It Is Dog Ownership, Not Rocket Science

From the BBC: 'Don't leave children with dogs'

Children should not be left alone to play with dogs, doctors say.

In the British Medical Journal, London Deanery and Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust medics also called for children to be taught how to approach dogs.

Paediatrician Rachel Besser also wrote that dog owners should face mandatory classes on pet control.

A five-year-old girl from Merseyside was killed by a pit bull terrier-type dog recently, and hospital admissions for dog bites have doubled in 10 years.

NHS figures show that 4,133 people were admitted to hospital last year suffering dog bites, almost double the number in 1996. More than a fifth were children under nine.
Ms Besser, from training body the London Deanery, argued that the Dangerous Dogs Act does not work, because it only covers four breeds and just 764 people were prosecuted under it in 2005.

"Most dog bites to children at home happen when the child interacts with the dog in the absence of adult supervision," she wrote.

"We must stop placing blame on the dogs themselves and focus attention instead on who holds the lead at the other end - or who isn't holding the lead as the case may be.

"It is clear that not all dog owners appreciate that children should not be left unsupervised with a dog.

"Just as some parents are obliged to take parenting classes, I would like to see equivalent mandatory classes for expectant dog owners to teach them about the responsibilities of dog ownership."

She also called for measures targeted at children to help educate them on how to approach dogs.

It is shocking to see just how ignorant the UK is when it comes to dogs. And that is all this is, ignorance. People in Britain simply do not seem to know you have to teach your children how to interact with dogs...probably because they don't know how to do it themselves. How does that happen nationwide? Is it simply a tale of generations of urban dwellers losing touch with our canine companions? Whatever the reason it is sad.

Obviously, I realize that not everyone in England is totally clueless about this, and God knows we have our fair share of dunderheads here....but no one in the States is advocating a government program because too few people seem to know you shouldn't pull on a dog's tail while it is eating.

Do you really need a government program to teach common sense?