Since children make up more than 60 percent of all dog bite victims, we should teach our children the following basic rules of safety around dogs:

•Never approach an unfamiliar dog.
•Know that if a dog that approaches you with its ears back, bearing its teeth, and with raised hair along its back is aggressive.
•Remember that not every dog that wags its tail is friendly.
•Always ask the owner's permission before petting a dog.
•Always approach dogs slowly and carefully.
•When meeting a new dog, let it come to you and smell you first.
•Know where the dogs in your neighborhood live.
•Keep away from stray dogs.
•Never run from a dog and scream.
•Remain calm and motionless when approached by an unfamiliar dog (e.g., “be still like a tree”).
•Always protect your face, neck and arms.
•If knocked over by a dog, roll into a ball and lie still (e.g., “be still like a log”).
•If you're attacked, give the dog a book or backpack to chew on. Cover your head and neck, and protect your face.
•Never play with a dog unless supervised by an adult.
•Immediately report stray dogs or dogs displaying unusual behavior to an adult.
•Avoid direct eye contact with a dog.
•Do not disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies.
•Do not pet a dog without allowing it to see and sniff you first.
•Do not make loud noises around dogs.
•Do not ever tease a dog.
•Never reach through a fence to pet a dog.
•Never put your hand between two dogs.
•Never put your face close to a dog.
•Never try to help a hurt dog; get an adult to help.
•If you do not have permission, never enter a yard with a dog in it. Better yet, wait for the owner to enter the yard with you.
•Never leave a baby alone with a dog.
•Children should never hug a dog that is not their own
•If bitten, immediately report the bite to an adult.