We like the American Veterinary Medical Association’s slogan “70 million nice dogs . . . but any dog can bite”, because it’s so true. The holiday takes place during the 3rd full week in May each year, It’s aim is to focus on educating people about preventing dog bites.
Not my fido, you say? It’s estimated that millions of people – most of them children, are bitten by dogs every year. Most of these bites, if not all, are preventable.
Here are some interesting facts:
- The Insurance Information Institute estimates that in 2013, insurers across the country paid over $483 million in dog bite claims.
- The Center for Disease Control found that dog bites were the 11th leading cause of injury to kids 1 – 4, 9th for ages 5 – 9 and 10th for ages 10 – 14 from 2003-2012.
- The American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery reports that 26,935 reconstructive procedures were performed in 2013 to repair injuries caused by dog bites.
- The U.S. Postal Service reports that 5,581 postal employees were attacked by dogs in 2013.
- The American Humane Association reports that 66% of bites among children occur to the head and neck.
There are many things that you can do to avoid dog bites including understanding why dog bites happen. The American Veterinary Medical Association provides some great information in a variety of formats to increase awarness.
Celebrate National Dog Bite Prevention Week by visting and sharing some of the above links.
Good dog owner 🙂
