04/6/23
help i need to find a new home for my dog

Help! I need to rehome my dog!

help i need to find a new home for my dog

 

With my rescue, I am currently getting a large number of surrender requests with people wanting to rehome their dogs. There seems to be a lack of understanding on what to do if you’re in a situation where you’re contemplating rehoming, so this guide is here to assist.

 

Do you really need to rehome your dog?

Circumstances are tough when you consider having to rehome a dog, but your circumstances are only ever temporary. So the first question I’d ask you is, do you really need to rehome a dog?

If you think you need to rehome your dog for accommodation issues, then boarding kennels are an excellent interim solution until you can find somewhere to live. Many boarding kennels will provide a discount if a dog is boarded for an extended period of time.

Do you need to rehome a dog for behavioural reasons, then have you considered investing in training? Either classes, private one-on-one training, or a board and train. (Even if you are not in a position to keep your dog after training, you have made the dog more desireable to a future home.)

Are finances the reason that you need to rehome your dog? If so, you can consider accessing financial relief services. There are numerous in South Australia in regional and metro areas. Some even are able to provide dog food.

If your situation is quite complex, with perhaps accommodation, safety, financial, mental health, or other situations at play, South Australia has a fantastic organisation called Safe Pets Safe Families. They can assist in select cases.

In 90% of cases, the best home for your dog is the one they already have.

 

do really need to rehome my dog…

If you have tried all the options above and have decided you do need to rehome your dog, then I recommend…

  1. Contact your breeder or the rescue organisation you acquired your pet home. When you carefully chose the rescue or breeder you purchased your animal before, part of your selection process was an organisation that provides ongoing support. Contact your breeder or rescue first.
     
  2. Is your dog desexed? If so, you can advertise your dog privately. Places like Gumtree, Facebook, and ‘old school’ methods like community noticeboards. How you advertise your dog can make a big difference to the enquiries you get. By rehoming your dog privately, your dog experiences less stress (i.e. they only have to move house once), plus you are able to provide a detailed history and information about the dog to its new home.
     
  3. Breed specific rescues are the best place to start, if you are going to contact rescues. If breed specific rescues cannot assist, then contact local rescues. Work your way up to larger rescues. (Note that you should also ascertain whether the rescue is ethical prior to surrender.)
     
  4. Place your dog in boarding kennels on a temporary basis, if you are not able to secure a place for your dog promptly.
     

With all these options, starting the process as early as possible is your best plan. It may take days or weeks to coordinate the return of your dog to the breeder, or find a suitable home from your ad, or for the breed-specific rescue to have room

It can be difficult.

There’s no doubt that it’s difficult to make the decision to rehome a dog and, then, even harder to actually go through the process. This process is also hard for rescue groups. Keep in mind that most rescue groups in Australia are run by volunteers, with limited capacity. When you are able to find a solution for your dog without contacting a rescue, you are reducing burden on the volunteer system and leaving room for an animal that may be in more dire circumstances than your own.

With that in mind, if you do contact rescue groups: Please be kind. It is not their job to take your animal. It is not your place to make volunteers feel guilty about not taking your animal. Rescue groups are provided by caring individuals who want to help. Their kindness should be returned compassion.

Thank you for caring enough about your dog to try to find the best option for them. Good luck!

04/23/20
Demystifying the puppy buying process

How my puppy buying process works

Demystifying the puppy buying process

 

I am currently receiving a high volume of puppy enquiries, and thought it may be useful to ‘demystify’ the puppy buying process. This blog post outlines the general process, and also some frequently asked questions.

 

Initial Contact

A puppy buyer will make first contact at some point. My preference is always to receive a phone call – I feel like I understand a person better when I hear their voice. We know that text doesn’t translate well on a screen. Phone calls are also more special – I receive about two enquiries by email each day, but I probably receive one my phone every fortnight. Those people who call me make a great first impression. I will suggest that the puppy buyer call me again at a particular time, and will generally invite the puppy buyer to visit our home and our dogs (or meet us at a dog sport).

