Las Vegas and it’s neighbouring communities Henderson, North Las Vegas and Boulder City are fast growing communities. Part of the communities’ growth results in a greater number of dogs in these areas. With the number of dog owning households at an all time high, animal control and awareness is a prime concern for many of the cities’ governing bodies. Dog bites are a growing concern in our communities and with each new dog bite case, the level of anti-dog sentiment in our country grows.

A few months back our staff was asked by the City of Henderson to arrange and present a seminar on Dog Bite Prevention at the Henderson Animal Control Facility for staff of the Code Control division. Code control officers, as well as postal workers, couriers, and delivery personnel are at an extreme risk when they hit the streets daily to fulfill the roles their jobs ask of them. Stray and out of control dogs are one of these workers biggest concerns and dangers that they encounter.

The Sit Means Sit staff regularly donates their time to assist local private and governmental agencies around the country in developing a higher level of education and awareness. We feel that education is one of the only ways to help keep our workers safe in the event of a dog attack while on their route. In many of the reported cases of dog bites, the bites themselves could have easily been prevented had the workers had some basic knowledge of how to fend off a dog attack using the tools that they carry in their day to day job.

The demonstration that our staff put on for the Henderson Code Control went in depth into how to utilize barriers and movement to prevent a dog bite in the event of an attack. The following dog training video clip demonstrates to the officers how to remain calm in the event of a dog attack and bite. Some of the officers were even afraid of dogs. We used my dutch shepherd Pharaoh to assist us with the demonstration. The clip highlights some of the more exciting moments.