SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Dog bites of children are on the rise in San Diego County, according to officials at Rady Children's Hospital and the San Diego Humane Society, so they plan to hold a news conference Monday to offer tips to parents on how to keep kids safe around dogs.
"There were 457 dog bite cases reported last year at the emergency room and urgent cares at Rady Children's," said Kay Moore, a nurse in the hospital's emergency room. "We are seeing about one to two dog bites a week."
Moore, who is also a dog trainer, said in most cases the bite came from a dog the victim was familiar with, often a family pet.
Dr. Thomas Vecchione, a plastic surgeon at Children's and Amanda Kowalski, behavior center director at the San Diego Humane Society, will join Moore at the news conference to demonstrate the do's and don'ts of interacting with a dog and provide important tips for parents on keeping children safe from dog bites.
Several dogs from the Humane Society will help demonstrate the appropriate way to interact with dogs to avoid being bitten.