 

The bitch is in season

On the initial contact, I will normally suggest that the puppy buyer contact me at a specific date. Generally, this date is at the approximate time that a bitch is due in season. When the puppy buyer contacts me again, I welcome the opportunity to have another chat and get to know them a little more. With any luck, the bitch has come in season as planned. However, it’s possible the bitch is not in yet – in which I will ask the puppy buyer to contact me again in about a month. If the bitch is in season, I will ask the puppy buyer to contact me again after the bitch has been mated.

 

The bitch has been mated

Once the bitch has been mated, we schedule an ultrasound for 28 days after the last mating. We will let the puppy buyer know the date scheduled for this ultrasound, and ask them to contact us again a few days after this ultrasound.

It is at this stage that I may begin to make a small list. I have, afterall, hopefully known these people for a few months now, and so have some idea of what sex and colour they’re interested in, and what type of home they can offer.

 

The bitch has an ultrasound

When the bitch has an ultrasound, this will show approximately how many puppies she will have. This may be zero, in which case, when the puppy buyer next calls, I will have to tell them our disappointing news, and advise them when our next bitch is due in season. We start this whole thing again (but not quite from scratch – I do know this person now, and I’m very pleased that they have kept in touch). If there are puppies expected, I will let the puppy buyer know how likely it is that they will get a puppy. If I only have two puppies on board, and I have five people wanting a puppy, it’s unlikely I will be able to fulfil all ‘orders’. Generally, the people who have been in contact the longest, or those that I have formed the best relationship with, are ones that are more likely to get a puppy. People who have visited us and I now personally know are harder to deny. People who have an interest in dog sports also appeal to me, as I love to see my dogs working in their new homes. However, even if I’ve said there is a low likelihood that they’ll get a puppy, there is still hope – sometimes ultrasounds are inaccurate. There may be more.

I now definitely have a list of people who are interested, just so I can keep track. However, I don’t bother recording contact details for those people – just their name and their preferred sex and colour. If they really want a puppy, I trust that they’ll contact me again.

I ask the puppy buyer to contact us a few days after the puppies due date.

 

The puppies are born

Finally, we have a litter of puppies! I now know what sex and colours they are! From here, I can now look on my list and see which orders I can fulfil. My needs always come first, and my intention is to keep a bitch puppy from almost every litter (if I don’t, then I can’t continue to have litters). Sometimes this gets tricky as I may not know if I will have a bitch that is show and breeding quality in the litter, but I pencil in my name next to one bitch at least.

Here is when I begin to match puppies to owners, tenatively – based on those basic sex and colour categories. When a puppy buyer contacts me at this stage, I will again say how likely or not that a puppy will be available to them. I will save the contact details of several who are ‘next in line’, as nothing at this stage is set in stone.

 

The puppies are three weeks old

When the puppies are three weeks old, and I feel confident that they are healthy, I will ask for deposits from those successful puppy buyers. They will also be sent a contract to complete at this stage, outlining the terms of sale. If any person refuses the contract, then I have those next on my tentative list to contact. I will also invite those who have signed a contract and sent me a deposit to friend me on Facebook to see all the photos I’ve been posting!

 

The puppies are seven weeks old

At seven weeks of age, I have a fair idea of which puppy is going to which home. I will let the puppy buyers know which puppy I think will be theirs during this week.

The puppies will have their vaccinations, microchipping, and vet check. If the vet check reveals any issues with the puppy (for example, low grade heart murmurs, undescended testicles, inguinal hernias, etc), then I will contact the puppy buyer to advise them. The contract they previously signed advises them that they may withdraw from sale at this point, if the puppy is ‘unwell’. Most puppy buyers do not withdraw. If a puppy buyer does withdraw, I will return their deposit, and contact other puppy buyers on our list.

 

The puppies are eight weeks old

The puppies leave to their new homes at eight weeks (or twelve weeks for puppies being exported). We are, of course, able to provide ongoing support to all our puppy buyers, and will always take back a dog at any stage of their life if they are in need.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we go on your waiting list?

