• 30
  • December
    2011

A 15-year-old female Nogales high school student was recently attacked and bitten by a trained police dog. According to the Santa Cruz County Sherriff's office, the attack happened after someone opened the door to the car the dog was in. The dog's handler and two other officers were inside the high school giving a presentation on gun safety at the time.

After students ran to alert the officers, the handler ran outside to catch the German Shepherd. The dog had stopped attacking once the girl was on the ground. The girl was treated for cuts and scratches on her arms and back.

Tucson dog bite attorneys encourage everyone to keep their distance from unfamiliar dogs. Dog bites can cause serious injury and require painful treatment for rabies and even reconstructive surgery. Half of all dog attacks happen to children under 12 years old, but preventing dog bites among children may start with simply educating young people about the danger of unknown animals.

The most important thing parents can do to prevent their children from being attacked by a dog is to educate them on how to behave around dogs. Children should be taught how dogs like to play and how they don't like to play. They should be told that kicking, biting and hitting a dog are not allowed. They should also be told how to know when dogs don't want to play with them anymore, such as when they are eating, sleeping or playing with their toys. Organizations like the American Humane Society have programs to help parents teach their children how to behave around dogs.

It is also important to make sure children are supervised whenever a dog is around. Over 80 percent of fatal dog bites in two-year-old children occur because they are not supervised. Children should be taught to talk quietly around dogs so they don't get too excited and never to approach a dog they don't know. If they get permission from a dog's owner to play with the dog, they should hold out their hand and let the dog sniff it first. If the dog likes them, they can scratch the dog under the chin first, not over the head. All of these things will help prevent dog bites.

Learning how to behave around potentially dangerous animals is only one side of the equation. Those who choose to keep dangerous pets within their households must take steps to properly train the animals not to hurt others. Owning a pet carries with it the responsibility for the safety for all who may come into contact with the animal.

Source: KVOA.com, "Authorities investigate attack on teen by Nogales police dog," 6 December 2011