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• Responsible breeding and ownership, public education and enforcement of existing laws <br /> are the most effective ways of reducing dog bites. <br /> • American Humane supports local legislation to protect communities from dangerous <br /> animals, but does not advocate laws that target specific breeds of dogs. <br /> Dog bites and children <br /> • 50% of dog attacks involved children under 12 years old <br /> • 82% of dog bites treated in the emergency room involved children under 15 years old2 <br /> • 70% of dog-bite fatalities occurred among children under 10 years olds <br /> • Bite rates are dramatically higher among children who are 5 to 9 years old2 <br /> • Unsupervised newborns were 370 times more likely than an adult to be killed by a dog5 <br /> • 65% of bites among children occur to the head and neck2 <br /> • Boys under the age of 15 years old are bitten more often than girls of the same age2 <br /> What can parents do? <br /> • Educate your children. Studies have found that the number-one dog-bite prevention <br /> measure is education. Children who understand how to act around dogs, how to play with <br /> dogs, when to leave dogs alone and how to properly meet a dog are much less likely to be <br /> bitten. To address this need,American Humane has created <br /> a dog-bite prevention program specifically for <br /> children ages 4 to 7. <br /> • Supervise your children. Unsupervised children may innocently wander too close to a <br /> dangerous situation. Eighty-eight percent of fatal dog attacks among 2-year-olds occurred <br /> when the child was left unsupervised) Supervision of children, especially around dogs, is <br /> one way to help ensure they are safe. <br /> Safe rules of behavior for kids <br /> Don't treat a dog unkindly. <br /> • Never hit, kick, slap or bite a dog or pull on his ears, tail or paws. <br /> Don't bother a dog when she is busy. <br /> • Never bother dogs with puppies or dogs that are playing with or guarding toys, eating or <br /> sleeping.Always leave service dogs alone while they are working. <br /> Don't approach a dog you don't know. <br /> • Never approach a dog that is tied up, behind a fence or in a car. <br /> • If you find an animal, call the police or animal control for help. <br /> • If you want to meet a dog, first ask the owner for permission. If the owner says it's OK, <br /> hold out your hand in a fist for the dog to sniff. If he's interested, you can give him a little <br /> scratch under the chin(notover the head)and say hello. <br />