《中英對照讀新聞》Even "good" dogs may bite;kids at highest risk 「好」狗可能也會咬人；孩童最有危險

◎鄭寺音

More than 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics （AAP）. More than half of all dog bite victims are younger than 14 years of age and 150,000 of these bites are serious enough to require a visit to the emergency department.

根據美國小兒科學會統計，每年有超過470萬美國人被狗咬，所有被狗咬的受害者，超過半數不到14歲，15萬人嚴重到必須掛急診。

The AAP is working with the American Veterinary Medical Association to promote dog safety within families and communities. Its president Dr. Henry E. Chilers notes, "Any dog can bite if it feels threatened or is in pain."

美國小兒科學會正與美國獸醫協會合作，推廣家庭與社區間防範狗咬人事件發生，獸醫協會會長齊勒斯醫師指出，「任何狗如果覺得受到威脅或痛苦，都會咬人。」

One way families can protect their children from dog bites is to do the homework before purchasing a family dog. Learn about the behaviors of different breeds. Which ones are good around children? A call to the veterinarian might be helpful.

家庭要保護小孩不被狗咬的一個方法，是在購買家裡的狗之前做功課，學習不同品種的行為，哪一種適合接近孩子？打電話給獸醫也可能有幫助。

It's also important to socialize your pet - gradually expose your puppy to people and other animals to get him or her accustomed to social situations. They may be less apt to snap at people.

讓你的寵物社會化可能也很重要，讓你的狗漸漸接觸人與其他動物，讓牠習慣社會狀況，如此牠們可能比較不會咬人。

新聞辭典

breed：品種。We have the finest breed of sheep.我們擁有最優品種的羊。

expose ︰ 使暴露於； 使接觸到。例句：They consider it almost a crime to expose children to violence and sex on TV.他們認為讓兒童接觸暴力和色情電視節目幾乎就是犯罪行為。

snap︰在文中是「猛咬」的意思。