Megan Boger of La Belle, Pa., returned from shopping with her mother and ran into the yard to greet the family pet, a part-cocker mutt named Blaze. Seconds later, her mom, Elena Boger, heard a snap and then shrieks from three-year-old Megan. There was blood all over her face from tooth punctures under an eye and around her mouth, she recalls. Elena and her husband rushed their sobbing child to a local hospital. But the injuries were severe enough that the Bogers were sent to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where a plastic surgeon stitched the gashes.

Little Megan is far from alone in having been the victim of a dog bite. According to a 1994 survey (the most recent) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, some 4.7 million people were bitten by dogs. About 800,000 required medical treatment. Many bites are to children, and most are from family pets or familiar dogs, not strays.

Many bites are treated at home or in a doctor's office, and as a consequence are often not reported to authorities. Meanwhile, there is no ongoing national system for counting dog bites, says the CDC's Dr. Jeffrey Sack

"Have you ever seen an Akita puppy?" asks Diane Allevato, executive director of the Marin County, California, Humane Society. "They're gorgeous! But chances are that puppy will grow up to be an aloof, one-person or one-family dog. It's the way the dog is supposed to be. So if you wanted a dog the whole soccer team could love, don't choose a loyal-to-one-person dog; he could become a biter."

„h To avoid a stray dog, walk away from it slowly and quietly. Never run away. Do not stare into the dog's eyes.

The family was required by law to keep Blaze contained for ten days; to be sure the dog didn't carry rabies. Then the Bogers gave him to a family friend - one with no children. Now they have Blaze back, but he's carefully supervised.

Hubbard says many people make the mistake of putting up with puppy rambunctiousness because they think it's charming. "Then one day when the dog is half-grown, you start teaching "sit" the way some obedience schools do by pushing down on the dog's rump as you say it. But there's a good chance an untrained dog will take your face off." Over time, the dog has learned to be dominant.

In the excitement of picking out a new pet, many people underestimate how much time it takes to train it. Yet experts say any dog requires a continuing commitment to training if they're going to be under control around people.

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