Comments on: Education promotes safety in children’s interactions with dogs: a pediatric emergency physician’s perspective

By: Sue Doctrow

Sue Doctrow — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:10:37 +0000

To Mary… it sounds like you had quite a traumatic experience. I think it’s fair to say that any dogs who would come at a person with “teeth bared” should not be taken out in public, leashed or unleashed, and responsible dog owners would not have done so. If, indeed, you suffered several injuries from this encounter by which, I assume, you mean you were bitten, then I hope it was reported so that the Animal Control Officer could investigate. Stories such as this support the notion of defining off-leash hours and locations, so that people who are afraid of off-leash dogs will have times when they can enjoy a park without fear. Such stories also argue for more, not fewer, opportunities for owners to socialize their dogs, not only to other dogs, but to unfamiliar people of various ages. As many other communities have come to accept, continuing to impose unreasonable restrictions on dogs and dog owners is not the solution. Well-socialized and properly exercised dogs, and responsible, aware dog owners, are an asset to a community. This brings us back to Dr. Wren’s original post, about the power of education in promoting positive canine-human interactions.

By: mary

mary — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:27:38 +0000

I was set apon by not one but two unleased dogs receantly while trying to enter robbins farm. I have lived in arlington since age 5 and i am now 50. I have several injuries caused by this attack. The dogs came with teeth beared and prevented my exit by blocking my route out of the park. The human reaction by the owners took some time to take place. I agree that any statistic can be made to favor ones arguement as we all know. All people should feel safe and not have to fear unleased dogs anywhere in our community. As a dog owner I have the responsibility to keep my dog on a leash and respect other peoples person space when walking my dogs in the outside world. we all need to be more sensitive with our owner responsability and obey the law , even if we disagree with it. please make yourself aware of the laws and consiquences of your actions. Thanking you for your time.

By: Susan Ruderman

Susan Ruderman — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:23:58 +0000

Anecdotal misfortunes do not undo what the validated public health statistics tell us: people are at greater risk from a leashed dog than from an unleashed one–and even then, the risk is relatively small. You have a greater chance of being struck by a car in Arlington than you do of being bitten by an unleashed Rottweiler. And not to blame the victim, but no one–adult or child–should ever reach to pet (which is what I assume is meant by “put”) a strange dog. So I must disagree that this incident changes anything about the basic premise of Dr. Wren’s helpful post.

By: Skeptic

Skeptic — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:22:59 +0000

I have to disagree with Wren’s article; unleashed dogs are a public safety hazard. Take a look at the June 17 police log as reported by the Arlington Advocate:

http://www.wickedlocal.com/arlington/news/police_and_fire/x1713642452/Public-Safety-log

“At 7:03 p.m. a 23-year-old man told police he’d been attacked by a rottweiler while walking on Massachusetts Avenue in East Arlington. The victim saw the rottweiler coming at him out of a driveway and went to put him, but the dog lunged for him and bit him on the cheek. The homeowner said two men brought the dog with them to look at possibly buying a trailer for sale in his driveway. The animal control officer will follow up.”

For public safety, please leash your dog.

By: Arlington dog owner

Arlington dog owner — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:57:16 +0000

Thanks for the info, we have a dog who loves children and is even clamer around them than with other dogs. I have two two-year old cousins who roam free with the dog and the dog even looks out for them like they’re pups. This is certanly important and due evidence in getting some more rights to be off leash.

By: Susan Ruderman

Susan Ruderman — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 01:18:12 +0000

Thank you to Dr. Wren for her insightful comments about the low risk of unfortunate park encounters between dogs and children, as well as the benefits of educating children to behave safely around dogs they encounter in their daily life–especially their own dogs.

A-DOG will sponsor a bite-prevention workshop for children in the near future provided by the Middlesex County Sherrif’s Office and its trained canine, Archie the Bloodhound. We welcome parents and other adults concerned about this issue to work with us on the logistics of the workshop.

In the meantime, excellent educational material is available from the American Kennel Club via that organization’s Safety Education Program for Children at
http://www.akc.org/pdfs/PBSAF2.pdf