A dog may be a "man's best friend" but do you know how to reduce your chances of being bitten by one?

Having  recently  been called out to attend to patients who were attacked by dogs, ER24 is urging pet owners to take good care of their dogs by ensuring they are  well  socialised  and  trained  from a young age, and kept safe in their  property. ER24 is also urging people to avoid approaching unfamiliar dogs and to  report  stray dogs to the relevant authorities.

Children should also be educated about how to act around and take care of their dogs.

According to Samantha Walpole, the secretary  of  Animal  Behavioural  Consultants of South Africa, children are the most at risk of being bitten by dogs.

“Children are generally drawn to dogs. Wagging tails are attractive to children. Unfortunately, the public is ill informed that if a dog’s tail is wagging, it means that it is happy and is safe to approach. This is far from the truth. Children are also taught that hugging and kissing is an acceptable form of affection.

To human’s it is but to canines this is perceived as confrontational. 

“Fundamentally, humans and dogs speak a different language.

When communication is misunderstood, people get bitten,” said Walpole, who is also a dog behaviourist and trainer. 

Chitra Bodasing, ER24

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