GAINESVILLE - The Humane Society of Northeast Georgia is offering a seminar on Saturday, May 23 to teach parents and kids pet safety.
"Playing it Safe with Pets" is a community program designed for both parents and kids, and aims at preventing dog bites.
"Unfortunately, it's a pretty common emergency room visit," said Volunteer and Outreach Manager Kelly Uber. "Most bites that we see for dogs are pets that are known to the family." Uber added that since 1999, dog bites, statistically, have been on the rise.
About 360,000 dog bites involve children per year, and about 37 percent of those bites are with kids ages five to nine, Uber said.
"I think it's just being a child and being curious about what's going on," Uber said. "At that point, they think that [the kids] know better, but there's always those unforeseen circumstances."
Uber said in some cases, a child could fall or trip on the dog and frighten the animal, or try to take a treat, bed or toy from the dog and accidentally instigate a threat. "Anything with a mouth can bite," Uber added.
The safety course will focus on the entire family and detail animal body language and how kids can interact safely with their pets, as well as some interactive games.
The seminar will be held twice at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 23 at the Humane Society. Registration is not required, but a $3 donation to the organization per participant is appreciated.