I do not keep a waiting list. I receive in excess of 300 puppy enquiries a year. I have bred (as of 23/04/2020) 34 puppies over ten years. I have no desire to maintain a waiting list, and by not keeping a waiting list, I defer responsibility to puppy buyers. I trust that any genuine puppy buyer will ‘bother’ to keep contact with me and, if that is too much work, then I’m very glad to find a home that is more committed.

 

Can you take a deposit now?

I do not take deposits until puppies are 3 weeks old. This is to avoid disappointment. Again, I do not breed many puppies, and so if I take a deposit now, it may be years before I can provide you with a puppy. This is a organisational nightmare that I do not want to partake in.

 

What is your application process?

I’m not that formal. You apply by talking to me, being friendly, meeting my dogs, being nice to them, showing interest in the breed, and being patient and kind. As I want to help my puppy buyers suport their dog for life, if I don’t get along with the person, then it’s not going to work (for either of us!).

 

Why is this so hard?

I don’t think it’s ‘so hard’ to form a relationship with me instead of engage in a transactional arrangement. If you don’t like how I sell my dogs, then you can contact another breeder. You might find one that is perfect for you that you click with, which is better for you, me, and the dog!

 

I was really hoping to have a puppy by (date).

I cannot control when my bitches come into season, whether they conceive from a mating, or how many puppies they produce of a given sex or colour. Puppies do not grow on trees and I cannot simply find one for you to meet your timeline. It is generally recommended that you contact me 12 months or more prior to wanting to purchase a puppy – this will improve your chances, but still won’t guarantee anything.

 

How do you choose between puppy buyers?

The honest truth is: I choose puppy buyers that I like. I particularly like people who I have gotten to know over a long period, and who have bothered to visit me and my dogs.

 

What are your terms for a puppy to show or breed from?

My main register puppies are sold on co-ownership. When that puppy gains a title (in any discipline – not just conformation) then I will sign that puppy entirely into the new owners name. This is to stop ‘backyard breeders’ who simply acquire a dog to breed from. I want to make sure puppies I sell get to prove their ability to be smart or be beautiful before they are bred from. I am very happy to sell my dogs to show and breeding terms, and I can send the full contract on request, well in advance of puppies being born so the prospective home can make their own choices regarding pursuing purchase or otherwise.

 

Can you recommend another breeder?

I do not recommend any other breeder. You can find other breeders on DogzOnline.com.au, and I would always recommend you visit any premises to ensure you are happy with the environment your puppy has been born and raised in.

 

I hope this blog post helps to demystify the puppy purchasing process. If you have any further questions you’d like answered, please comment below.

 

You may also like: How to find a good dog breeder, and our puppies 2012.

02/21/19

Socialisation: More is Better

Socialisation: More is Better

You do not have to read my blog for long to know that I’m a big fan of puppy socialisation. If you read my Puppies 2012 series, you can see the kind of effort I put into puppy raising five years ago (though my methods are different – better – today!).

One of the problems we have with puppy socialisation is that it’s difficult to test the kind of socialisation that works outside of controlled conditions. A recent study used a standardised socialisation program in assistance dogs, and measured the effects. This is a rare opportunity to have a control group for puppy socialisation (as they were all raised in the same conditions in the breeding facility). And the results were fairly impressive!

 

Study Basis

Undesirable dog behaviours are problematic. Dogs with problem behaviours may be surrendered to rescue. If they occur in specialised breeding programs (like assistance animals, working animals, or sport animals), then dogs that have unsuitable behaviours are the financial burden of wastage. In the worst case scenario, a dog that is aggressive to people or other animals can cause physical and psychological harms.

In many animals, including dogs, we know that juvenile experiences affect development. Puppyhood may be the time to save adult dogs. For dogs, we know that the crucial social development period is 2-13 weeks of age.

Studies on puppies have suggested that early socialisation causes puppies to:

  • Mature faster
  • Explore more
  • Be more resilient
  • Perform better on problem-solving task
  • Be more successful in training

But there is a paucity in dog research. Many studies only look on the short-term impact on puppy development, and do not look at particular socialisation programs. This study wanted to address this paucity.

 

Study Design

In this study, an assistance dog puppy-raising facility was used. This meant the puppies could be raised in a controlled way. This study used puppies that were golden retrievers, labrador retrievers, or mixes of.

