A. If you're talking about aggression toward people, the answer is no.

Looking at the data tells us that the incidence of dog bites is more a reflection on the relative popularity of a breed than a reflection on the breed. As any breed becomes more popular, there are more individual dogs that could bite in the population.

Historically, Great Danes were once the major perpetrators of vicious bites, followed by Rottweilers, German shepherds and now various breeds categorized as pit bulls. This is directly related to the popularity of these breeds. While big dogs can physically do more damage if they bite, serious injuries can also result from small dog bites.

There are, however, four factors that have remained consistent across time with regard to dog bites:

• Gender of the dog: Unneutered male dogs are involved in 70 to 76 percent of reported dog bite incidents.
• Age of the victim: 70 percent of fatal dog attacks and more than half of dog bite wounds requiring medical attention involve children younger than 12 years old.
• Gender of the victim: Males are up to three times more likely to be bitten than females. Most at risk are 5- to 9-year-old boys.
• Relationship of the victim and dog: The family dog is involved in 25 to 33 percent of reported dog bites. Just 10 percent of reported dog bites are inflicted by dogs who are unknown to the victim.

The statistics quoted here are courtesy of the American Veterinary Medical Association's Task Force on Canine Aggression and Canine Human Interaction. More information on dog bite prevention can be found at http://www.avma.org.

Q. My cat is about 7 months old. Since he was about 10 to 12 weeks old, he plays to the point that he breathes hard and his heart races. He pants wildly. When he was younger, I had to bring him to the bowl of water and try to make sure he drank enough. Is this something I should be concerned about? Is this something that will be with him for the rest of his life? I will be having him neutered soon and was wondering if this will affect his surgery.

A. From the symptoms you describe, it is possible that your cat has a medical problem involving the heart or lungs. I would recommend that you schedule him for a physical exam before you make his neutering appointment. The exam that he gets before surgery is not as thorough as a complete physical, and there is a possibility that he may be a higher risk for surgery.

Q. I am currently fostering a dog and hoping to adopt him. He is infested with ticks! We have given him tick baths and he still has ticks. What do we need to do to get rid of them once and for all?

A. Ticks can be very difficult to get rid of, not to mention pretty unnerving for even the most stalwart pet owner. Ticks attach to pets and feed on blood until they are engorged. They thrive in high humidity and moderate temperatures, but can be found all over the country and are prevalent in Northern California.

In addition to the "ick" factor, ticks may carry and transmit diseases, including Lyme disease, which can cause serious health problems for pets and people.

Ticks can be very difficult to get rid of. We have had the most success using Frontline Top Spotr. (It is also available for cats.)

To prevent ticks from attaching in the first place, keep your lawn trimmed and clear of mulch or leaf litter, and avoid tall grass or brush where ticks breed. Always check your dog over carefully after being in the brush and before bringing him indoors to ensure he doesn't bring home any unwanted visitors.