Five percent of Belgian dogs ‘dangerous’

16 March 2005

BRUSSELS – Between three to five percent of dogs in Belgium bite, reported La Derniere Heure on Wednesday.

Most worrying is the fact that the majority of the victims are children under four and the dogs usually bite them in their face or on their hands.

It’s usually the family dog that attacks them and sometimes the injuries can be permanent.

In the cases of children under 15, 30 percent were bitten by their own dog and 40 percent were bitten by a neighbour’s.

The report advised parents never to leave youngsters alone with dogs and to make children aware that they are not toys.

Children should be told not to pull dogs’ tails or tease them.

Every year, 70,000 people in Belgium are bitten by dogs, compared to 375,000 in France and some 2 million in the US.

Over one percent of emergency consultations in Belgium are due to bites, with 15 percent of cases requiring stitches.

[Copyright Expatica 2005]

Subject: Belgian news