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A 9-year-old girl died this week when three dogs attacked her in an alley behind her house. Police say the owner of the dogs was arrested.
It’s a reminder that dog attacks do happen, and although rare, they can be fatal.
From 2005 to 2018, 471 Americans suffered death due to a dog bite injury, according to DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims’ group.
The group found that 66% of those fatalities were caused by pit bulls. But Marjie Alonso, a professional dog trainer and executive director of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABCT), says one breed isn’t more aggressive than another.
She says one study found that golden retrievers were responsible for more bites on children than any other breed.
“We could then easily say, ‘Well, golden retrievers are dangerous,’ and that’s not true,” she says.
So what causes dogs to become aggressive?
“What we can observe is that dogs that are highly aroused in terms of excitation, in terms of prey drive [or] in terms of protection will then kind of ramp up and the switch just flips and that’s when dogs are really dangerous, especially in groups,” Alonso says.
She says dogs tend to feed off each other’s excitement. “I don’t know if you ever been to a concert and you see large groups of people lose their minds — that happens with dogs too,” she says.
Alonso says the first safety step is making sure you take preventive measures within your neighborhood.
“This is a community issue. Get to know your neighbors if you can. Talk to delivery people. See if there are places that they know that there are problematic dogs. Your animal control officer is your friend,” she says. “And then we should avoid things if we can, even if it’s not fair. If you can’t walk by that house because this dog is always barking and it bugs you, don’t walk by that house.”
If a dog is quickly approaching you, there’s two things you can do. First, Alonso suggests standing still, looking down and breaking eye contact — but only if you’re able to keep from screaming. Another method is standing your ground and walking directly toward the dog. She says this shows the canine that you’re nothing to chase and your presence is threatening to the advances.
If a dog is actively attacking you, then the main objective should be keeping yourself, your loved one or your pet alive. You might have to get physical or use a citronella spray against an aggressive dog in order to be safe. “Don’t worry about the other dog even though that’s very hard,” she says.
Below are International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants’ tips for what to do if you find yourself in a potentially dangerous situation with a dog.
If an off-leash dog approaches you on a walk:
If a frightening off-leash dog approaches, do not:
If a frightening off-leash dog approaches, do:
If a dog attacks:
Marcelle Hutchins produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Serena McMahon adapted it for the web.
This segment aired on August 21, 2019.
Peter O'Dowd Senior Editor, Here & Now
Peter O’Dowd has a hand in most parts of Here & Now — producing and overseeing segments, reporting stories and occasionally filling in as host. He came to Boston from KJZZ in Phoenix.
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