Concerns raised over number of children treated for dog bites

Saturday 20 May 2017

In the first three months of this year, seven children, including two babies, went to A&E after being bitten by a dog, and now a local action group is working in schools to try and avoid future incidents.

Child Accident Prevention Jersey (CAPJ) is running a 'Speak Dog and Stay Safe' campaign.

CAPJ is concerned that youngsters don’t see the dangers of animals they know.

Mandy Le Tensorer, a co-ordinator for Child Accident Prevention Jersey, said: “We need to suspend our disbelief that our own dogs will bite our children because unfortunately, the data from A&E shows that the opposite is often the case. Often people identify dogs as safe or dangerous depending on their breed but actually any dog can bite if the circumstances are right.”

All of the children were under the age of 13, with the majority being under eight years old and injuries included bites to hands and faces. 

In six of the cases, the dog was either a family pet or belonged to a family friend.

Mrs Le Tensorer added: “Dog bites can be incredibly painful and leave nasty scars, both physical and mental. Child Accident Prevention Jersey is committed to going into schools and talking to children about how to stay safe around dogs but we are urging parents and carers to have the same conversations to reinforce the message and remind them regularly.”

She said the Speak Dog & Stay Safe campaign was welcomed by all schools:  “The children learn about the signals dogs give us to show how they’re feeling so that they can act accordingly. We teach them not to approach a dog they don’t know, not to put their face near a dog and never to take anything away from an animal.”

“We believe that this campaign has played a part in the reduction of dog bites over recent years. However, it is apparent that whilst children understand the dangers that strange dogs may pose, they see their own pet as beyond reproach and not a threat and that remains a real concern.”