National Dog Bite Prevention Week, American Humane KIDS Program

No one knows how many dog bites happen because so many bites happen within families and go unreported. Even those bites that are reported might not be ‘counted’ because medical facilities and other authorities don’t always report bites as they should. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about 3.5 million children are bitten by dogs a year, and that by age 12 half the kids in the country will have an encounter with dog teeth.

To deal with this issue, the American Veterinary Medical Association came up with dog bite prevention week (May 16 through 22 this year) and the American Humane Association has created a program called “American Humane KIDS: Kids Interacting with Dogs Safely,” a unique, first-of-its-kind dog-bite prevention program designed for children ages 4 to 7.
Instead of frightening young kids, American Humane’s KIDS program teaches them consideration for dogs’ feelings in certain situations. For example, a KIDS teacher might ask, “How do you think Fluffy feels when Haiden is pulling on his tail?” This approach will tap into children’s instinctual sense of empathy in a way that is easy for them to grasp at a young age

The KIDS curriculum meets national standards of education while providing character
lessons. It includes games, activities, worksheets, songs, a coloring
book and a live-action DVD.

The KIDS curriculum meets national standards of education while providing character
lessons. It includes games, activities, worksheets, songs, a coloring
book and a live-action DVD.

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