Recent dog attacks, including incidents involving children and an elderly person, have renewed concerns about how dogs are kept and controlled.

But Senior Veterinarian Dr. Steve Surujbally says preventing attacks is not only about restraining an animal. It begins with responsible ownership and understanding that a dog has physical and behavioural needs.

Dr. Surujbally, who spent more than a decade as President of the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, says owners have a responsibility both to their animals and to the people around them.

For him, that means a dog should not simply be kept in a yard or kennel and forgotten.

“You cannot decide that you will keep an animal and not treat it well, locking it up the whole day in a kennel, not taking it for walks, not taking it for exercise, not showing it love at all times,” Dr. Surjbally said.

Proper care, he says, also includes adequate nutrition, veterinary attention, vaccinations and protection against parasites.

Dr. Surjbally warns that neglecting those needs can affect an animal’s wellbeing and behaviour.

He also cautions owners not to assume that a fence alone will keep an aggressive or protective dog contained.

Dr. Surujbally says he has seen dogs clear fences between six and eight feet high. In one case, he recalls dogs escaping a property and mauling a person, causing injuries to the victim’s hand and face.

He says owners therefore need to understand their dog's behaviour and take adequate precautions, particularly when an animal is being kept for security.

Dogs showing aggressive behaviour can also be trained, but Dr. Surjbally warns that this should be done by someone with the proper knowledge.

“Training a dog and becoming a trainer, it can’t be done ‘willy-nilly.’ You have to study. It’s a science. You have to do it correctly, otherwise you are going to be making the whole situation worse.”

And if an attack does occur, Dr. Surjbally says the victim’s first priority should be medical attention.

“On being bitten, the first thing you do is not to go to police, or the veterinarian. The first thing you do is go to the hospital and they have their protocol and they will react immediately.”

He says dog bites can expose victims to infections and other health risks, making prompt treatment important.

But Dr. Surjbally does not believe concerns about attacks should discourage families from having dogs.

He feels strongly that no child or family should be deprived of the joy associated with caring for a companion animal, while receiving reciprocal love, just because it might represent an added financial stress.

Noting that there are many appropriate welfare organizations, including the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Cruelty to Animals, which can provide advice and functional assistance on adoption and care of a companion animal, the veterinarian stressed that the responsibility rests with owners to properly care for and control their animals so that companionship does not come at the expense of someone else’s safety.