Bark Back at Dog Bites

Teaching children how to read a dog’s body language

Students at Monarch School learned how to read a dog's body language Friday, to gauge whether it was scared, angry or happy, county animal control officials said.

If the dog is aggressive, they were told to stand like a tree and not make eye contact. If the dog knocked them down, they'd pretend to be a rock until the dog lost interest and left them alone.

"Many of our dog bites are kids, so we're really concerned about safety with children," said Animal Control Lt. Dan DeSousa.

The BARK Dog Bite Prevention Program is a free service provided to schools and community centers by Animal Services. More than 2,000 dog bites were reported to Animal Services in 2007.

To watch the presentation visit the County of San Diego’s website.

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