As you’re out and about this summer, you’ll likely see more dogs and their owners out as well.   In order to minimize the chance of being on the receiving end of a dog bite, you should be aware of why a dog might bite in the first place.  Veterinarian Dr. Ingrid Sproll with the WinRose Animal Clinic in Winnipeg has some of those reasons here.

“There are several reasons that a dog might bite.  Some dogs are biting because they’re trying to protect something like an object - food, a toy or even a person like their owner or their owner’s property.   Other dogs may bite if they’re frightened.     Some get over-excited during play time or even if they start to chase a person they can sort of activate their prey drive.”

Research shows that over half-a-million dog bites occur in Canada every year.   And of those, three-quarters of dog bites occur with dogs that are familiar or known to the victim. 

According to Dr. Sproll, any dog is capable of biting you, especially if it’s stressed.  She describes some of the signs that a dog is stressed.

“Things like rapid panting and yawning are signs of nervousness.  If they pin their ears back or out to the side, and if you’re seeing the whites of the dog’s eyes, that’s a sign that they’re stressed or fearful.   A dog that doesn’t want you to approach it or touch it, they may turn their head away from you or hold their tail low or they may hold it low and have a very slow wag.”

The Humane Society of Canada estimates someone suffers a dog bite every 60 seconds in this country.  If a threatening dog is approaching you and you’re afraid of being bitten, you should “Be a Tree.”    Dr. Sproll outlines the steps on how to “Be a Tree.”  

“What “Be a Tree” involves is:  Step one is to “fold your branches”.  So you want to bring your arms to your sides and hands in.  Step two is to “watch your roots grow”.  So you’ll put your feet together and look down so you’re not making threatening eye contact with the dog, and step three is to count in your head until the dog goes away or help comes.”

The “Be a Tree” method was developed to be easy to teach to children, but is useful for everyone.   For more on how to identify dogs that may be stressed and ready to bit – and how to avoid those bites - listen to Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.