Hardly a day goes by when there isn't a news story about a dog attack somewhere. When school starts, children may become especially vulnerable, walking and biking through their neighborhoods to class. That's why every year we like to remind parents to review safety around strange dogs with their children.

To be fair, dogs aren't the biggest risk that children face growing up. Organized sports, for example, are 10 times more likely to result in a child's trip to the emergency room than are dogs.

And although in most cases the dog involved in a serious attack is the family's own, it's also true that many neighborhoods are not safe for walking or biking because of a dog. These animals are accidents waiting to happen because their owners either don't know or don't care that their dogs are a public menace.

The experts say the signs are usually there long before a dog attacks. The dog is typically young, male and unneutered. He is usually unsocialized, a backyard dog with little to no interaction with the family. He is often inadvertently trained to be vicious by being kept full-time on a chain or in a small kennel run.

Is there a dog like this in your neighborhood -- or in your own yard? If it's the latter, call your veterinarian and arrange for your pet to be neutered, and then ask for a referral to a behaviorist who can help you rehabilitate your pet. Don't put this off: Your dog is a danger, and your own family is at risk.

Of course, you can't control what other people do with their animals. That's why you have to make sure your children know how to behave around dogs to protect themselves. Here's what everyone should know, and what parents need to teach their children:

-- Never approach a loose dog, even if he seems friendly. Dogs who are confined in yards, and especially those on chains, should also be avoided. Many are very serious about protecting their turf. If the dog is with his owner, children should always ask permission before petting him and then begin by offering him the back of a hand for a sniff. Further, they should pat the dog on the neck or chest. The dog may interpret a pat from above as a gesture of dominance. Teach your children to avoid fast or jerky movements around dogs, since these may trigger predatory behavior.

-- Be a tree when a dog approaches, standing straight with feet together, fists under the neck and elbows into the chest. Teach your children to make no eye contact, since some dogs view eye contact as a challenge. Running is a normal response to danger, but it's the worst possible thing to do around a dog, because it triggers the animal's instinct to chase and bite. Many dogs will just sniff and leave. Teach your children to stay still until the animal walks away, and then back away slowly out of the area.

-- "Feed" the dog a jacket or backpack if attacked, or use a bike to block the dog. These strategies may keep an attacking dog's teeth from connecting with flesh.

-- Act like a log if knocked down: face down, legs together, curled into a ball with fists covering the back of the neck and forearms over the ears. This position protects vital areas and can keep an attack from turning fatal. Role-play these lessons with your children until the instructions are ingrained. They may save a child's life.

Discuss safe behavior with your children and role-play how to approach dogs, when not to approach, and what to do if confronted or attacked.

You don't need to scare your children, but you do need to make sure they're ready, just in case. And going over the "what ifs" isn't a bad idea for you as well.

Q&A

Pumpkin the fix

for cat hairballs

Q: I'm tired of stepping in hairballs, and tired of listening to the gagging sound of my cat tossing one. What's the best way to end them? -- via e-mail

A: When cats groom, they pull out and swallow a lot of fur. Swallowed fur is undigestible, so when it's in a cat's stomach, it has two ways to go: down and out, or up and out. When it comes up (to the accompaniment of that middle-of-the-night "Ack! Ack!" serenade every cat lover knows so well), it's a hairball.

If you want to impress your friends, the scientific name for that gummy mass you step in on your way to the bathroom at 2 a.m. is "trichobezoar." It is made up of the excess hair your cat swallowed, held together with a sticky mucous.

You'll have to tolerate a certain amount of hairballs because that's just part of having a cat. But there are steps you can take to help ingested hair to go through the system instead of coming back up.

Add some fiber to your cat's diet. A little bit of canned pumpkin -– plain pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filler -- added to your pet's regular meals will help the fur ingested by grooming to pass through the digestive system, instead of being thrown up onto your carpets. Combine it with canned food for palatability, or mix it with a little water from canned tuna or clams.

Canned pumpkin has an advantage over oil-based hairball remedies: Overusing the latter can decrease the absorption of some essential nutrients.

Regular combing and brushing also helps, especially if your pet has long hair. The fur you catch when grooming your cat won't end up as a hairball, or as hair you'll be cleaning off your clothes.

