How Not to Get Attacked by a Dog

This might not be news for people that are used to dogs or even have one as a pet, but the world is large and surely there must be some people that are a bit scared at the thought that if they meet a dog, it will probably attack them.

Now, what everyone should know is that dogs never attack without a reason, and if you follow some simple behavior rules, who knows, one day you might actually have a dog as your friend.

Dogs do not usually bite adults, and more than 60 percent of the people who are bitten are kids, with the elderly in second place and mail carriers and meter readers in third, according to Fred Cicetti, of The Healthy Geezer.

The explanation for this phenomenon is quite simple, for example, children often don't know how to act around a dog and frighten them into aggressive behavior.

Older people are slower and weaker than younger adults, so if they meet an aggressive dog, they are more likely to be bitten by it.

Finally, mail carriers on the job, are perceived by dogs as trespassers of the domain they have to defend, and … the “mailman scene” has become a classic in comedies.

For the rest of those who are scared of dogs, here are some tips to avoid being bitten: first of all, never look a dog straight in the eye, it will see it as an aggression.

Never run away from or past a dog, it could be interpreted as a challenge, an aggression or an invitation to run after you.

If one day you decide to get friendly with a dog, go up to it when it is behind a fence, tethered or in a parked car, and if an unfamiliar dog comes up to you, stand still, it will probably just sniff you and walk away.

When a dog eats or sleeps, leave it alone, and most of all, stay away from a mother watching over her pups.

A dog trainer would say that if you're ever threatened by a dog, you must not yell, but respond calmly and in a commanding voice, tell the dog to go away, and stand still until it does so or back away slowly.

If after following all these rules you still get attacked, give the dog a jacket or a bag to bite, it will always be less painful than if it bit you.

If you're having a really bad day and you get knocked down, roll yourself into a ball and lie still, while covering your face and head with your hands.

All this advice is useful but to be honest, if a rottweiler decided it does not like you and starts running your way, you are likely to forget all that you have read until now and run.

If you do so, and then you remember the advice about not running from a dog, do not stop, thinking that if you stand still the dog will stop too and walk away.

This is not likely to happen, and you risk serious problems so keep running as fast as you can and hope you are faster that the dog.

After you escape the angry dog, call your doctor if it bit you on the hand, foot or head, if the bite is deep or gaping, if you are more sensible or sick and you cannot fight the infection or if there are signs of an infection.

Also if you still bleed after 15 minutes of pressure, if you think you have a broken bone, nerve damage or another serious injury, and if your last tetanus shot was more than five years ago, pick up the phone.

If you were lucky and the bite is not serious, than you should clean the wound with soap and water, then apply pressure with a clean towel to stop the bleeding and bandage the wound with a sterile gauze.

You could also keep the wound above the heart level to slow swelling and prevent infection and you can put on an antibiotic ointment twice a day until the injury heals.

Sometimes, even if the bite is merely a scratch, you should be concerned about rabies.

The disease is rather uncommon in the US, and if a dog is apparently healthy, it probably does not have rabies.

Still if you get bitten by a dog, you should take some precautions, like checking the dog's vaccination record, if you are familiar with the animal, and even if it has been vaccinated, it should be quarantined for 10 days to make sure that none of the rabies symptoms appear.

If the dog is stray and the animal control agency or the health department do not find it, you should get the rabies shot.

For those who love numbers, here is some statistic data: over 4.7 million Americans are bitten by a dog every year, about 800,000 victims seek medical care, pf those injured, 386,000 need a treatment in an emergency department and about a dozen die.

In my experience, dogs really don't attack out of nowhere, and if you calm yourself as you pass a dog and try to convince yourself that it has no reason to bite you, it usually works.

Animals in general and especially dogs have the ability to sense nervousness in people, I guess it's somehow like a particular smell.

So be calm, think positive, leave the dog alone and you will be OK.

Good luck!