firearms, dog safety

Firearms

Even despite efforts to keep firearms locked up and away from children, around 250 youngsters under the age of 14 are killed every year from accidental firearm deaths.

We would discourage the use of firearms for family protection. Parents who purchase a firearm for their families protection are doing just the opposite, as you are about 6 times more likely to have an accident involving the gun and killing one of your own family members than you are to ever have to use that gun for protection. Even if you get by the 6 times greater accident statistic and actually do use it on an intruder, people who confront an intruder with a gun are more likely to die than the intruder.

·	Explain to children that guns, under any circumstance, are not a toy, and they should stay away from them at all times. Explain that guns are unstable, and can sometimes go off even without someone pulling the trigger.

·	Teach children the danger about bullets as well. Many children do not understand that a bullet without a gun can be just as dangerous.

·	Tell children that if they ever find a gun, they should not touch it at all, and call an adult to help immediately.

Drill it into kids heads that if they are ever in the room where a friend or sibling is playing with a gun, they should leave immediately and call for help. Most accidental firearms deaths and injuries hurt the other children in the room, not the one playing with the gun. No matter what the person playing with the gun may say. Children may often get ridiculed for being a wimp or a tattle teller in this situation, but they should just leave the area. Tell them it is more important that they are safe then it is to be ridiculed for not joining in.

Dog Safety

Believe it or not, there are over 4 million dog attacks on average every year in the united states. Most of them are on children. Fido makes a wonderful family pet. But he is also a potentially dangerous animal living in your home.

·	Try not to leave your child unsupervised with any dog for any amount of time. Dogs should be treated as potentially dangerous animals, and should be supervised around children.

·	Spay or neuter your dogs. Dogs who have not been spayed or neutered are three times more likely to bite than dogs who have been.

·	The most dangerous types of dogs for children are German Shepherds, Rottweillers and Pit Bulls. If you have any of these dogs, do not allow your children to play unsupervised around them.

·	Remember, in every fatal dog attack on a child, the same words are uttered: He’s never showed any signs of this or bitten before....they got along great together....she loved that dog....

·	The best types of breeds for children are Golden Retrievers and Bloodhounds.

·	Consider the use of a professional dog trainer for your pet, especially if your dog shows any signs of nipping at other people or other unruly behavior.

·	The only time you can pet a strange dog is if the owner is right there and they say it is OK to pet them. Never pet a strange dog without an adult around.

·	Always let a dog clearly see you and sniff you before petting it. Offer the back side of your hand down low and away from the dog. Let the dog come to you to smell you.

·	Never go near dogs that are fighting, or dogs that seem hurt or sick. If you’re ever around a dog that is growling, showing it’s teeth, pulling back its ears, or barking at you fiercely, get away immediately.

Tell your children that if they ever get attacked by a dog or any other animal, they should go to the fetal position by pressing their chin to their neck to protect their throat, falling to the ground, folding their legs up over their chest, tucking their head down into their chest, and covering their arms up over their face. After that, Stay still!

·	If a dog attacks you and he has a hold of your jacket or coat, let him have it if he wants so that he can wrestle with it instead of you. You can also use backpacks or other things to shield his bites away from you.

·	Teach your children ‘play nice’ rules for playing with dogs. Such as...

1	Don’t put your face near the dog’s face.

2	Don’t tease a dog by holding food up for him and then yanking it away.

3	Don’t yank or pull on a dogs ears or tail.

4	Never give dogs hugs around their necks. Dogs often perceive this as aggression.

5	Don’t do anything that you wouldn’t want to be done to you.

·	If a dog runs up to you or scares you, you need to “be like a tree”, standing still with your arms down by your side. Stay completely still, and do not look at the dogs eyes. Never run away or scream. That may make the dog instinctively chase you.