Standing absolutely still in the face of a snarling dog is the best thing to do, but that is not likely one’s first instinct.
Turning and running excites a dog more and increases the chance of a bite.
The Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association wants to change that.
It has adopted the Be a Tree program developed by Doggone Safe, a nonprofit organization working to prevent dog bites.
Association spokesperson Sally Cleland likens the program to the successful stop, drop and roll of fire safety. In the case of a threatening dog, children and adults should stand firm, tuck their arms into their sides or clasp their hands in front of them and look at the ground until the dog leaves.
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It sounds simple, and Cleland said in classrooms most students get the message.
“Will they really do this when confronted?” she said. “Hopefully over enough repetition in the classroom they will.”
The association has asked the provincial government to incorporate Be a Tree into the curriculum for students in Grades 2 through 5.
Cleland said part of a veterinarian’s oath is a responsibility for public safety.
However, there aren’t enough vets in the province to effectively deliver the program and that’s where adding it to classroom teaching would help.
“One in two children are bitten by a dog by the time they are 12,” Cleland said.
Many dog bites go unreported, but Saskatchewan statistics show that, between 2000 and 2005, 97 people were hospitalized from bites. The Public Health Agency of Canada said 52 percent of those occurred in children younger than 14.
Perhaps more startling is the statistic that two-thirds of bites occur while a child is at home or at a familiar place and three-quarters of dogs that bite belong to family or friends of the victim.
Cleland said it’s important to recognize warning signs, before the dog growls or bares its teeth. Raised hair on a dog’s back or neck, leaning forward and staring can all mean the dog isn’t happy.
Never approach a dog that is standing with its tail up and ears forward, Cleland said. A tail tucked between the dog’s legs is also a warning sign.
Dogs may play with small children who are running around and screaming but at some point they may become overstimulated and aggressive.
Dogs are descendants of wolves, Cleland said, and their behaviour is largely communicated through body language. They become anxious, and when they fight, they go after the head and neck of their prey.
People often make the mistake that dogs like human behaviour. In fact, dogs don’t like hugs and kisses or pats on the head but that’s what people give them. Instead, try a scratch under the dog’s chin.
Cleland said people can inadvertently train their dogs to be aggressive and go after prey by play fighting with them or playing tug-of-war games.
“They think it’s cute but (the dogs) end up hard to control,” she said.
And once owners start to punish dogs for biting, the animals become confused because they were allowed to do that before. She also said chaining a dog is “a real accident waiting to happen” because the dogs become frustrated and are almost three times more likely to bite.
Cleland added that if a dog pushes a person to the ground, the person should curl into a tight ball with hands behind the head to protect the most vulnerable areas. In other words, if you can’t be a tree, be a rock.