The control group had fourteen puppies who received the centre’s ‘standard’ socialsiation program.

The study group included nineteen puppies who received the standard socialisation program plus ‘extra’ socialisation 5-7 days a week. This extra program took 5 min per puppy in weeks 1-2, 10 minutes per puppy in weeks 3-4, and 15 minutes per puppy in weeks 5-6.

This socialisation program was tailored to the development of the puppies. For example, there’s no point opening and closing an umbrella around a 10 day old puppy. Basically, the socialisation was specific to that age group’s comprehension, and also layered in a way that meant that it wasn’t overwhelming – just appropriate.

It was also important that the program was effective, quick and easy, and low cost.

Below is the programs that the ‘standard socialisation’ and ‘extra socialisation’ puppies were exposed to. It’s actually a little more complicated than this, as there is specific ages that this stimuli should be experienced by the pups, but I went for this simplified version. You can pursue the full text if you really want to know!

Tactile:
-Puppy picked up
-Puppy stroked gently with fingers
-Handle each puppy in the kennel with bitch
-Groom in kennel
The above is standard. Extra in ES is:
-Wearing velcro collar
-Body touched specifically: head, body, tail, legs, paws
-Holding puppy against: woolen jumper, nylon t-shirt, fleece material
-Stroking puppy with soft towel, rubber glove, soft child’s toothbrush
-Puppy encouraged to move over: carpet, rubber matting, reusable shopping bag

Auditory:
-Radio on in the kennel block
-Washing machine sounds
-Plastic bottle with dried pasta inside in kennel with litter
The above is standard. Extra in ES is:
-Sounding near the puppy: a paper bag, a plastic bag, jangling keys, ringing mobile phone, clapping
-Rolling noisy items (e.g. filled toy) in the pen and outside of the pen

Visual:
-Television on in the kennel block
-Push chair in visual range of kennel
-Charity collection box in visual range of the kennel
The above is standard. Extra in ES is:
-Puppy put in front of TV
-Rolling items in and out of the pen
-Hanging items above the stimulation area
-Opening and closing an umbrella
-A mirror (and encouraging exploration of)

Interaction with People:
-Puppy weighed
-Puppy nails clipped
-Puppy carried around block
-Contact with people wearing dress up clothes
-“At least two sessions in a socialisation kennel as a litter”
-Time away from litter
-Grooming on grooming table
The above is standard. Extra ES is:
-Puppy carried around kennel or to socialisation kennel
-Puppy stroked by hand
-Puppy’s teeth and ears examined
-One on one play session for 3 minutes
-Puppy gently restrained for 5-20 seconds
-People wears hat, sun glasses, back pack

Interaction with Environment:
-Empty plastic bottle in kennel with litter
-Toys in kennel to include: soft, plastic, squeaky, rubber, big soft toy
-At least two session on rubber and grass outside areas (that is at least four sessions outside
-Cardboard box in kennel
-Tunnel in kennel
The above is standard. Extra ES is:
-Experience concrete, grass, and rubber surfaces outside
-Puppy encouraged to climb over an obstacle
-Puppy encouraged to move in and out of door ways
-Gently place a towel over puppy and let it find its way out

Then, at six weeks of age and at eight months of age, the puppies were assessed.

At six weeks, the puppies were exposed to six stimuli, and puppy responses were scored on a seven-point scale. It is most desirable for them to get a score of four – but low scores are least desirable. The same trained staff member assessed all puppies, and did so blind (i.e. did not know which puppy was from which program).

Then, at eight weeks, the puppy’s handler was asked to complete a questionnaire of 40 questions, using a bar scale of 0-100. In this tool, low scores were most desirable, except for the trait of trainability. The puppy handler was also blind (i.e. did not know what program their puppy was from).

 

Study results

We could simply say: it worked. This small amount of extra socialisation resulted in better dogs, at least until 8 months of age.

“This is the first socialisation program tailored to the developmental stage of puppies from birth to six weeks of age to demonstrate measurable, long-term effects on individual dog behavioural traits.”

