Pet Talk

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  • Pet Talk
    Pet Talk
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Many children love animals, enjoy close relationships, and learn life lessons from their own pets. However, there are responsibilities and risks involved when children and animals are together.

It is important that children are taught the skills to behave safely around animals, and to prevent and recognize any problems that may arise.

Important things to teach children: -To always treat animals gently and calmly. Never hurt, tease, frighten, surprise or corner an animal.

-Always closely supervise children near animals, including pets. If this is not possible, then separate them.

-Separate children and animals including pets during noisy high-energy play, when food is present, and when the animal or child is sleeping. Never disturb an animal that is eating or sleeping.

-Ask friends and relatives to do the same.

-Keep your pet healthy. -Always wash your hands after touching animals, their food bowls, toys and bedding.

Many households have pets. There is a proportion of children who are injured each year due to an incident with a dog. Children 5 years old or younger are most at risk and are most frequently bitten by their own or a friend’s dog, usually in or around the home. Incidents are usually triggered by a child’s interaction with the dog during play, eating or when the dog is sleeping.

Any dog can and might bite a child and there are things that can be done to avoid incidents and reduce the risk.

Children always need constant, close supervision when near dogs, especially during play when children must be gentle with dogs.

Teach children to leave a dog alone when it is sleeping or eating. Children must leave a dog alone when it lifts its lips, growls, backs away, raises the hair on its back or stares at you.

Teach children not to approach an unfamiliar dog, even if it looks friendly. Always have your child ask you and the dog owner for permission to pet a dog. Pet dogs gently and calmly. And this goes for adults who not members of the household. Any stranger should leave pets alone unless given permission to interact.

If a child is approached by an unfamiliar dog, teach the child to stand completely still, arms by their sides, hands in a fist, and not to run or scream, or make eye contact with the dog.

Train the dog to obey commands such as sit, stay, drop and come.

Never intervene between dogs that are fighting.

Many of the same rules apply to cats. But the bottom line is, teach children to leave animals alone and treat them properly.