Help prevent dog bites as COVID-19 restrictions ease

National Dog Bite Prevention Week® will be observed April 11-17 this year, and you can join in to help spread information and prevent dog bites as pandemic restrictions begin to ease.

According to State Farm’s claim information, there were more dog-related injury claims in March 2020 than in any other month last year, with a reported 21.6 percent increase in dog bites compared to March of the previous year. This was likely due to the disruption in routines at the start of pandemic lockdowns, when dogs were dealing with owner stress and more people around the house throughout the day. Experts fear another disruption—this time cause by the easing of restrictions for activities outside the home—could lead to another spike in bites.

Any dog can bite for any number of reasons, and responsible pet ownership and community-based education are the cornerstones of dog bite prevention. Together, we can use the opportunity afforded by National Dog Bite Prevention Week® to remind people that most dog bites are preventable and there are many things they can do to help prevent them—especially as we start emerging from pandemic lockdown and isolation.

Live Facebook event

The AVMA is hosting a live Facebook event on Monday, April 12 at Noon CT. Join the AVMA and experts from the National Dog Bite Prevention Week Coalition to learn about training tips to help prevent bites, how to safely socialize your dog after a year of isolation, and how to recognize the warning signs that a dog may bite.

Be sure to keep following the AVMA on social media all week long for more shareable videos, infographics, and tips that can help prevent dog bites. You can be part of the conversation by using the hashtag #PreventDogBites. Plus, our member toolkit has easy-to-use social media resources for you.

Member-exclusive toolkit

Our dog bite prevention toolkit—free to AVMA members—offers all the materials you need to spread the word about dog bite prevention. These include:

• Ideas and ready-to-use content for your social media pages, including pre-written posts and downloadable images with dog bite statistics and prevention tips
• Client-ready materials for your clinic, including a Responsible Pet Ownership poster and Dog Bite Prevention brochure
• An activity and coloring book to teach children how they should and shouldn’t act around dogs
• Information and client handouts on the importance of proper pet socialization, including socialization of dogs during COVID-19
• Jimmy the Dog video series, which teaches children how to be safe around dogs in everyday situations

Access the complete toolkit to make use of all our dog bite prevention resources, and visit avma.org/DogBitePrevention for more dog bite facts and strategies to share with your clients.