Infants and Dog Bites

I debated whether or not to tackle this subject, but it seems important enough to warrant discussion. Recently, a four day old child was mauled to death by the family dog while the mother was taking a shower.

Here's the crux of the issue: No child should EVER be left alone with a dog... EVER!

In a study done by the University of Colorado School of Medicine (link below), the highest number of dog bites - 23% - were by mixed breeds, 13.7% were by Labradors, and 3% were by Golden Retrievers.

Children must be taught how to interact with dogs. A dog cannot speak or write a note. The only way they have to communicate is by the tools they are given. If all the signals that have worked previously don't - growling, leaving, yelping - the situation can and sometimes does escalate to biting. But imagine a four day old, or even a one year old who has had minimal exposure to dogs. Imagine if the child grabs the dog's ear or lip and the dog yelps. The child is then startled and reflexively tightens his grip. The only means of escape in the dog's mind, may be to bite. So who's to blame? The dog? The child? I suggest it is the person responsible for the child at that time, be it the parent, babysitter, or whomever.

This is not to brag, but suggestion on some ways to avoid problems. In the rare instances my wife or I needed to take a shower and were home alone after my daughter was born, we would put a changing mat with bumpers so she couldn't roll off on the floor and shut the door. The dogs had the run of the house, and our daughter was safe and in sight.

When my daughter started coming to the store with me, the first thing I taught her was she could not run up to every dog that walked in and throw her arms around their neck like she did to our dogs at home. Never mind that most dogs just don't like it, but we don't know all the dogs that walk into the store and don't know how they will react to a small child.. Once we got past that, I taught my daughter to ask first if she can pet a dog and how to pet them.

Dogs have had a relationship with humans for at least 12,000 years, and in my opinion, longer. They aren't going away. With just a little effort, we can keep children and dogs safe and they can have a happy, mutually beneficial relationship.

Study:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101109133233.htm

Attack Article:
http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-10-27/story/investigation-continuing-dog-mauling-death-jacksonville-newborn