town to keep track of the neighborhood dogs and ensure everyone is properly vaccinated and cared for. Your town should provide an identification tag and/or certificate proving you have registered with the town. Place the tag on your dogs leash and keep the certificate in a safe place.

Some towns provide you with a sticker to place inside your mailbox when you register your dog with them. This alerts postal carriers to a dog or dog(s) on the property. Be sure to place this sticker on the inside of the mailbox (or as instructed), on the door the mail carrier pulls down to place the mail inside the box. If your town does not supply you with this sticker, purchase a sticker, or make one alerting the postal carriers to the dog on the premises. Even if your dog is friendly and has never bitten anyone, it is better to let people know about your dog before something happens. This also helps substitute postal carriers who are not expecting Fido to bark when they are trying to bring your mail.

If your dog barks loudly or does not like people he or she does not know (as well as former attack dogs or retired police dogs) place a "Beware Of Dog" sign in a visible place for everyone to see. Even if your dog is friendly, these signs will alert people to the dog on the property.