"A child can learn some wonderful life lessons while caring for an animal, but there can be some potential hazards that accompany pets of any kind", says National Child Safety Expert Debra Holtzman J.D., M.A, "The Safety Expert" http://thesafetyexpert.com, the best-selling author of  "The Safe Baby: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Home Safety and Healthy Living" (Sentient Publications).  A young child can harm your pet, and some pets can most certainly harm your child. Never leave a baby or young child alone with any pet and always supervise children around dogs, cats, ferrets and other animals.  Even if your home doesn't have a pet, teach your children these important tips.

ALWAYS:

• Treat animals with kindness and respect

• Handle pets gently

• Wash your hands thoroughly after handling pets

• Teach children to enjoy watching wildlife from afar

NEVER:

• Approach any unfamiliar animal

• Disturb an animal that is eating, sleeping, caring for its young or guarding something

• Touch any pet before asking its owner if it is okay to do so

• Tease, chase, or stare at an animal

• Grab an animal by the feet, ears or tail

• Feed, touch, pick up or handle a wild or stray animal

• Try to break up animals fighting

• Play with a dog unless supervised by an adult

SHOW YOUR CHILD WHAT TO DO IF APPROACHED BY AN UNFAMILIAR DOG:

• Be still like a statue if a dog comes up to you

• If you are knocked down by a dog, roll into a ball and lie still like a rock

Lastly, if your child or any family member is bitten or scratched by any animal, act quickly. Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water for at least 5 minutes and seek medical attention immediately.

National Child Safety Expert Debra Holtzman, J.D., M.A. has a law degree, an M.A. in occupational health and safety, a B.A. in communications and over fifteen years experience in the child safety and health field. She has made hundreds of media appearances including ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, NBC's The Today Show and Dateline. She served as the official on-camera safety expert for the popular weekly Discovery Health series, Make Room for Baby. Debra was named an "Everyday Hero" by Readers Digest and a "Woman Making a Difference" by Family Circle Magazine.  She teaches infant and toddler safety, CPR, and siblings classes at a regional hospital and is a certified child passenger safety technician.   Debra's award-winning book, "The Safe Baby: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Home Safety and Healthy Living" (Sentient Publications) offers parents easy-to-implement solutions and cost saving tips to keep children and pets safe and healthy.

Visit Debra online at http://thesafetyexpert.com