You Just Bite Him Right Back.

Hmmm... Dog bite prevention week?  I don't think I do a very good job imagining how most dog bites go down.  Maybe that's cause I like dogs and have never, to my recollection, had a bad experience with one.  I spose that has to do with the kind of dogs I encounter and the experience I received as a child.

So I feel like the phrasing of this program is misleading.  Its not the dogs' fault.  They're not vicious wraiths hovering outside the window waiting for that first glimpse of flesh they can sink their teeth into.  It should be more like "domestic animal interaction week".  How not to screw with your dog and turn him into a canine psychopath, and how to approach and interact with other peoples' pets who are well cared-for, trained and loved.

.0002 percent of the 4.7 million Americans bitten by dogs die each year.  That's 16 folks a year.  Compare that with 20,000 that die from flu, 15,000 murders or 90 lightning deaths each year and I start to wonder why dog bites get a whole week.  Seems like proportionally it should get about 10 and a half minutes if we spend a week trying to raise murder awareness.  I mean, forget rules to prevent dogs from attacking, how about some guidelines to prevent a human from attacking me?

• Do not approach an unfamiliar [person].
• Do not run from a [person] and scream.
• Remain motionless (e.g., "be still like a tree") when approached by an unfamiliar [person].
• If knocked over by a [person], roll into a ball and lie still (e.g., "be still like a log").
• Do not play with a [person] unless supervised by an adult.
• Immediately report stray [people] or [people] displaying unusual behavior to an adult.
• Avoid direct eye contact with a [person].
• Do not disturb a [person] who is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies.
• Do not pet a [person] without allowing it to see and sniff you first.
• If bitten, immediately report the bite to an adult.
  

Huh, I guess that works pretty well.  Stay tuned next week for "don't lick soda can tops cause you can cut yourself on that" week.

• Spotlight on Dog Bite Prevention Week