Hacking up a hairball every now and then is normal and usually doesn't cause problems. But if you see anything else in the mix, take the cat and the hairball (the former in a carrier; the latter in a plastic bag or container) to your veterinarian. Likewise, if your cat is hacking without producing a hairball, the vet is waiting to see you.

Chronic coughing can be a symptom of many health problems, from heartworms to heart disease to asthma. Occasionally, hairballs can cause an obstruction that will require veterinary attention. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.

THE BUZZ

Hormone creams pose

pet health risks

-- The spreading popularity of topical hormone treatments in people -- especially, but not exclusively, among menopausal women -- is having unintended medical consequences for pets, according to the Veterinary Information Network News Service (news.vin.com). The news service reports that veterinarians have seen both male and female dogs with alarming changes in the appearance of their genitalia, as well as fur loss. The problem is easy to avoid: Use disposable gloves to apply the creams, and confine them to an area of the body that will be under clothing, so that pets are not exposed to the active ingredients. The advice is even more critical now that the FDA has warned of problems related to the creams in children as well.

-- Cats live a maximum of 27 years, with 15 years the typical life span. The two oldest cats on record were both tabbies. One, owned by a Mrs. Thomas Holway of the United Kingdom, died in 1939 at the advanced age of 36. The other, also from the U.K. and owned by a Mrs. Alice St. George Moore, lived to 34, dying in 1957.

-- Putting your dog in a pen and putting a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil around the enclosure may help your pet with fear reactions to thunderstorms by helping with the effects of electromagnetism during a storm. A layer of aluminum foil between the box spring and the mattress should do the trick as well for a dog who likes to slide under your bed sheets during a storm. The aluminum has been reported to work for animals by lessening the electromagnetic radiation waves that are part of the fear triggers. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "Good Morning America" and "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Dr. Becker can also be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker.

Puppies grow up too soon, as anyone who has ever loved one can tell you. When your pup has grown, you've lost not only some of the cuteness, but also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get him off to a good start in life.

It's always easier to prevent problems than to try to fix them later, and one of the most important ways to do this is by socializing your puppy.

Introduce a puppy to all the new things you can -- people, places and other animals. When a puppy isn't exposed to new things, social development stops or even regresses. The goal of socializing is a confident, outgoing dog who isn't shy or aggressive. A good pet, in other words.

"But wait!" you say. "What about disease? My veterinarian told me to keep my puppy at home until his last puppy shot. And you're saying I should go out? Is that safe?"

Your veterinarian is right: Your puppy is at risk for contracting diseases from other dogs before his full immunity is in place. This is why you shouldn't go anywhere where dogs you do not know hang out -- parks, dog events or pet stores -- until your veterinarian gives the go-ahead. But that doesn't mean you should leave your puppy at home.

Use common sense. Plan safe outings. And take a puppy class, because the trainers know the risks and work to minimize them by keeping the training area sanitized. And when that last puppy shot is in, at 14 to 16 weeks, pull out all the stops when it comes to socialization.

Why take any chances at all? Because doing so is important. An unsocialized dog, whether fearful or aggressive, is at a high risk for ending up in a shelter, with little chance at being adopted again. Some experts argue that, in the long run, behavior problems kill more dogs than parvovirus does, which puts the importance of proper and safe socialization in perspective.

Dogs are genetically predisposed to have more potential to become part of human society than wolves or coyotes, but it's not always easy for them. When you give your pup an understanding that living with humans means that new adventures are not to be feared, you are sharing a wonderful gift.

So socialize, and remember that the world is full of scary things, especially to a little puppy. At times, even the boldest of puppies is paralyzed with uncertainty when faced with something he's never seen before. Your response to his fear is very important.

Don't soothe your pup. Petting him and saying, "It's OK, baby" (or something similar) gives your puppy the idea that being scared is OK and that you're rewarding him for the behavior. Instead, be matter-of-fact and encouraging.

Let him work it out, and when he takes that step forward, praise him for his courage. Then move on, one more step into your life together.

