Even Friendly Dogs BITE
Hello to all my Cordova Towne neighbors. I would like to start by thanking Ryan for creating a forum that all of us can meet and discuss issues that affect our neighborhood. The purpose of my postings will be to provide information to this neighborhood on caring for your pets and dealing with neighborhood pets. My thoughts when I decided to contribute to this forum are that we, as neighbors, can work out neighborhood issues relating to pets and to help those that may be unsure of how to correctly care for a pet. I will offer suggestions, law that regulates pet ownership in Sacramento County and answer questions to the best of my ability. I work with the Sacramento County Animal Care & Regulation and any advice that I offer will be within the regulations of Sacramento County Animal Care & Regulation.
With Walking Nights coming up this summer in our neighborhood I thought it would be fitting to discuss the presence of animals in the neighborhood. Of course being a pet owner never let your dog roam the neighborhood-be sure they are kept in a well-secured fence. Not only for the neighborhood’s protection but also for your dogs. Vaccinate your dog for rabies and other diseases. If you are walking the neighborhood and encounter a dog never attempt to pet them even if they seem friendly. Don’t look at the dog straight in the eye. Keep walking very soon he/she will lose interest with you if you do not interact with it and will focus on something else. Warning signs of an angry dog include sticking their tail straight out (even if it’s wagging), stick their ears straight up and stare at whomever they are approaching. Teach your children to never tease any dog, even in what can appear to be a fenced yard and that they should always ask a pet’s owner for permission to pet. Statistic’s show that most dog bites are children and of those children over half of the are 5 to 9 year old boys. To report a dog bite call (916) 875-5656 or (916) 368-7387. For rabies inquires call Department of Health and Human Service at (916) 875-5881.
3 comments:
Thanks for the info. This is good for us to keep in mind. You know, I always thought that you were supposed to sort of stare a dog down if you saw one, and make sure to look it straight in the eye in order to show the dog who is boss (in hopes of the dog backing down of course). I read differently here in your post though. Is there any weight to this belief that I have had? I have always been told that.
The only situation that I would suggest displaying dominant behavior with a dog is when working on positive reinforcement training of your own dog, but that is for another post. I can’t comment as to why someone would suggest staring down a stray dog but I can comment as to why I would not suggest it. When confronted with a stray dog, you don't know the temperament of the dog even if it’s a lab. REMEMBER all dogs bite, it’s not breed specific. Therefore all precautions must be taken for you and your family’s safety. The less you seem like a threat to the dog, the less likely he feels like he needs to protect himself. Who knows how long that dog has been on the street or what he has gone through. By instigating a threatening behavior such as staring a dog down for dominance the likelihood he will react accordingly is greatly increased. The objective is not to get bit. If you feel that the dog staring you down and waiting to see if you are a friend or foe, I would suggest stop whatever you are doing, stare directly ahead of you and begin talking in at calm manner no matter what you are talking about. If the dog comes closer as if he wants to be pet, don’t reach out your arm or turn your back to him. Let him sniff you and your kids, I know this can be difficult but again the objective is not to be bit. The goal is that he gets board and walks away, even if he is still barking and/or growling.
Hmm, this challenges the way I have always thought about what to do. I'll have to try out some different tactics then. Thanks again for the info.
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