At all stages of testing (6 weeks, 8 weeks, and 8 months), the puppies who were on the extra socialisation program did better.

Puppies on the extra socialisation program scored better on:

  • Separation related behaviours,
  • General anxiety scores,
  • Body sensitivity scores, and
  • Distraction.

Additionally, extra socialisation puppies showed more desirable attachment, excitability, and animal chase scores (but this was not statistically significant). There was no affect on trainability or energy scores.

On the Puppy Profiling Assessment (where the perfect score is 4), puppies in the standard socialisation program had a mean score of 3.1, while the ones on the extra socialisation program had a mean score of 3.8.

A puppy exposed to things at a young age is likely, as an adult dog, to treat those things as benign. This reduction in novelty logically affects how dogs behave – they are less anxious and distracted by stuff they’ve seen before.

 

So what should we do? 

To quote the article, “The program is recommended for working dog [including assistant dogs], pet dog breeders and shelters.” This really says what we always knew - everyone breeding dogs should be socialising their puppies. This studied showed that what happens before 8 weeks of age affects the puppy throughout at least the first 8 months of life but, presumably, even longer than that.

Ultimately, people are responsible for shaping the experiences of puppies in their care. Arguing that someone ‘doesn’t have time’ to raise puppies well is illogical, according to this study. The puppies on the extra socialisation program did not receive a great deal more time with people, it’s just the way that time was utilised that varied.

For working dogs, early experiences are particularly relevant due to expense and wastage that results from failure in socialisation – and those working dogs raised in kennel environments are at greater risk again.

This study suggests the extra socialisation puppies spent more time away from their littermates which may also result in these bettered scores. Perhaps this time away from their family for small bouts meant they developed better ways of coping with the stress of permanent separation at 8 weeks.

Regardless, we know that socialisation matters, and more is better!

“Mildly stressful early life experience and challenging situations make animals more resilient to stress, less susceptible to emotional disturbances, and promote motor and cognitive skills in adulthood.”

 

My Thoughts

This study has a relatively small sample – there are only 33 puppies across the two groups. We need to see this study replicated with larger groups in order to make definitive conclusions.

This study has also put a lot of emphasis on appropriate age of exposure. In a clinical or kennel environment, then this formulaic approach to puppy socialisation is understandable. In more naturalistic settings (i.e. home puppy raisers), I don’t think it’s too important to get fussy about what exactly the puppy is getting exposed to at what age, as long as the puppy is not scared and not oblivious to the stimuli.

The big take home point are: socialisation matters, and it can just take 5-15 minutes a day with a puppy to make a difference to the future adult dog.

 

Further Reading

This study has also been reviewed by:

Giving Puppies Extra Socialization is Beneficial to Them from Psychology Today

Extra Early Socialization for Puppies Makes a Big Difference from Companion Animal Psychology

 

Source

Vaterlaws-Whiteside, H & Hartmann, A 2017, ‘Improving puppy behaviour using a new standardised socialisation program’, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, vol 197.

 

Other Blog Posts

Puppy Socialisation Checklist

Television is Good for Puppies

Puppy Socialisation by Dunbar

Socialisation – Not Everything

02/6/19
First Call for Dogs by Dr Alex Hynes

Book Review: “First Call” by Dr Alex Hynes

First Call for Dogs by Dr Alex Hynes

First Call for Dogs by Dr Alex Hynes is an excellent book for dog owners, especially new dog owners. I will be adding this book to my recommend reading list for future puppy buyers, as I think it’s important for them to have this book as a guide to most medical conditions in dogs. Unlike many first aid pet books on the market, this book only looks at dogs. This is an excellent choice by Dr Alex Hynes – it means that the book is smaller (i.e. an appropriate size for just dog issues!), and also that in an emergency, it’s easy to flick to topics as relevant to dogs.

The title of this book is a little misleading – this book is more a medical bible than strictly a first aid manual. However, it does focus on owner-action instead of just describing the illness.

As a first aid trainer, I approach texts like this with a different mindset to most. In Australia, we have a resuscitation council (which I was on until recently!) and I know how ingrained in science first aid recommendations are. However, there is no resuscitation council for dogs! This means we often have to make ‘best guess’ when it comes to first aid, instead of having foundations in research.

