VPN Plus+ ExclusiveTips to prevent dog bitesMarch 7, 2025No client wants to think their dog might bite someone. But with WHO estimating more than 10 million dog bites annually, somebodies dogs are doing some biting. This infographic reminds clients what to do to help prevent "the bite stuff," whether it's with a brand new rescue/pup, an existing pet, or a dog they meet out and about.
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Campaign calls for responsible dog ownership to keep letter carriers safeJune 3, 2024Los Angeles tops the 2023 list of dog attacks, with Houston and Chicago ranking second and third, the U.S. Postal Service reports
Education and awareness are key to preventing dog bitesApril 9, 2019Parents learning canine behavioral cues and teaching them to their children to avoid injuries is one of the ways to prevent dog bites. That's according to Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA), which released several recommendations for parents and veterinarians to help keep children safe. The advice comes during National Dog Bite Prevention week, which runs from April 7 to 13. Parents should also be aware of a dog lifting its lip, panting or yawning inappropriately, cowering, holding its breath, flattening its ears to its head, growling, or snapping. "Many dogs will give a warning or several warnings they are uncomfortable, and a person needs to back off," says Lori Teller, DVM, DABVP, a past TVMA president who is a clinical associate professor at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine. "People often miss these signs and think a dog bite occurred out of the blue." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 4.7 million dog bites are reported every year. Seventeen percent of them require medical care—half of the victims are children. According to TVMA, it is important to teach children not to approach unknown dogs, but it also warns many dog bites occur when interacting …
Human behaviors may increase dog bite risk, study findsFebruary 13, 2018In an observational survey study of almost 700 individuals in the U.K., those who experience greater levels of anxiety, irritability, and depression may be at greater risk of being bitten by either a strange dog or one in the home. The findings were published online this month in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Previous research has shown that most bites come from dogs that are familiar; 55 percent of the bites in this study came from unfamiliar dogs. According to lead author Carri Westgarth, Ph.D., Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at the University of Liverpool, Cheshire, U.K., although the latter finding was surprising, the real significance lies in the personality finding. "This has never been reported before, and I wasn't even really looking for that," said Westgarth. "But to me, how we behave regarding our health is likely to be influenced by our personality." More research is needed to see whether the results can be replicated using "a more detailed measure of personality," she added. Annually, about 9,500 U.S. citizens are hospitalized due to dog bite injuries, according to "Emergency Department Visits and Inpatient Stays Involvind Dog Bites," Laurel Holmquist, M.A. and Anne Elixhauser, Ph.D., …
