Preventing Dog Bites
Published: May 18, 2008
May 18-24 is Dog Bite Prevention Week. One of the surest ways to create a dangerous dog is to chain it to a tree or doghouse and leave it to pace the same patch of dirt for years on end. Though most people find the notion of chaining a dog for its life abhorrent, many people in our community still resort to the “easy way out” when it comes to caring for their dog.
Sadly, what makes for a lonely, agonizing existence for the dog also creates a dangerous situation for our children. Hundreds of children are killed or seriously maimed every year by chained dogs.
Dogs are social animals. When kept chained and isolated from their “pack,” dogs become pathologically protective of their sad patch of land. Many become aggressive time bombs – infested with parasites and frustrated into madness from a lack of socialization, kindness and exercise. Too often, children looking just to “pet the doggy” pay the price.
Lawmakers across the country are finally enacting reasonable laws that forbid people from chaining a dog for its life. It is time to follow the national trend and end this antiquated practice.
Learn more at dogsdeservebetter.org and mothersagainstdogchaining.org. Please don’t litter; spay/neuter.
Lisa C. Compton
Virginia Representative
Dogs Deserve Better
Glen Allen, Va.
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
To add to Ms. Compton’s comments, there are no dangerous dogs, only dangerous owners.
The good news is that the majority of dog bites are categorized by medical caregivers as minor - akin to a scraped knee. In the very rare instances of severe or even fatal attacks, they were almost always preventable.
Excessive isolation (including chaining), failure to properly control or contain a dog, and failure to spay/neuter dogs that are not used in an appropriate and legitimate breeding program are all contributing factors to such incidents.
Whether working as guides, assistants, farm hands or police partners, entertaining us with their athletic ability, or enhancing our physical and emotional well-being through simple companionship, dogs give us much more than they could ever take away. It is our responsibility to humanely care for and control them. By doing so, we will continue to live safely with dogs and enjoy them for the wonderful companions that they are.
Advertisement