text: Half of dog bites provoked, says American vet. CHICAGO 1996-12-06 
   As many as 1 million dog bites are recorded in the United States every year and half of them are provoked by humans, a veterinarian told fellow animal doctors on Friday. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that between 500, 000 and one million bites are delivered by dogs each year, more than half of which are suffered by children. " Most bites can be prevented by teaching children how to respect a dog, " Michael Cornwell of the Glencoe Animal Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, told the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association. " Let's not let our kids jump on them or crawl on them. Dogs and children don't have to have an interaction. Let's respect their territories, " he said. Cornwell said 50 percent of reported bites were provoked by a person and 60 percent were suffered by children. He also estimated that only 25 percent of bites were reported because medical attention was not needed. Don Rieck, president of the National Animal Control Association, said aggressiveness in dogs was related more to gender than breed and a male dog that had not been neutered was three times more likely to bite than an unspayed female. The five breeds credited with the most incidents were chow chows, Rottweilers, German shepherds, cocker spaniels and Dalmatians. " 
   The trends in dog bites by particular breeds have more to do with fad pets owned by individuals who need to have something unique. Speaking strictly of dogs, 15 years ago the macho fad pet was a Doberman. Today, Rottweilers are on the way up, " Rieck said. If approached by a stray dog, children should be taught to stand still with fists folded underneath the neck, elbows in, and gaze forward until the dog goes away.
competitors: American CHICAGO United States Humane Society of the United States Michael Cornwell Glencoe Animal Hospital Columbus Ohio American Veterinary Medical Association Cornwell Don Rieck National Animal Control Association Rottweilers German shepherds cocker spaniels Dalmatians Doberman Rottweilers Rieck