Think WASP around dogs When you think of a dog, you probably don't think about being bitten.

Think WASP around dogs When you think of a dog, you probably don't think about being bitten.
Many dogs make wonderful pets, but last year nearly 5 million Americans were attacked by dogs. Almost 3 million of those people were kids.
This week has been declared National Dog Bite Prevention Week by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the U.S. Postal Service. (About 3,400 mail carriers were bitten last year.)
There's a lot that you can do to make sure that you don't get bitten by a dog, and 12-year-old Kelly Voight has some good tips. The Illinois girl was 7 years old when she got bitten and badly hurt by a dog in her neighborhood. Kelly now wants to make sure other kids know how to act around dogs. (Only approach leashed dogs.) She came up with an acronym, WASP, to tell kids what to do when they meet a dog:
W -- Wait and watch the dog to be sure it is not angry or afraid.
A -- Ask the owner's permission to pet the animal.
S -- Sniffing is how a dog gets comfortable. Let the dog sniff you.
P -- Pet the dog in the direction of its fur.
Kelly says she wants to "help other kids so that they won't be victimized like I was."
Quote/unquote
"I'm a closet hairdresser. I've even done my girlfriends' hair for weddings. I figure I have something to fall back on." -- Actress Jennifer Aniston, in People.
***
"I'm more nervous about going on a first date than going onstage." -- Musician Enrique Iglesias, in Twist magazine.
***
"The whole flowers-and-restaurant thing is overdone. I'd [rather] cook a girl dinner and watch DVDs." -- Actor Jonathan Bennett ("Mean Girls"), in Teen People.
Book some time
With so many end-of-school-year activities coming up, it's difficult to squeeze in extra reading. But so many good books are out for teens and preteens that make booking some reading time worth it.
The new novel from author Walter Dean Myers, "Shooter" (Amistad and HarperTempest, $15.99), isn't just for teens, it should be required reading for anyone who works with them as well.
Although it is fiction, it is based on four years of research and conversations with hundreds of teens about bullying and youth violence. While certainly entertaining, it is a bold attempt to educate as well about the potential shooters who walk the hallways of every American school.
Myers cleverly puts the reader up close with a school shooter, Len Gray, through transcribed interviews by criminal justice investigators, diary entries, newspaper clippings and therapists.
Area rock shows
Bands scheduled to play at Section 8 skate park in Hubbard this weekend:
* Tonight: A Backlit Room, $5, 7 p.m.
* Saturday: Wesker, $5, 7 p.m.
Best school paper
Eastside, Cherry Hill (N.J.) High School East's student paper, recently won the prestigious American Scholastic Press Association's top award, earning the highest score -- 965 points out of 1,000 -- in the organization's top category, First Place with Special Merit.
Journalism teacher and Eastside adviser Greg Gagliardi found out about the award in a rather unceremonious way. "It's not like a sports team where you find out at a banquet and everyone jumps up and down," he said.