Is it safe to keep dogs when you have kids?
by RachelTheWriterIf you have a baby or small children, you may be worried about introducing a dog into the mix – even if you’ve had dogs before and know what to expect. A recent report suggests that parents should wait until their little ones are of school age before buying a dog, because of the risk of dog bites.
The study, conducted at a trauma center in Austria for ten years, found that children aged one or younger had the biggest risk of being bitten by a dog – although age 1 to 10 still had a larger risk than in adulthood. The study was published this March in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The study suggests that “dogs may regard newborns as well as toddlers as subordinate,” but that “school-aged children can be trained successfully in precautionary behaviour when approaching a dog”.
But what if you just have to get a dog? Then choose your breed with care. The researchers found that German shepherds and Dobermans carried a much greater biting risk than a Labrador or a mixed breed dog.
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