Dog Bite Prevention

DID YOU KNOW?

About 1 million people a year require medical attention as a result of dog bites. **2

Dog Bite Prevention week is held during the third week in May each year.

Neutering dogs has been proven to prevent dog bites. Neutered dogs are not as aggressive as other dogs.

An estimated 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year **1. Through education and awareness, most dog bites can be prevented. Follow these tips to prevent dog bites.

Register your dog with the town you live in. This allows the town to keep track of the neighborhood dogs and ensure everyone is properly vaccinated and cared for.

Some towns provide you with a safety sticker to place inside your mailbox when you register your dog with them. This alerts the postal carriers to a dog on the property. Be sure to place this sticker on the inside of the mailbox (or as instructed; or on the door the mail carrier pulls down to place the mail inside the box. Even if your dog is friendly and has never bitten anyone, it is better to let people know about your dog before something happens.

Place a "Beware of Dog" sign for everyone to see. Even if your dog is friendly, these signs will alert people to a dog on the property.

Some dogs, including certain breeds and older dogs, do not appreciate rowdy children in their presence. Place a fence around your property if this is the case. Small children do not understand boundary and property lines, and might walk right into your yard without warning. Protect yourself and others by putting a fence around your yard.

Always supervise your pets when they are outside. Leaving an unsupervised pet is asking for trouble. Even if your pet is friendly, someone else can walk into or pass by your yard and upset your pet. Keep an eye on your pet and children. Bring everyone inside when you go inside.

Always obey leash laws, no matter how well your dog is behaved.

Because children make up almost two-thirds of all dog bite victims, never leave children alone with a dog.

Keep your dog healthy and current on his vaccinations. If a dog is not feeling well, it could cause him to become annoyed and bite someone he would otherwise be friendly to if he felt better.

Train your dog to obey commands and listen to you. A trained dog who respects her owner is less likely to bite a human.

Teach children to never approach a strange pet without asking the owner first. Supervise them as they approach the dog. Show children how to let the dog smell them first and how to gently pet a dog. Let children know it is not okay to pull ears and tails.

If you are threatened by a dog, do not make eye contact, do not run, and do not scream. Stay as still as possible until the dog realizes you are not a threat and leaves.

If you or your family members are ever attacked by a dog, fall to the ground, curl up in a ball and protect your face. Seek medical attention immediately. If you know the dog or owner, be sure to let the police know about the incident.

Source **1,2 - http://www.cdc.gov

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Office Hours

Our Regular Schedule

Monday:

7:30 am-5:30 pm

Tuesday:

7:30 am-5:30 pm

Wednesday:

7:30 am-5:30 pm

Thursday:

7:30 am-5:30 pm

Friday:

7:30 am-5:30 pm

Saturday:

Open 1st & 3rd Saturdays of each month. Closed 2nd & 4th Saturdays of each month.

8:00 am-2:00 pm

Sunday:

Closed

Testimonials

Read What Our Clients Say

  • "We have a new 8 week Boston Terrier that we took to Springfield Vet yesterday for the first time. Absolutely pleased with the service, attitudes and genuine care shown to our little boy. The whole team was so professional, but took time to talk to you and explain everything. Dr Cynthia Wiseman is so wonderful, she sat in the floor did Logan's exam and played with him. What bedside manners. I will continue to use them, I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a caring and professional vet."
    Roi W.
  • "We absolutely love this vet clinic and the staff! The facilities are modern and always clean. Everyone is always so friendly and genuinely care for you and your animal- they make you feel as if you are apart of their family.

    Our boy, Samson, is a Rottie (and quite the problem child). We are usually in the clinic almost every other month for something and they are always so helpful and show great care and love for our pup! We are very picky/protective puppy parents, so we were very grateful to have found both Dr. Cynthia and Dr. Heath shortly after getting Samson.

    We have definitely found our "home" in the vet world, and would highly recommend to anyone who is currently looking!"
    Machaelie H.
  • "I have taken my dog here since he was a puppy. The staff are so friendly and caring, a very clean place and they always get us in quickly. When we come in no one passes us without greeting my dog and I and they're never in a rush to get us out of there."
    ShealynR.
  • "We decided to start taking our new kitty here this past fall and we love it! He was not on his best behavior (to say the least) for his first appointment, and the staff was so patient and was still able to safely run his bloodwork and give him his vaccinations. Every service has been reasonably priced, and they did everything they possibly could to make sure that our little guy was off to a healthy start after we adopted him. What I love is that they really seem to focus on the small details, too, like trimming our cat's nails after remembering that I had expressed interest in doing so at a previous appointment, or supplementing his flea treatment with something to safely speed up the process. We will definitely keep coming here as long as we live in Springfield!"
    Megan J.
  • "I have been taking my dog to SVC since 2012 and when I adopted my cat in 2015. I have never had a bad experience. We have seen Drs. Heath & Cynthia Wiseman and I love them both. Always professional, always take their time when looking my pets over, asking questions, and answering mine."
    Katherine P.
  • "We’ve been taking our Moose there for a few years now. After swallowing a toy when he was a puppy, getting fixed, having surgery on his eyelids a couple times, and most recently having a breed specific illness; I can I say I would recommend everyone to go here. They’ve taken the best care of our boy time and time again and went above and beyond."
    Ashley J.
  • "We’ve been taking our Moose there for a few years now. After swallowing a toy when he was a puppy, getting fixed, having surgery on his eyelids a couple times, and most recently having a breed specific illness; I can I say I would recommend everyone to go here. They’ve taken the best care of our boy time and time again and went above and beyond."
    Ashley J.
  • "Pleasant staff.,very informative. Great environment for your pets, including own room for cats to play so as they aren't stressed out."
    Cheryl K.
  • "Dr. Cynthia Wiseman has helped my little Shiba dog with chronic hip problems tremendously with consistent acupuncture therapy! So thankful for this practice and the high quality of care they offer my pets!"
    Lacey M.