Meet Shelby

Black95GTS said:

My only comment is this: your house insurance will go up if you declare you have the following 5 breeds: Pitbull, Mastiff, Akita, Rottie, and German Shepherd.

I have a 113 pound chocolate lab, and my 3 year old cousin has walked up to him and swiped him clear in the nose. The dog just looked bewildered and licked him from chin to hairline.

Would you feel comfortable letting a 3 year old, who is just trying to play with the dog, hit an 80 pound pitbull or a 120 pound rottie in the nose? There is no way in hell I would ever let my child around either of those breeds. Dogs that have been breed for generations based on size, strength, and aggression do not make good family dogs.

If you're looking for a good family dog, I think its pretty impossible to find a better breed then a Lab. They are breed for intelligence, work, soft mouths, and ability to listen and obey commands. The only downfall with a Lab is that you must spend time with it and give it a job to do. But I feel that if you are unable to spend time with your dog, you shouldn't have one to begin with.

Adam

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METHODS. In our retrospective survey, the medical charts of all children who were younger than 17 years and sought medical attention after a dog bite between 1994 and 2003 were reviewed. To obtain the total number of each dog breed in the administrative district, we analyzed 5873 files from the community dog registers. For establishment of a risk index, the representation of a dog breed among the total canine population was divided by the frequency of dog bites from this breed.

RESULTS. A total of 341 children (mean age: 5.9 years) were identified. The annual incidence of dog bites was 0.5 per 1000 children between 0 and 16 years of age. Incidence was highest in 1-year-old patients and decreased with increasing age. The relative risk for a dog attack by a German shepherd or a Doberman was ~5 times higher than that of a Labrador/retriever or cross-breed. The vast majority (82%) of the dogs were familiar to the children. Most (322; 94%) of the children had injuries to 1 body region; in the remaining 19 (6%) children, up to 3 body regions were injured. Of 357 injuries, the face, head, and neck region was the leading site affected (50%). Inpatient treatment was required in 93 (27%) patients.

CONCLUSIONS. Dog bites in children are frequent and influenced by the breed-related behavior of dogs, dog owners, children, and parents. Therefore, prevention strategies should focus on public education and training of dogs and their owners. Children who are younger than 10 years represent the high-risk group for dog attacks.

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