bite

Most children are fascinated by dogs. In fact, the word “dog” is one of the first words learned by many children. Making sure that your child has an enjoyable experience with canines, however, takes a bit of knowledge and a lot of supervision. According to the Coalition for Living Safely with Dogs (a Colorado animal health and welfare organization), children 14 and under were bitten disproportionately to their population, with 9- and 10-year-old boys being the most common victims. Children were bitten twice as often as would be expected given their proportion of the population. Typically, bites occur with a child’s own family pet or a dog that the child has met in the past. Understanding dog body language and respecting it is key. Dogs rely on slight