Bark Busters Media
NEWS RELEASE 10 JULY 2006
Call for National Dog Bite Prevention Week
Awareness is imperative, says Bark Busters
An apparent increase in dog attacks on children in Australia has prompted Bark Busters, the world’s leading and most trusted dog training company, to call for an annual Australia-wide Dog Bite Prevention Week. The renewed call follows another dog attack on a toddler in Sydney today.
“As has been proven in the United States, a National Dog Bite Prevention Week is a crucial step in raising awareness around the serious problem of dog bites,” says Bark Busters Master Trainer Bryan Edwards. “Unfortunately, dog bites are a perennial problem – but they don’t have to be. Parents should never assume their children are safe around dogs, even if the dog is familiar. The best way to prevent your child – and yourself – from being bitten is for everyone to learn important dog safety rules.
“Dogs are simple thinking creatures and will always react on instinct. That is a fact of life. But we need more education for dog owners and the public in general on how to manage dogs better and to explain to them how the dog’s mind works.”
According to a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia in 1997, 35 per cent of people bitten by dogs in Australia over a 12-month period between 1996 and 1997 were attacked in their own home, while 24 per cent were bitten in a friend’s home. Of even greater significance was that nearly 60 per cent of those bitten were children under 14 years of age (See further statistics below).
Family Pet
As part of its campaign, Bark Busters, which provides essential dog safety tips, is currently conducting a free dog-safety campaign aimed at children across the country. “Dogs make great pets and wonderful companions,” says Edwards. “They have a positive effect on a person’s wellbeing, especially on those who live alone or are unwell. For the whole family to enjoy the dog to its full capacity, a few safety tips should be instilled in both children and their parents.
“The aim of the Bark Busters’ dog-safety campaign is to prevent attacks on children by explaining, in an enjoyable way, how to behave around dogs, and at the same time educating their parents. Conscientious parents can significantly reduce the rate of dog-bite incidences simply by learning some basic dog-awareness guidelines,” explains Edwards.
These are: Under no circumstances should a baby be left alone with a dog; young children should never walk or feed the dog unsupervised; do not allow a small child to discipline a dog; prevent children from pulling on the dog’s collar or aggressive or rough play; and train the entire family on the communications methods of a dogs’ instinctual “pack” behaviour, thus teaching the dog to be submissive through body language and voice control.
Strange Dogs
An unpleasant incident with a dog can stay with a person for the rest of their life. Therefore Bark Busters recommends that parents teach their children the Bark Busters dog safety rules:
- Never pat a strange dog, even if its owner is present.
- Stay away from a dog while it’s eating and sleeping.
- Stop your bike if chased while riding.
- Never retrieve a ball from someone else’s yard, even if you know the dog.
- Stay away from a dog that has puppies.
- Stay away from a dog that is tied up.
- Never pull a dog’s tail or ears.
- Never tease a dog or make it angry.
- If a dog runs at you barking, stand totally still and cover your face with your hands.
- If knocked to the ground by a dog, roll into a ball, cover your face with your arms and stay as still as you possibly can. Don’t try to get up.
Dog bite statistics
Geographical information*
- 35% of incidents occurred in the family home
- 28% of which occurred in the garden
- 24% of incidents occurred in a friend’s home
- 20% of which occurred in the garden
- 11% occurred on a footpath
- 9% in a private driveway
- 8% on a public road
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Other information*
- Nearly 60% of people bitten by a dog were under 14 years of age
- 0-4 years 23.4%
- 5-9 years 19.4%
- 10-14 years 15.5%
- 62% of males were bitten compared with 37% of females
*Source:, "The public health impact of dog attacks in a major Australian city", which was conducted by the Research Centre for Injuries Study, Flinders University, and published in the Medical Journal of Australia in 1997. |
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About Bark Busters
Bark Busters dog behavioural therapists are renowned authorities in the area of correcting dog behaviour. The Bark Busters’ training system can successfully train any dog, even puppies. The company’s natural training technique leverages the same communications methods - body language and voice control – that dogs follow as part of their instinctual pack mentality. About 80 per cent of Bark Buster clients require only one two-hour home visit from a licensed dog behavioural therapist, if they continue with just 10 to15 minutes a day follow-up exercises for several weeks. All training takes place right in the home where the problems generally occur. Bark Busters is the only international dog training company that offers a lifetime guarantee. Therapists will provide future sessions free of charge if problem behaviors recur, or if any new problems develop.
For further information:
Bryan Edwards (Director)
Bark Busters Australia
Phone: (02) 4262 0783
Fax: (02) 4262 0793
Email: bryan@barkbusters.com.au
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