HEALTH - US Postal Service Reports Increase in Dog Attacks

It’s dog bite prevention week and the US Postal Service has announced an increase in dog attacks last year.

In 2016, a total of 6,755 postal employees were attacked by dogs in calendar year - compared to 6,549 in 2015.

The statistics can’t be too surprising since pet ownership in the country is also on the rise.

“Even good dogs have bad days,” said U.S. Postal Service Safety Director Linda DeCarlo in Los Angeles, where postal employees suffered 80 attacks — more than any other city in 2016. “Dog bite prevention training and continuing education are important to keep pet owners, pets and those who visit homes — like letter carriers — happy and healthy.”

The Postal Service is just one organization promoting safety around dogs and bite prevention this week.

American Humane, American Veterinary Medical Association, Insurance Information Institute and State Farm Insurance, are also driving home the message that dog bites are a national issue and education can help prevent dog attacks.

Some tips from the Postal Service to keep their workers safe:

• If a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to attack visitors. Dog owners should keep the family pet secured.

• Parents should remind their children and other family members not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet, as the dog may view the letter carrier handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.

• The Postal Service places the safety of its employees as a top priority. If a letter carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a Post Office until the letter carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors also may be asked to pick up their mail at the area’s Post Office.

According to the CDC, approximately 4.5 million dog bites occur each year in the United States.

More children and men are bitten, and the majority of dog-bite injuries occur at home with dogs that are familiar to them.

Some basic safety tips from the CDC.

Do:

• Remain motionless (e.g., "be still like a tree") when approached by an unfamiliar dog.
• Curl into a ball with your head tucked and your hands over your ears and neck if a dog knocks you over.
• Immediately let an adult know about stray dogs or dogs that are behaving strangely.

Don't:

• Approach an unfamiliar dog.
• Run from a dog.
• Panic or make loud noises.
• Disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies.
• Pet a dog without allowing it to see and sniff you first.
• Encourage your dog to play aggressively.
• Let small children play with a dog unsupervised.

With these tips, everyone can learn how to prevent dog bites and reduce the risk of illness and injury.

WELFARE - Nominate a Hero Dog

(Emerging Hero Hooch)

American Humane is looking for Humane Hero Dogs.

For the seventh year, their National Humane Hero Dog Awards will honour courageous canines and their handlers.

Dog owners across the US are invited to nominate their heroic hound in one of eight categories:

• Law Enforcement
• Military
• Therapy
• Service
• Emerging Hero, a category that pays tribute to ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things
• Arson
• Search and Rescue
• Guide/Hearing.

The Hero Dog Awards celebrate the powerful bond between dogs and people, and give recognition to courageous acts of heroism performed by four-legged best friends.

Following the nomination period, which ends on March 8th, two dozen semifinalists (the top three in each category) will be chosen in a first round of voting by celebrity judges and the public.

The second round will narrow the field to eight category finalists who will then vie for the title of 2017 American Hero Dog.

The eight finalists will be flown to Los Angeles and celebrated at the September 16th awards gala at the Beverly Hilton.

Past finalists include Hooch, the 2016 Emerging Hero who stands for overcoming adversity and bravery.

When Hooch was rescued he wouldn’t eat, just thrashed his food and water dishes around like a maniac.

Medical examination showed his tongue had been removed - likely to prime him to be a bait dog.

After rehabilitation, Hooch now works with autistic, abused and special needs children.

(Guide/Hearing Hero Hook)

Hook, the 2016 Guide/Hearing Hero, packs a lot of punch in his small frame.

Not only did he prevent his hearing impaired owner from stepping in front of a train, he also scared off an intruder - despite weighing just 12 pounds.

In his spare time, Hook works with his owner who is a family therapist - offering her clients supportive licks and comfort when they are upset.

You can nominate Humane Hero Dogs online.

RESEARCH - How do Classroom Pets Impact Kids?

Human Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI) and The Pet Care Trust (PCT) have awarded a combined grant of $130,000 to American Humane to study the impact on children of animals in the classroom.

It is believed that students with a classroom pet will experience increased social skills, improved academic competence and decreased competing problem behaviours compared to students who do not have a classroom pet.

The second phase study, titled Pets in the Classroom (PIC): What are the Social, Behavioral, and Academic Effects of Classroom Pets for Children, 8-10 years?, will examine approximately 650 students and parents, as well as 46 teachers from 23 US third and fourth grade classrooms over the course of a nine-month school year.

Students, teachers and parents will complete questionnaires three times throughout the study period to measure the social, behavioural, and academic effects of classroom pets and human-animal relationships on children.

“Animals are common in today’s elementary school classrooms, and we are learning more and more about their positive impact on child well-being and development,” principal investigator Dr. Amy McCullough, American Humane National Director of Research and Therapy said in a release.

“This study will provide meaningful insight on the broad impact of child and animal relationships and help prepare schools and teachers with the responsibilities necessary to support the humane and effective incorporation of pets in classrooms and curricula.”

The first phase of the PIC Study concluded in May 2015 and was supported by The Pet Care Trust, which operates the popular Pets in the Classroom grant program.

The first phase surveyed and interviewed teachers on their perspectives regarding the main benefits, challenges and uses of their classroom pets, which ranged from fish to guinea pigs, hamsters, bearded dragons, and others.

“The Pet Care Trust established the Pets in the Classroom educational grant program to provide children with an opportunity to interact with pets,” said Steve King, Executive Director of the Pet Care Trust and President of the Pet Industry Distributors Association.

“Anecdotally, we know that incorporating pets in the classroom teaches life lessons of empathy and responsibility and helps shape students’ lives for years to come. This study will further advance the scientific data behind the benefits of the program to help it expand its reach so that more and more children can experience the benefits of the human-animal bond.”

HABRI has also announced funding to three other research projects:

• The Effect of Animal-Assisted Intervention on Preoperative Anxiety and Dose of Sedation in Children (University of Tennessee, Knoxville)
• Impact of Animal Assisted Therapy on Quality, Completeness, and Patient and Parental Satisfaction in Children Undergoing Clinical Echocardiography (Duke University)
• Measuring the Impact of a Mutually Reinforcing Relationship Between Pet Owners and Their Pets (Lincoln Memorial University).

Pfizer to Fund Research on the Power of Pets for Pediatric Cancer Patients

Pfizer Animal Health And American Humane Association Partner To Conduct Research On The Power Of The Human-Animal Bond In Pediatric Cancer Patients


Pfizer Animal Health and American Humane Association today announced a
partnership to conduct a study on the impact of animal-assisted therapy on pediatric oncology patients, as well as on their parents, caregivers, siblings, and other close family members.  The partnership - which includes a $282,000 grant from Pfizer and the Pfizer Foundation - exemplifies the strategic goal of both organizations to better quantify in clinical terms what many in health care already realize