About a year ago my wife broke down and agreed to get a dog for the family. I grew up with two Labrador Mutts and loved them dearly, but had forgotten how enriching it is to have a dog in the house. We adopted a small Terrier Mutt from the local rescue shelter and with pretensions of graduer decided on “Maximus” as his name. Well, he went from being gated into the kitchen when we left, to the kitchen and the family room, to the run of the house, to building a doggy door from the kitchen to the garage and the garage to the back yard, and now he sleeps with us! He is the sweetest, most affectionate dog, who is so gentle and loving with our daughter, even when she drags him around the back yard jumping him over cross poles like a horse, or gently bopping him for the most minor infraction. And, he takes every opportunity to cuddle up and lay on us when ever he gets the chance (he is truly a Lap Dog)! When we first got him he was very timid and even cowered from small female dogs, but lately he has grown more confident (despite being nuetered) even barking at the big neighborhood dogs when meeting them on a walk.
Despite all this, I find it a little uncomfortable, that even though I know him to be a gentle and loving animal, when people meet him they sometimes get down in his face and put theirs right up to him to give him a kiss? Then I received this article (below) and thought I would share it, as everyone should be aware of the frequency and cost of dog bites!
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dog bites man does not get a lot of attention in the news, but it costs insurance companies hundreds of millions in claims every year.
State Farm Insurance, one of the nation’s largest home insurers, paid more than $109 million on about 3,800 dog bite claims nationwide last year, spokesman Eddie Martinez said Wednesday. In 2010, there were about 3,500 claims and $90 million in payouts.
The Insurance Information Institute estimated that nearly $479 million in dog bite claims were paid by all insurance companies in 2011, spokeswoman Loretta Worters said. In 2010, it was $413 million.
It’s no surprise that California — home to more dogs and people than any other state — led the way in 2011.
Martinez says 527 claims were filed in California and victims received $20.3 million, a jump of 31 percent over 2010.
About 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year and more than half of the victims are children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. About 800,000 people seek medical attention for the bites. Less than half of those people require treatment and about 16 die, the agency said.
After children ages 5 to 9 years old, the agency said that seniors represent the largest group at risk, followed by letter carriers.
Nationally, about 5,600 U.S. Postal Service letter carriers were attacked by dogs each of the last two years, said Los Angeles spokesman Richard Maher.
In California, a carrier was attacked in March and died of complications four days later after she suffered a stroke likely caused by trauma, Maher said.
Los Angeles carriers recorded the most bites with 83; San Diego was second with 68; followed by Houston at 47; and Cleveland at 44.
Medical expenses from dog attacks cost the Postal Service just over $1 million last year, officials said.
The third full week each May is National Dog Bite Prevention Week and State Farm, the U.S. Postal Service, the American Veterinary Medical Association and CDCP release dog bite statistics and launch campaigns to promote dog safety.
Despite the large number of attacks on letter carriers, the Postal Service decided to focus on children for their campaign because a child is 900 times more likely to be attacked than a letter carrier, Maher said.
Heredity, training, socialization, health, and the behavior of humans around it can all contribute to a dog’s tendency to bite, Martinez said.
The ASPCA predicts half of all children in the United States will be bitten by a dog before 12. The majority of bites will be from the family dog or the dog of a neighbor or friend.
People across the country own about 78.2 million dogs, according to the American Pet Products Association.
California was tops in the first two categories, then came Illinois, 309 claims, $10 million; Texas, 219 claims, $5.1 million; and Ohio, 215, $5.4 million.
At the bottom of the claims per state list were Maine, New Mexico, Montana, Hawaii and South Dakota, Martinez said.
The average cost per claim nationally in 2011 was $28,799, Martinez said.
California had a per-claim average of $38,500 but New York came in first because the company paid an average of $45,900 per claim there. Michigan was second with an average $38,700 per claim.
There are ways to help a child avoid dog bites, the ASPCA says.
A youngster should never stare into a dog’s eyes, tease a dog, approach a chained dog, touch an off-leash dog, run or scream if approached by a loose dog, play with a dog while it is eating or touch a dog while it is sleeping. If a loose dog comes close, children should stand very still and be very quiet. Always ask a dog’s owner for permission to pet it and let the dog sniff your closed hand before you start touching it.
Please be aware that no matter how much you trust your dog with your family, they may react differently with strangers! Do not put your face down nears theirs until you are very familiar with that dog!
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