SCHOOL- BASED DOG SAFETY PROGRAM
DOG BITE PREVENTION

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every 40 seconds someone in the United States seeks medical attention for a dog bite-related injury. In 1994, some 4.7 million incidents were reported in the United States with nearly 800,000 people requiring medical treatment for dog bite-related injuries. Most of the victims are children under 13 years old with children five to nine years the most vulnerable.

 In Nevada a study conducted by the Department of Human Resources, Bureau of Health Planning & Statistics and the Department of Agriculture from 1999-2002 revealed the cost of dog bites for inpatient and outpatient medical care was over $2.1 million per year.  The average dog bite patient that had an  inpatient hospitalization spent almost three days in the hospital and incurred slightly over $10,000 in hospital charges.  The outpatient hospital rate from dog bites for children 0-9 years old was 285.74 per 100,000 (1 out of 350 children), which was almost double the total hospital outpatient rate due to dog bites for all ages of 152 per 100,000 (1 out of 657 people).  In 2002 a major insurance company paid out $1.1 million in liability claims for dog bite injuries in Nevada.  Even though these statistics are startling, educational programs on canine behavior, especially directed at children, can reduce these numbers.

 Dog bites are a serious public health problem that can cause both physical and emotional damage to victims and considerable cost to communities.  A dog’s tendency to bite depends on such factors as heredity, obedience training, socialization, health, and the victim’s behavior. Dog bites are largely preventable and prevention must begin with the owner and how the owner interacts with the dog.  A dog should undergo socialization with all members of the family, people outside the family, and other animals.

 In Nevada we started a school-based dog safety program in 1998 whereby school nurses teach first grade students the proper behavior when interacting with dogs in order not to have a negative experience. This program has been very well received and appears to have good results.  Based upon our study in Clark County we have had a decline of over 11% in victims in age group 5-9 years seeking medical treatment.  This educational program was the only thing that was new.  The animal control regulation remained the same.

 To further support this program, we have just produced BOW WOW “OW!”  an 8-minute dog safety video.  The video provides basic information on dog communication and addresses more than 12 common situations where children could have a negative experience with dogs and then illustrates the proper behavior children should possess while in each situation. The animation portion will be more appealing to children and should hold their interest.  The video is appropriate for children from 4 to 9 years of age. We believe that the video will further help impress upon children the importance of possessing proper behavior while interacting with dogs. It will also aid in reinforcing the teaching points presented by the school nurses and will also allow the teachers to periodically review the information, reaffirming the importance by replaying the video.  The video will be distributed to all 318 elementary schools in Nevada and has the potential of touching the lives of over 116,000 students in grades K-3.

 For more information on the school-based dog safety program, please contact:

Dr. Ron Anderson at rdadvm@sbcglobal.net

Nevada Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, administers the Children's Dog Bite Prevention Charitable Fund in partnership with the Children's Dog Bite Prevention Task Force. 

Nevada Community Foundation