SASKATOON – You may think your dog is well behaved, but good dogs bite too. It’s the message behind a new campaign launched by the Saskatoon SPCA.
The campaign is aimed at preventing attacks by socializing animals and keeping them on a leash.
“Dogs get blamed for bites,” said Saskatoon SPCA executive director Patricia Cameron.
“But all too often, the dog’s owner has put the animal in a situation where a bite is predictable.”
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The cartoon video, Good Dogs Bite Too, features a dog singing a song to give pet owners a view from the animal’s perspective.
The main point of the campaign? To raise awareness about preventative help.
“The goal is to have people view that video because it’s cute and attracts attention, and then we’re going to have contact information attached to the clip so that people can get in touch with people who have more resources,” said Maggie Sim, a public health nurse.
“Any situation that the dog perceives as threatening, or that is overly exciting could lead to a bite,” added Cameron.
Some of those situations include taking a nervous or frightened animal for dog parks, allowing pets to race to the door and confront visitors, or allowing kids to hug or kiss a pet or interfere with a pet while it is eating.
“It is up to owners to know their pet, and keep him or her out of such situations, and we need to spread the word far and wide,” said Cameron.
In 2014, 528 pet bites were recorded by the Saskatoon Health Region, a number that has been steadily increasing since 2009.
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