{"id":3002,"date":"2017-04-19T09:51:15","date_gmt":"2017-04-19T09:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=3002"},"modified":"2021-01-27T07:19:07","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T07:19:07","slug":"tips-to-stay-safe-with-pets-all-year-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/tips-to-stay-safe-with-pets-all-year-round\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips to stay safe with pets all year round"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Every year, in the US alone, more than 4.5 million Americans &#8211; more than half of them children &#8211; are bitten by dogs. &nbsp;The American Humane, the country&#8217;s first national humane, encourages adults to protect both children and dogs, and learn the importance of pet owner responsibility.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Dogs are our best friends, providing love, comfort and protection,&#8221; says Dr. <span class=\"xn-person\">Robin Ganzert<\/span>, president and CEO of American Humane. &#8220;But it&#8217;s up to us humans to be good friends to them as well by protecting everyone around us \u2013 ourselves, our kids, and our dogs \u2013 from the dangers and consequences of dog bites.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Dogs can bite for many reasons, including improper care and\/or a lack of socialization.&nbsp; All dogs, even well-trained, gentle dogs, are capable of biting however when provoked, especially when eating, sleeping or caring for puppies. Thus, even when a bite is superficial or classified as &#8220;provoked,&#8221; dogs may be abandoned or euthanized. Therefore, it&#8217;s vitally important to keep both children and dogs safe by preventing dog bites wherever possible.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A dog bite can have a profound effect not only on the victim, but on the dog and the dog&#8217;s family, especially if the dog is euthanized, might have to cope with loss for the first time,&#8221; said Dr. <span class=\"xn-person\">Mark Nample<\/span>, veterinarian and Certified Animal Safety Representative for American Humane&#8217;s &#8220;No Animals Were Harmed&#8221; program. &#8220;All dog owners everywhere need to make sure they know the steps they can take to prevent their dog from biting someone.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>To reduce the number of injuries to people and the risk of relinquishment of dogs who bite, American Humane offers the following suggestions:<\/p>\n<p><u>For Children:<\/u><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>Never approach an unknown dog or a dog that is alone without an owner, and always ask for permission before petting the dog.<\/li>\n<li>Never approach an injured animal \u2013 find an adult who can get the help s\/he needs<\/li>\n<li>Never approach a dog that is eating, sleeping or nursing puppies.<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t poke, hit, pull, pinch or tease a dog.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><u>For Dog Owners:<\/u><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>Never leave a baby or small child alone with a dog, even if it is a family pet.<\/li>\n<li>Interactions between children and dogs should always be monitored to ensure the safety of both your child and your dog.<\/li>\n<li>Teach your children to treat the dog with respect and not to engage in rough or aggressive play.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your pet is socialized as a young puppy so it feels at ease around people and other animals.<\/li>\n<li>Never put your dog in a position where s\/he feels threatened.<\/li>\n<li>Walk and exercise your dog regularly to keep him\/her healthy and to provide mental stimulation.<\/li>\n<li>Use a leash in public to ensure you are able to control your dog.<\/li>\n<li>Regular veterinary care is essential to maintain your dog&#8217;s health; a sick or injured dog is more likely to bite.<\/li>\n<li>Be alert, if someone approaches you and your dog &#8211; caution them to wait before petting the dog, give your pet time to be comfortable with a stranger.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To reduce the number of injuries to people and the risk of relinquishment of dogs who bite, American Humane offers the following suggestions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3003,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2432,3],"tags":[1630,1086,1152],"class_list":["post-3002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pets","category-spotlight","tag-dog-bites","tag-pet","tag-pet-care"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3002"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6543,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3002\/revisions\/6543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}