Q&A

Older dog may be best

choice for older cat

Q: We have had a cat since before we got married, and I raised her from a kitten. She's 12, happy and healthy. We also have a 7-year-old son, and he wants a dog. We've agreed, but we're thinking ahead to the best way to arrange the introduction. Suggestions? -- via e-mail

A: Before you rock your cat's world by adding a puppy or dog, be sure to set up a separate area where your cat can feel safe, a no-dogs-allowed room with food, water, litter box, scratching post and toys.

You may have to keep your cat secured in her own "safe room" for a week or two after bringing home the dog, and then put a baby gate over the door to allow your cat to get away from the dog when she wants to.

Locking the cat up doesn't seem fair to many people, since the cat was there first. But feline behavior experts say cats adjust better to change if provided with a small, quiet area that's just for them during social upheavals such as moving or adding new people or pets to the household.

You didn't mention if you've had a dog before. If you're first-time dog-owners, and especially if you're busy ones (and what parents aren't busy?), you might be better off to think "adult dog" rather than "puppy."

Puppies -- kittens, too -- are sometimes a lot to deal with for established older pets. With patience and PetFinder.com, you can find a sensible adult dog already house-trained, with some basic manners and known to be cat-friendly.

Your cat may work through the transition more happily with a well-mannered adult dog who is known to be safe around cats. And you'll have a dog who'll fit in without the fuss and bother of a puppy. -- Gina Spadafori

Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.

THE BUZZ

Cats rock charts

with feline hits

-- Cats have found their way onto the list of top hit songs many times over the years, with titles such as "Cat's in the Cradle," a No. 1 song for Harry Chapin in 1974. Other top cat-titled songs include "Cat Scratch Fever" by Ted Nugent, Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat?" and Al Stewarts' "Year of the Cat."

-- Many manufacturers realize how much crossover there is between the children's market and the pets' market. Products from baby gates to toddler toys do double duty, selling well in both markets. As summer winds down, you might be able to pick up one particular double-duty item at a deep discount and put it away for your pet's enjoyment next summer. That item? The kiddie pool. For dogs who love water, a wallow in the pool is a great way to cool down after summer activities.

-- While the fur coats our pets sport provide protection from the sun's harmful rays, some pets still are at risk for sunburn. Among them: hairless breeds like the Chinese crested, animals with thin, light-color coats and pets whose coats have thinned with age. Animals who are recovering from surgery are also at risk on the areas that were shaved. Prevention is always better than treatment. Keep high-risk pets out of direct sunlight. If your pet must be in the sun, apply waterproof sunblock. The benefit of waterproof products is that they're also dog-saliva-proof. Sun protection is important not only for sunburn, since the same kinds of pets who are vulnerable to sunburn are often at risk for skin cancer, too. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "Good Morning America" and "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Dr. Becker can also be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker.

ATLANTA -- Spot a flea or two on your dog or cat, and the reaction is likely to be a slight shudder and a mental note to check the calendar to see if it's time for the monthly application of a few magic drops between the shoulder blades.

But spot a tick or two on your pet, and the reaction is more likely to be a string of swear words, or even a scream.

There's something about those nasty eight-legged pests that evokes a visceral reaction and does more than trigger a desire for parasite control: The sight of a tick, says internationally known flea and tick expert Dr. Michael Dryden of Kansas State University, makes pet owners dream of a nuclear option able to annihilate the blood-sucking pests in as complete and painful a way as possible.

And if possible, by yesterday.

Says Dr. Dryden, affectionately known as "Dr. Flea" in veterinary and academic circles, don't hold your breath. That's because the range and numbers of North America's tick species -- about a dozen of them -- just keep growing, along with the populations of deer and wild turkey that serve as their primary targets.

"When I started studying ticks, I didn't know I needed to study deer," Dr. Dryden said at the American Veterinary Medical Association's recent convention in Atlanta. "But where there are deer, there are ticks. When I was growing up, we used to stop and stare in amazement when we saw a deer. Now, you only stop if you hit one."

The explosion of deer populations means that ticks are everywhere -- and in mild climates, they're a year-round problem that's not getting better and likely won't.

Aggressive hunting and deforestation had decimated deer and turkey populations by the beginning of the last century, said Dr. Dryden, noting that the deer population of the United States and Canada fell below 300,000 before legislation banned the mass slaughter of game animals -- and the U.S. alone is now approaching 28 million deer.

