Dog Bite Prevention Major Focus at Georgia Veterinarian Meet
Over the weekend, about 9,000 veterinarians from the country will assemble at the Georgia World Congress Center for the annual convention of the American Veterinarian Medical Association. The event kicked off on July 31st, and is expected to run through August 3rd. Atlanta will play host to thousands of animal experts from around the world, who will discuss animal welfare issues, including food safety, behavior modification, and advances in veterinary medicine. They're also expected to focus on dog bite prevention.
Earlier this month, an Atlanta woman suffered serious injuries in a dog bite attack involving pit bulls. She was merely walking down the street when the dogs jumped at her. The owner of the dogs has been cited for about 20 violations, including improper restraint, canine on public property, canine on private property, failure to display rabies and vaccination tags, and failure to provide adequate water and shelter. The owner of the dog had been out of town, and a friend had been caring for the animals.
With some of the best animal and dog experts around the country gathering in Atlanta over the next couple of days, I would seriously like these vets to bring more attention to the problem of dog bites in Georgia. There's definitely a need for greater awareness, especially when it comes to the care of certain breeds, like pit bulls. I notice that too many people jump at the chance to rear these animals. However, very few possess the resources and the skills necessary to train these dogs.
Any pit bull owner or personal lawyer in Atlanta will tell you that these animals require a lot of place to run about in, plenty of exercise and the right training. If you're not willing to invest the resources necessary for all this, avoid buying these breeds. America's vets must play a bigger part in the ongoing discussion about dog safety.
