By Rebecca Dube
Before I was a kid person, I was a dog person.
Journal of Pediatrics
'Hey kids, I'm a nice doggie! Come pet me!' Do your kids pass the dog-bite-safety test?
When I took my beagle, Lily, for walks, I was never surprised that kids of all ages flocked to her. After all, she was adorable!
What shocked me, though, was how many parents would just stand there as their child ran up to a stranger’s dog and started petting it – or worse, tackled her with a hug – without so much as a quick “Hi, can I pet your dog?”
Lily was a mild-mannered soul who always took the over-enthusiastic petting in stride, and none of those kids were ever in danger of being bitten. But their parents didn’t know that!
A new study shows just how unprepared kids are when it comes to proper doggie manners. A survey of 300 children by researchers at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medicine Center finds that 43 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 15 failed a simple dog-bite-prevention test. This explains why there's 4.5 million dog bites a year in the U.S., and many of the victims are children. (See below for the full test, developed by lead study author Cinnamon Dixon, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital.)
The good news is that 92 percent of the parents passed the test – but they’re not teaching that knowledge to their kids, apparently. And it does take work. A child’s natural instinct is to reach out and pet a friendly-looking dog. But an innocent pat might look threatening to a dog unaccustomed to children; and a scared dog is a dog that may bite, no matter how well-trained.
Parents would be smart to teach their kids about the warning signs dog broadcast with their body language, like raised hackles and direct eye contact. But the most important thing – and the message I’m currently trying to drum into my toddler – is ALWAYS ASK BEFORE YOU PET SOMEONE’S DOG. (And yes, I’m learning that message needs to be repeated frequently before it sinks in.)
Lily, sadly, has passed on to that great off-leash park in the sky. She died shortly after my son was born. But I hope that he, too, will be a “dog person” one day – and teaching proper manners is a big part of that.
How about you? Do you and your kids pass the dog-bite test?
1. You are at a friend’s house and their dog is tied in the yard; do you pet the dog?
2. Your cousin’s dog is playing with a toy; do you run up and take the toy?
3. A mommy dog is nursing her puppies; do you try to pet her or the puppies?
4. Your uncle gets a new dog; do you ask him before petting the dog?
5. Walking home from the bus stop, a strange dog comes near you and starts barking; do you run away?
6. A dog you have never seen before is sniffing a tree in the neighbor’s yard; do you reach out and try to grab the dog?
7. A dog you don’t know runs up to you; do you stand very still and wait for the dog to walk away?
8. Should you pet this dog?
Journal of Pediatrics
9. Should you pet this dog?
Journal of Pediatrics
10. Should you pet this dog?
Journal of Pediatrics
11. Should you pet this dog?
Journal of Pediatrics
12. Should you pet this dog?
Journal of Pediatrics
Answers: 1-No; 2-No; 3-No; 4-Yes; 5-No; 6-No; 7-Yes; 8-12-No to all.
Source: The Journal of Pediatrics
How do you teach your kids "doggie manners"? Sound off in the comments.
Rebecca Dube is the senior editor of TODAY Moms. She lives in New York with her husband and toddler son, and she still misses Lily, the best dog ever.
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