Add increases in the number of deer and wild turkey -- perfect hosts for juvenile ticks, noted Dr. Dryden -- to the successful efforts to regrow forests, as well as a mobile human population that loves to be where the wild things are, and, well, the good news for ticks just keeps coming.

"It's a numbers game," said Dr. Dryden, who said the problem widely thought to be resistance to tick-control products is really a matter of those products being overwhelmed. In some areas, a dog can pick up one tick per minute on a simple walk, and if a spot-on product eliminates all but a couple of them, the dog's owner will consider it a failure.

"Tick control isn't like flea control," he said. "People want to have ticks eliminated and repelled, and that's just not possible."

Still, he says, some products seem to do better in different regions against different tick populations, making it worthwhile to ask your veterinarian which product works best in your area. For the ticks that remain -- and there will always be ticks, ticks and more ticks -- picking them off with tweezers or a tick-removal tool immediately after a walk remains the best defense against the parasites. On your property, keep grasses cut low, leaf piles cleaned up and spray under shrubs and along the fence lines, where ticks are waiting for you and your pets.

That, or avoid the areas where ticks are heaviest from spring through fall.

"Sometimes, the only thing I can advise is that you can't take your dog where you've been taking your dog," said Dr. Dryden.

Q&A

Parrots can survive

the shift to feral

Q: There has been a big green parrot flying around my neighborhood for the last couple of years. Can parrots really survive so far away from their natural habitat? -- T.S., via e-mail

A: Depends on where you live. If you live in warm Southern California or tropical South Florida, the answer is likely to be "yes." Both of those regions are well-known for colonies of feral parrots -- escaped pets, most likely, now living as wild. Even in cooler, more northern climates, sightings of parrots gone wild are not uncommon.

Some areas consider feral parrots to be a threat to native species, as in the case of a Quaker (also known as Monk) parakeet. The bird's easy ability to thrive in the wild and its aggressive colonizing tendencies have led to the species being banned as pets in some jurisdictions, most notably the entire state of California.

On trips to Southern California, I haven't noticed any Quaker parakeets, but I have seen many other parrots -- and listened to their loud calls to each other at dawn and dusk. In Northern California, San Francisco has a well-known colony of feral parrots, and even where I live in Sacramento, Calif., my old neighborhood had a couple of conures living wild for years -- and I assume they're still there.

By the way, some if not most parrots will not survive the transition from house pet to wild animal, so setting one "free" if you can no longer provide a home isn't a good option, either for your bird or for the environment. - Gina Spadafori

Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.

THE BUZZ

Taking cat's pulse

isn't hard to do

-- A cat's heart normally beats between 140 and 220 times per minute, with a relaxed cat on the lower end of the scale. It's not unusual for a heartbeat to be high at the veterinarian's, since cats don't like being away from home, and they certainly don't like being poked and prodded by strangers. You also can take your cat's pulse at home. You need a watch that clicks the seconds off and your cat, of course. Put your hand over your cat's left side, behind the front leg. You'll feel the heart pulsing beneath your fingers. (If you can't, you might talk to your veterinarian about getting some of the weight off your cat.) Count the beats while 15 seconds click off your watch; multiply by four to get the BPM, or beats per minute.

-- Of all the animals to disappear from the face of the Earth, nine out of 10 have been birds, and among these the most well-known is arguably the dodo. The flightless bird had no natural enemies and thus was easy prey for European explorers who killed them not only to eat, but also for sport because the birds had no natural fear of humans. Those birds that survived the explorers were doomed by the settlers, whose dogs, cats and pigs ate fledglings as well as eggs. In less than a century after the birds were discovered by Europeans in 1598, not a single dodo was alive.

-- With a compact size, easy-care coat and happy nature, the beagle has long had a place as one of the most popular breeds for families. They're also used as scent detection dogs at U.S. airports, where their friendliness allows them to search for weapons, drugs and illegal food items without making passengers nervous the way a larger "police dog" might. The breed was developed in England to hunt rabbits, and beagles are still happiest when following their noses. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "Good Morning America" and "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Dr. Becker can also be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker.