Half of dog bites provoked , says American vet .
CHICAGO 1996-12-06
As many as 1 million dog bites are recorded in the United States every year and half of them are provoked by humans , a veterinarian told fellow animal doctors on Friday .
The Humane Society of the United States estimates that between 500,000 and one million bites are delivered by dogs each year , more than half of which are suffered by children .
" Most bites can be prevented by teaching children how to respect a dog , " Michael Cornwell of the Glencoe Animal Hospital in Columbus , Ohio , told the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association .
" Let 's not let our kids jump on them or crawl on them .
Dogs and children do n't have to have an interaction .
Let 's respect their territories , " he said .
Cornwell said 50 percent of reported bites were provoked by a person and 60 percent were suffered by children .
He also estimated that only 25 percent of bites were reported because medical attention was not needed .
Don Rieck , president of the National Animal Control Association , said aggressiveness in dogs was related more to gender than breed and a male dog that had not been neutered was three times more likely to bite than an unspayed female .
The five breeds credited with the most incidents were chow chows , Rottweilers , German shepherds , cocker spaniels and Dalmatians . "
The trends in dog bites by particular breeds have more to do with fad pets owned by individuals who need to have something unique .
Speaking strictly of dogs , 15 years ago the macho fad pet was a Doberman .
Today , Rottweilers are on the way up , " Rieck said .
If approached by a stray dog , children should be taught to stand still with fists folded underneath the neck , elbows in , and gaze forward until the dog goes away .