It seems almost every day you go online you see a post
about a dog attack – usually some news station reporting exaggerated and false
information. According to dogsbite.org, “In North America every day around
1,000 people need medical care from a dog bite/attack. In 2001, an estimated 368,245 persons were treated
in U.S. emergency rooms for nonfatal dog bite-related injuries,” and the
statistics have remained relatively unchanged. Although the numbers are high
for dog bites, I would like to remind everyone that a person is roughly
23 times more likely to be injured from a fall, 12 times more likely to be
injured by a car, 7 times more likely to be injured by a sharp object and 1.5
times more likely to be injured by a bicycle (aspca.org). All this data really
sinks in when you realize the amount of dogs in society – there are an
estimated 75 million pet dogs in the United States alone in 2007-2008. With
that being said, I am not saying dog bites are not a problem and do not need to
be addressed, but how do we really tackle such a diverse problem? Whenever dog
bites or dog bite statics come up, people immediately blame the dog: this breed
is vicious, this gender is more likely to bite, these kind of dogs shouldn’t be
allowed to be in this place, but this much more vicious but much smaller dog is
okay to be here (*cough* Pitbull vs Chihuahua *cough*).
I am not here to
preach dog equality, or that humans are the real problem… even if most the time
we are. Nevertheless, what I am here to talk about today is the Yellow Dog
Project. A HUGE amount of dog bite/attacks can be easily prevented with proper
knowledge/awareness. 42% of dog
bites in 2001 occurred among children aged 14 years and younger; injury rates
were highest among children aged 5-9 years and were significantly higher for
boys than for girls. Now, I think pets are vital to a child’s learning and
loving process while growing up, however, many attacks on children are simply
because the child approaches incorrectly, too aggressively, or simply
approaches an unapproachable dog. Be it behavioral, physical, or temporarily
emotional, dogs are like humans in the way they can suffer from anger and
anxiety problems.
What is the Yellow Dog Project?
The Yellow Dog Project is a way to help both
children and adults stay clear of dogs that shouldn’t be approached and need
their space or dogs that you need to ask the owner first before going near the
dog. For example, a dog that must be approached in a certain way, such as a dog
blind in the right eye and need to be approached from left, or dogs that just
need their space, such as a dog in pain from surgery. The project is simple,
tie a yellow ribbon to the leash (or somewhere visible on your dog while being
in public). If you see a yellow ribbon on a dog, then you know to give it space,
or make sure to talk to the owner before approaching the dog.
Please be aware, the Yellow Dog Project IS NOT:
An excuse not to train your dog, or any reason to
value a dog less.
This worldwide initiative needs to be heard from
sea to sea! This project can save many dogs from euthanasia, shelters, and retaliation
abuse at the hands of uneducated owners/bite victims and save many people of
all ages from bites and possible attacks. If you know a dog who could benefit
from the Yellow Dog Project, or would like to donate to the non-profit organization,
check out their site at www.theyellowdogproject.com
Xoxo Petopolis
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