Safety for children & pets

Did you know?

• Between 1990 and 1995, 313 children visited the Children’s Emergency Department for treatment of dog bites.
• Dog bites most often result in injuries to the head or neck and are caused by dogs usually known to the child.

• dogs that have been trained to be aggressive or to work as guard dogs may be dangerous to children
• cats do not smother babies by lying on them, but they can scratch -- keep a cat's nails trimmed short
• small mammals are easily hurt if dropped or squeezed and tend to nip or bite -- these animals are not well suited for families with very young children
• reptiles are not recommended as pets -- turtles in particular can transmit salmonella bacteria and should not be kept as pets

• wash their hands well after handling pets
• recognize signs of aggression or anger in a dog

• disturb a sleeping animal
• tease an animal
• take away a pet's food
• put their fingers or face near a dog's mouth
• approach a stray dog or cat
• pull an animal's ears or tail