Will That Dog Bite?

This morning I took a walk with my black lab, Bella Rosa, before it got too warm. We finished with a few throws of her Frisbee, now marked by numerous teeth marks. Several times, my hand got really close to those canine canines, kept white and bright with occasional brushing using peanut-butter-flavored toothpaste.

Although I don’t worry about Bella biting me, it did get me to thinking that she might bite someone else, especially if she senses they are a threat to herself, her family or home territory.

Last week was National Dog Bite Prevention Week with a push to educate the public about dog bite prevention by the United States Postal Service (who can blame them?), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Veterinary Medical Association .

Here are the CDC’s basic safety tips you can teach children in order to prevent dog bites. Adults can adapt many of them for their own dog-bite prevention.

• Do not approach an unfamiliar dog.
• Do not run from a dog and scream.
• Remain motionless (e.g., "be still like a tree") when approached by an unfamiliar dog.
• If knocked over by a dog, roll into a ball and lie still (e.g., "be still like a log").
• Do not play with a dog unless supervised by an adult.
• Immediately report stray dogs or dogs displaying unusual behavior to an adult.
• Avoid direct eye contact with a dog.
• Do not disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies.
• Do not pet a dog without allowing it to see and sniff you first.
• If bitten, immediately report the bite to an adult.