DOG BITE SEASON COMES TO TOWN

The police summary in Cape Girardeau may be devoid of dog bite reports for weeks.

Then they start -- calls about people, mostly children, bitten on the cheek, the hand, the leg.

So animal control officers know it's spring.

The problem is that people keep their dogs inside all winter and think spring is the season to let them run free, said Charles Stucker, an animal control officer. At the same time, more children are outside, coming into contact with dogs.

"Female dogs in heat are agitated, the males chasing the females are agitated, and small children are down on the level of the dog," Stucker said.

"Dogs -- even little chihuahuas -- are pack animals and they have a pecking order," he said. "They have to try to dominate. And if they don't have any obedience training, they are likely to bite someone at some point."

It's up to dog owners to protect the public from bites. City ordinance requires dogs to be restrained on their owners' property by a leash or a fence. They must have their rabies shots and be licensed.

However, even dogs on chains in their own yards may be attractive to children, Stucker said. It's up to parents to teach their children that strange dogs can't be trusted.

But what if a person is out walking and a stray, mean-looking dog approaches?

"Back slowly away from the dog, never looking it directly in the eye," Stucker said. "Look at it out of the corner of your eye, and keep your hands up against your chest so the dog doesn't have anything to bite."