For the most part, I was impressed with the rational approach taken by Dr Hynes in some common illnesses - for example, vomiting, diarrhoea, and heat stroke.Index page for the book First Call

The area that were most in conflict for me was the snake bite. The book basically says to get the dog to a vet, which is obviously great advice. It ignores however the pressure immobilisation technique and the emphasis on keeping the dog still. Now, this has to be balanced against the proximity to the vet and available hands to drive and so forth, but if my dog was bitten by a snake I would get someone to start driving as I put a firm bandage (starting at the extremity and going up) on the affected limb, and then I would crate the dog to minimise movement. This not-moving is very important for the treatment of human snake bite, so it is logical to assume that in canines, another mammal, treatment would be similar.

Another slight criticism was the unusual order of the first half of the book. It made sense in the end, but at the beginning, I was feeling a bit perplexed. I now know that front of the book contains material referenced within the conditions are organised alphabetically in the second half of the book.

But that doesn’t take away from the content. I recommend this book to those wanting to have a guide for dealing with medical emergencies in their dogs. If you have no type of medical background, this book could literally be lifesaving to your dog.

 

Available for purchase from:
Dr Alex Hynes
Winston & Ruby

08/17/17
dog bites who gets bitten by which dogs

Which people get bitten by which dogs?

dog bites who gets bitten by which dogs

Dog bites are one of my niche areas of interest, so I when I came across this 2008 bite study, I was keen to read. The overall objective of this study was to work out the similarities between biting dogs and people injured by them, to be able to understand dog bites in such a way that public health could be influenced.

And dog bites are a bit public health problem. In 1986, dog bites were among the top 12 causes of nonfatal injury in the US. in 2005, an estimated 800 000 dog bites needed medical attention in the US. On average, 18 people die per year in the US as a result of dog bites. The number of reported dog bites is going up each year, suggesting this is a growing problem. (Though, personally, I think the number is probably going up to growing intolerance of dog bites in the community.)

So this study was a retrospective cohort study, looking at data for incidents that occurred in the 2002/2003 financial year in Multonomah County, Oregon. In this study period, 636 dog bites were reported to Animal Control Services, while there were 47, 526 dogs licensed in the county.

What followed was a whole lot of number crunching that I don’t entirely understand. From where I’m sitting, it looks like a fair bit of extrapolation went into the figures seen below, but without sampling every single household for dogs and other aspects, I’m not sure if there’s a much better way to go about it.

But regardless, onto the results…

The Biters

From this study, dogs were more likely to bite if:

  • They were of particular types (terrier, working, herding, and nonsporting),
  • They were sexually intact and male, and
  • They were purebred.

Instead of using dog breed, they used dog type, to try to avoid problems in identification. (For example, the general public has a hard time determining between a border collie and coolie, but they do know it’s some kind of herding dog.) The breeds listed above were more likely to bite than dogs that were sporting breeds, hounds, non-AKC breeds, and toy breeds. This study suggested that the dogs in the ‘problematic’ groups have instincts they’re likely to revert to if left untrained (which doesn’t ring true to me for the nonsporting group), and threat they are a ‘size and strength’ to cause damage (which doesn’t seem right considering the size of most terriers).

More intact male dogs bit than any other neuter/sex ratio. This is different to other studies I’ve reviewed.

It’s really perplexing that purebred dogs were more likely to bite in this study. I guess this goes to the breeding practices, but it’s curious to think that crossbreed dogs, presumably bred by people who are ‘accidental’ breeders, end up with less-bitey temperaments. Something for breeders to think about. While these dog factors existed, there was also a range of other elements to a dog bite.

“Factors that determine whether a dog-human interaction will result in a bite are complex and involve characteristics of the dog, the injured person, the owner, and the dog’s environment.”

The Owners of the Biters

Biting dogs were more likely than nonbiting dogs to live in neighbourhoods where the residents’ median incomes were less than the county median income value. If controlling for breed category and controlling for sex, “dogs living in census block groups that had incomes less than the county median were 1.5 times as likely to be reported as a biting dog than reported as a nonbiting dog”. When dog owner data was compared to population density, percentage sex by age, percentage nonwhite race, and percentage without high school diploma, there was still not an association with biting. It was correlated just with income!

