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Pasadena Humane Society Mounts Campaign to Prevent Dog Bite Tragedies

Published on Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 11:33 am
 

Less than a week after the vicious attack of an eight-year-old girl by a pit bull in San Bernardino played out in a surveillance video seen across Southland television screens, the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA has mounted a campaign for the prevention of dog attacks and dog bites.

That young girl was saved by a neighbor after she has suffered painful cuts in the face, hands and legs from the pitbull’s sharp teeth. The Pasadena Humane Society wants to teach Pasadenans how to avoid tragedies like this.

The campaign is in line with National Dog Bite Prevention Week, celebrated in the third full week of May every year.

On its website, the PHS has put up some graphics about how to approach or greet a dog, which in many instances have led to dog bites.

Jamie Holeman, Community Outreach Associate at PHS, says they’re helping in the nationwide campaign organized by the American Veterinary Medical Association even when they are a private and independent society.

“A big thing that we see is that we just want to get the word out about how to properly approach a dog that you’re not familiar with, because that oftentimes can be a cause of stress for the dog and that might be when a dog might bite if they feel uncomfortable,” says Holeman.

PHS says over 4.5 million people, most of them children, suffer from dog bites each year, and most of these incidents are preventable.

Holeman says one way to prevent dog attacks is for people to be aware about the correct way to approach an unfamiliar dog.

“You don’t want to make direct eye contact with a dog that you don’t know,” says Holeman. “The best way to deal with it is you can stand with your side or your back towards the dog or you can also kneel down to the dog so you’re not hovering over the dog. And once the dog approaches you and appears to be comfortable, then you’ll want to pat them either on the side or on their chest. You’ll never want to reach over a dog. You don’t want to stare at them directly in the face, You don’t want to grab them. You’ll just want to be as calm as possible and let them come up to you in their own time.”

Holeman also advised new dog owners to get their pets accustomed as soon as possible to the new environment or situation in the home. PHS offers programs that help these new pets, and even new puppies, get acquainted with their surroundings and less prone to stress, says Holeman.

“It is especially important with puppies that they be allowed a period of socialization with other puppies until they are about four months old. So when you bring home a puppy, you’d want to get them involved in puppy kindergarten or get them into puppy social classes,” Holeman says. “We have both of those at the Pasadena Humane Society that will get as used to all types of people, new environments and other dogs at a young age, and as they grow, it will help them become as well socialized as possible and reduce the likelihood that they might be put in situations where they would bite.”

To learn more about the Pasadena Humane Society and National Dog Bite Prevention Week, visit the PHS website, www.pasadenahumane.org.

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