Published: June 03, 2008 08:43 am         

Animal bites on the rise

Sheriff's office expects twice as many as last year

Animal bites are on pace to considerably surpass last year’s number in Anderson County, and officials are offering some basic safety precautions to keep from being a victim this summer.

Through last week, Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor told the Herald-Press there had been a total of 24 animal bites reported in Anderson County this year, compared to just 28 for all of 2007.

“It looks like we’re going to double our animal bites this year,” Taylor said. “That’s not a good thing.”

Of the 24 bites reported in Anderson County thus far this year, the sheriff said 13 of the victims have been bitten by an animal belonging to someone other than themselves.

“We’ve had some maulings which have been reported in the Herald-Press,” Taylor said. “People need to be cautious. Animals are unpredictable.”

Most recently on May 14, a 6-year-old Palestine boy was attacked by a 2-year-old English Mastiff dog in the driveway of his residence on FM 321, north of the Palestine city limits, according to authorities.

The boy suffered multiple bite wounds to his thighs, hip, back and chest, according to Taylor. He was transported to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas following the attack, but his injuries were not considered life threatening, the sheriff added.

Approximately 400,000 dog bites occur in Texas each year, with approximately 40 percent of the victims being under age 11, according to veterinarian Tom Sidwa, head of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) zoonosis control. Twenty percent of the people who die from dog bites are over 70, he added.

To reduce one’s chances of being bitten by a dog, the DSHS offers these suggestions:

• Spay or neuter a dog to reduce aggression but not protectiveness.

• Spend time with a dog before buying or adopting it. Use caution when bringing a dog into the home of an infant or toddler.

• A dog with a history of aggression is not appropriate in a household with children.

• Train and socialize a puppy early in its life. Do not tolerate or encourage aggressive behavior.

• Never leave infants and young children unsupervised around any dog, even the family pet.

• If you see a pack of dogs running loose or any animal behaving strangely, go inside and call local animal control.

DSHS also advises teaching children these basic safety precautions:

• Do not go near strange dogs.

• Do not surprise or tease a dog that is sleeping, eating, playing with a toy or caring for puppies.

• When you first come near a dog, let the animal see and sniff you. Walk up to the dog from the side, not from the back or directly from the front.

• If a dog acts as if it might bite, stand still. Do not scream or run.

• If a dog attacks, protect yourself with anything you have — backpack, purse, jacket or bicycle. If you are knocked down, try to lie face down or curl up in a ball with your hands over your ears. Be still and quiet until the dog goes away.

“If a bite occurs,” Sidwa said, “identify the animal.”

Immediately wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water and apply an antiseptic, Sidwa said. Contact a physician for care and advice and report the bite to the local animal control agency, he added.

Taylor also reminded citizens that House Bill 1355 which took effect Sept. 1, 2007 carries criminal penalties for dog owners who fail to reasonably secure their dogs, resulting in an unprovoked attack on a person and causing serious injury or death.

The owner of a dog who injures someone can be charged with a third-degree felony punishable by two-to-10 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. If the attack results in a person’s death, the offense becomes a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

     

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