So what’s going on here? What’s different in areas were less income? Less money spent on training? On fences? Different attitudes towards child raising? This study suggests that people in these areas may be inclined to select particular breeds (i.e. especially those with reputations for aggressive behaviours). (Though this study didn’t look at whether some breeds were more likely to be owned by different groups.) They also suggest that low income areas may socialise their dogs in a different way, and therefore change the bite potential of the dog, or perhaps they’re not trained or supervised in a way that minimises dog bite risk.

“In another study examining dog bite injuries in St Louis, Mo, bite injuries occurring in low income areas were attributed to large numbers of children playing outdoors, few homes with adequate fencing, poor dog control, and a high proportion of large-breed dogs owned for protective purposes.”

As a personal comment, in my experience, crossbreed large dogs are cheaper than small dogs or purebred dogs. This means low income areas are likely to own bigger dogs, and we know bigger dogs are more likely to have their bites reported. While studies of the past have looked at breed and sex-neuter status, this study reveals a new area for further research: block group income levels.

But there’s more: It’s not just about the dog and who owns it, but also where the bite took place.

The Place of the Bites

Dog bites occurred:

  • 35.1% of bites happened in the dog’s home or yard.
  • 23.4% of bites happened in ‘neutral territory’
  • 17% of bites happened in dog/victim household (i.e. the parties lived together)
  • 10.1% of bites happened in household of victim (not dog’s place)
  • 7.1% bites unknown place
  • 3.8% at “place of employment” – e.g. vet clinic, rooming facility, MCAC
  • 3.6% “Neighbour’s Property” (which could be grouped with the 35.1%)

This reinstates the idea that parents need to be extra vigilant when they are visiting houses with dogs.

Other Statistics

Other tid bits of interest:

  • Boys and girls aged 5-9 years had highest rate of injury, boys a bit higher (but not significantly so).
  • Of the 636 biting dogs, 49% had a license number. There are some estimates that less than half of all dogs are registered. (I really wonder what this kind of statistic would look like in Australia.)
  • 36% of dog bite victims didn’t know the dog that bit them. (The largest portion.)
  • But: Among children, 46% were bitten by the family dog.
  • More dog bites in summer months.
  • No significant difference between male and females being bitten.

Limitations

Like all studies, there are a number of problems. In this study, the results are limited by.

  • Not all dog bites will be reported. Dog bites are a reportable incident in Oregon, but the records are incomplete. There’s a problem with recording of dog bites. A previous study, referenced in this one, suggested that only 17% of bites are reported to any authority. (And while this may be the case, how else should we be analysing dog bites except through dog bite records? This model is probably the best we have.)
  • We know members of the public are not very good at reporting dog bites by breeds.
  • Dog license data can only be used as an estimate of breed-populations – especially because we know perhaps only half of all dogs are registered. Further, if owners of some breeds are less likely to license their dogs, the breed specific bite rates are further skewed.
  • When a large-breed bites, that bite is more likely to be reported and more likely to need medical care, meaning that there is a reporting bias that can increase the number of these dogs seemingly involved in incidents.

 

Conclusion

This study made recommendations for reducing dog bites:

  • Combined approaches from human medical communities, veterinary communities, and animal control to help foster healthy relationships between people and pets.
  • Focus on low income neighbourhoods.
  • Paediatricians to counsel parents (dog owning and not) on dog safety during routine medical visits.
  • Low cost spay neuter.
  • Education programs (perhaps through animal control).

“Innate tendencies dictated by breed, sex-neuter status, and size play a role in the potential of a dog to bite, but owners are ultimately responsible for their dogs’ action[,]… and need to make every effort to minimisze their dogs’ bite potential through obedience training; neutering; and supervision, especially around children.”

Source:

Shuler, CM, DeBess, EE, Lapidus, JA, and Hedberg, K 2008, “Canine and human factors related to dog bite injuries”, JAVMA, vol 232, no 4.