The advice says that children under 7 should never be left alone with a dog.

Around 13,000 people each year attend hospital emergency departments in Australia for dog bite injuries according to new data from Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital and of those, children under the age of five are most at risk. Children are at least three times more likely to experience a bite needing medical attention than adults.

And it’s not just the pain of the bite, there’s real risk of serious infection in the wound that requires extensive antibiotic treatment.

An audit of the 134 children admitted to Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital between 2011 and 2013 for bites found 90 percent of the bites were from dogs. Four of the children needed reconstructive surgery.

The stats are similar around Australia. In 2015, 117 children with dog bites presented at the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital emergency department in Brisbane. The average age of children was 7. From April 2015 to April 2016, 62 children were admitted to emergency with dog bites at Sydney’s Westmead hospital.

We’ve all heard the stories, although they’re never any less shocking when they happen.

In February, Kidspot reported the horrific facial injuries sustained by a little five-year-old girl in Sydney by a dog that had been brought to the house by a family friend. The Great Dane/Bull Arab cross attacked the girl in the front yard, tearing off part of her nose.

The general advice is to never leave a child, especially kids under seven, alone with any dogs, but sometimes a dog can seek out a child. A horrific story emerged in June last year when a tiny newborn was mauled by the family pet as she slept in her cot at the foot of her parents’ bed in Sydney. The child’s mother responded to her baby’s screams and found the family’s Alaskan malamute, which they had raised from a puppy, leaning into the bassinet, attacking the child.

Measures are in place to stop attacks. Restricted dog breeds, such as Japanese Tosa, fila Brasiliero, dogo Argentino, Perro de Presa Canario, and American Pit Bull are banned from importation. Of these, the American Pit Bull and the Perro de Presa Canario are the only breeds currently known to exist in Australia.

However, doctors and vets warn parents that all dogs can attack, it’s just that larger dogs tend to do the most damage.

The Australian Veterinarian Association (AVA) reckons that focusing on breeds is the worst way to solve the problems. In its extensive report Dangerous Dogs – A Sensible Solution the AVA stated: “The Australian Veterinary Association is opposed to breed-based dog control measures because the evidence shows that they do not and cannot work. They’ve not worked anywhere in the world.”

The AVA believes that Breed-Specific Legislation that calls for the removal and destruction of a dog that’s deemed genetically predisposed to attack will only cause that breed to be replaced for another by owners looking for aggressive canines.

Instead the group wants a national dog attacks database, which it says is crucial to getting a clearer picture of the issue and to help develop effective national laws.

Many interest groups are now calling for better dog ownership training and awareness campaigns, which has shown as the biggest factor in reducing injuries and attacks by dogs.

The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association found from a 10-year study of fatalities sustained by dogs that breed was not usually a major factor and instead major attacks occur when dogs are treated as part of the home’s property rather than as a family pet. Factors such as socialisation, having owners present and de-sexing are also major factors in reducing attacks.

Australia’s lacks a national approach to the problem. The classes of dangerous dog vary across states and territories. Some have only one category, while most have a range of classifications such as dangerous or menacing.

Plus, the education process is lacking and the guidelines confusing and conflicting between different local governments. It’s time for the government to bring the legislation together and roll out a strong united stand to help reduce attacks and foster one of the greatest relationships a kid can have.

Kid Safe Dog Rules

Always have a dog’s owner around if your kids are there. Dogs feel safer when their owner is present and are less likely to attack.

Teach children to NEVER cuddle a dog around its neck. This can make a dog feel threatened.

Feeding dogs should be an “grown-ups only” job. Children should be taught not to approach a dog that is eating of gnawing on a bone. Teach children to call you rather than attempt to reclaim their own dropped food from a dog.

Never let a child wake up a sleeping dog. Teach children to call to it from a distance and to let the dog reorient itself before interacting with the animal.

Your Responsibilities if you Own a Restricted Breed:

1. The dog must be desexed, microchipped and registered.

2. At home, the dog must be kept inside a purpose-built enclosure and warning signs must be displayed on the property.

3. The dog must wear a securely fitted muzzle when outside its enclosure (at home or in a public place).

4. When outside the enclosure, the dog must wear a distinctive red and yellow striped collar and be walked on a secure chain or lead.

5. The dog can never be walked off its leash, even in a designated off-leash park.

Failure to comply can mean a fine of up to $77,000 and a jail sentence of up 5 years, or both.