ONE SECOND CAN LEAVE LASTING SCAR

It took only a second for the dog Emily Dietl was petting to turn and bite her in the face, but she'll probably live with the scar for the rest of her life.

The 10-year-old Jackson girl and her mother, Cathy Dietl, were at a friend's house Feb. 13 when the chow bit the child with no apparent provocation.

"Emily had been around the dog other times, and it never made an attempt to bite her. All she was doing was petting the dog," said Cathy Dietl. She said the dog gave no signs of anger before the attack.

"If the dog had growled, Emily would have left it alone. But there were no warning signs," Dietl said.

The gash the bite left required seven stitches. Dietl has been told the scar is permanent, though she's hopeful it will eventually become less noticeable.

Unfortunately dog bites are fairly common and children are likely to be the victims.

An estimated 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs every year, according to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, and 60 percent of those victims are children.

"Children are smaller so dogs are less inhibited around them," said Dr. Trenton Jones, a Cape Girardeau plastic surgeon who said he has treated five dog bites in the last few months. "Plus children don't recognize the signs dogs give off when they are distressed. And they do things to animals, intentionally and unintentionally, that cause dogs to snap."

Chuck Stucker, senior nuisance abatement officer with the Cape Girardeau Police Department, said dog bites often happen because people don't understand animals.

"People don't understand the damage a dog can do simply being a dog. And they don't understand the behaviors that can lead a dog to bite," said Stucker, who noted that there were 53 animal bites, most of which were dog bites, reported in Cape Girardeau in 1999.

Dogs don't think like people do, Stucker said. They are territorial and are pack animals that often see children as lower in the hierarchy, he said.

Many behaviors children do naturally are seen by dogs as signs of aggression and biting is one response dogs have to threatened aggression, Stucker said.

Innocent activities for a child such as hugging a dog, looking it in the eye, playing with its toys, all can be seen by a dog as a challenge.

Preventing bites, Stucker said, requires training of both dog and child.

For the dog, Stucker believes obedience training should be mandatory. It trains the dog to see its owner as the pack leader and trains the owner in how to make the dog obey.

Children also need training in controlling the dog and avoiding what the dog may see as aggressive behavior.

Stucker said his 3-year-old daughter Carman has been taught to command the family's dog so the dog sees her as above him in the pack hierarchy.

Children also should be taught to back off if they see warning signs that a dog is becoming agitated. These include ears back, tail up, low growl, lips curled and raised hair on back.

They should also know that some dogs, like chows and hounds, are hard to read and it is best to leave these dogs alone.

"The best prevention method is to keep children away from dogs unless the dog is well-trained and you have gotten the child trained to the dog," Stucker said.

The majority of dog bite injuries are limited lacerations and puncture wounds from a single bite, Jones said. But some attacks can cause serious injury and even death, he said.

Annually in the U.S., about 20 people die from dog attacks, national figures show.

Jones said bites are often to the hand, which can be serious because hands are so functional and they can easily become infected.

Bites to the face can be severe and can cause life-long cosmetic deformity. Insurance companies often won't pay for the cosmetic surgery to hide the scars of such attacks, Jones said.

Cost for treating a dog bite can range from the price of a tetanus shot to tens of thousands of dollars, Jones said.

"The worst I've seen was a boy who had been mauled by a dog and spent two weeks in the hospital and had three operations. The total bill was probably $35,000 to $38,000 and he still needs at least one other operation," Jones said.

Jones said chows are at the top of the list for dogs that bite children, followed by pit bulls and Rottweilers.

"Even little fluffy poofball dogs can bite, but those bites are generally not severe because these dogs are small," Jones said. Larger dogs can inflict more damage just because they are bigger and stronger.

And while many owners will swear their dog would never bite, "all dogs bite," Stucker said.

When approached by an agitated dog, Stucker said to yell at it with short, sharp commands, such as "No" or "Stay." Back away slowly without looking the dog in the eye.

If attacked by a dog, Stucker said the best strategy is to ball up, using your arms to cover your head. If the dog bites, don't struggle; just submit until the dog lets go.

However, Stucker admits, those are not the natural reactions most people have to being attacked.

Natural reactions are to run, which will often cause the dog to chase you and become even more agitated, and to jerk away if bitten, which can cause gashes instead of just puncture wounds.

Owners of dogs should do what they can to prevent bites, including not letting their dogs run loose and watching them around children.

A dog that bites someone can be quarantined for 10 days. If found to be vicious, the owner will have to keep the dog in an enclosed area or on a muzzle. If the dog isn't up to date on its rabies vaccinations or if the owners don't keep a vicious dog penned, the animal may be destroyed, Stucker said.

"To help prevent dog bites it takes well-trained dogs and well-trained children," Stucker said.

BEWARE THE BITE

Did you know?

4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs every year.

Children make up 60% of dog bite victims.

About half of all children in the U.S. will be bitten by a dog by the 12th grade.

Every 40 seconds someone in the u.s. seeks medical care because of a dog bite.

70% of dog bites occur when the dog is on the owner's property.

Be a safety-smart owner

Never leave infants or children alone with any dog.

Spay/neuter your dog.

Train your dog in obedience.

Don't play aggressive games with your dog.

Follow leash laws.

Keep your dog helathy; an unnoticed injury can make a dog aggressive.

Your dog should be part of the family. Unsocialized outdoor dogs are more likely to bite than indoor dogs.

How to avoid dog bites

*Never approach an unfamiliar dog.

*Never run from or scream at a dog.

*Be "still like a tree" when an unfamiliar dog comes up to you.

*If a dog knocks you over, roll into a ball and stay still.

*Instruct children to tell an adult if they see a stray dog or a dog acting strangely and to never play with a dog unless supervised by an adult.

*Don't look a dog right in the eye.

*Don't disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies.

*Don't play with a dog without allowing it to see and sniff you first.

While any dog can bite, the top biting breeds include:

Pit Bulls

Rottweilers

German Sheperds

Huskies

Doberman Pinschers

Chow Chows

Great Danes

St. Beranrds

Akitas