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Bite Articles
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Safety
Tips
How
to Avoid Dog Biteso:p>
There
are several ways to help reduce the risk of a bite:
- If
confronted by a dog trying to sniff you, stand still, don't try
to run away. Most dogs will move away after determining that
you are not a threat.
- Never
interfere with a dog that is caring for its puppies.
- Never
startle a dog, by waking it or throwing an object in its direction.
- Don't
disturb a dog while it is eating or drinking.
- If
you feel threatened by a dog, do not run. A dog's instinct
will likely be to give chase. Stay calm. If you speak, talk
in a firm voice without screaming.
- Be
very mindful of your children around all dogs, including family
pets. Most dog bites occur to children.
- If
you think a dog may attack, remain motionless with hands at your
sides. Once the dog loses interest in you, slowly back away
until the dog is out of sight.
- If
the dog does attack, "feed" the dog your jacket, purse, bicycle,
or anything that you can put between yourself and the dog.
- If
you fall or are knocked to the ground, curl into a ball with your
hands over your ears and remain motionless. Do not scream or roll
around.
Despite
the best preventive measures, bites can occur. If you or a child
are bitten, seek emergency medical attention immediately.
How
to Avoid Dog Bites to Children
o:p>
Just
as we teach our children to practice safety in other situations,
we can teach them to be safe around dogs. The most important lessons
for children to learn are not to chase or tease dogs that they know
and to avoid dogs that they don't know.
The
following rules will help prevent your child from receiving a bite
wound:
- Treat
all dogs as potentially dangerous, unless supervised by an adult.
- Children
should never be alone with a dog.
- Never
approach a restrained or confined dog.
- Never
approach a barking dog, even if he is wagging his tail.
- Never
take a toy or food from a dog.
- Never
disturb a sleeping dog.
- Never
discipline a dog by hitting it.
Dog Bite Articles
- AVMA Task Force on Canine Aggression and Human-Canine
Interactions. A community approach
to dog bite prevention. JAVMA 2001; 218: 1732-1749.
- CDC. Dog-Bite-Related Fatalities
- United States, 1995-1996. MMWR 1997;46:463-7.
- Colebourn, John. Spate of maulings a “wake
up call†for dog owners. The Province, March
16, 2003.
- Gershman KA, Sacks JJ, Wright JC. Which
dogs bite? A case-control study of risk factors. Pediatrics
1994;93:913-7.
- Newman, Sarah Casey. Grrr!: Authors throw
the book at owners for letting dogs bite. St.
Louis Post-Dispatch, May
26, 2000.
- Sacks JJ, Kresnow M, Houston B. Dog
bites: how big a problem? Injury Prevention 1996;2:52-4.
- Sacks JJ, Sinclair L, Gilchrist J, Golab GC, Lockwood
R. Breeds of dogs involved in fatal
human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998.
JAVMA 2000;217:836-840.
Dog Bite Books
Recent
News
Seven
pit bulls attack, kill 82-year-old woman
CITRA,
Florida (AP) --
Seven
pit bulls escaped from their owner's home and mauled an 82-year-old
neighbor to death Friday.
Alice
Broom died at Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala, officials
told the Ocala Star-Banner for its Saturday editions.
Broom
was found by the dogs' owner, Robert Freeman, 67. He said the dogs
were attacking the woman when he arrived, and speculated that the
attack had gone on for at least 10 minutes.
The
dogs were seized by county animal control officials. Freeman, who
was not immediately charged with a crime, said he told county officers
to destroy the dogs.
Broom's
daughter Mary Alice Smothers said Freeman's neighbors had called
animal control officials several times in recent months about the
dogs, who had been involved in at least two other biting incidents.
"I
can't blame (Freeman). I blame animal control," Smothers told the
Star-Banner.
Marion
County sheriff's officials said Friday night that an investigation
is continuing.
Citra
is north of Ocala and about 80 miles northwest of Orlando.
State
Laws
Please write
if a link on this page doesn't work or if a state's constitution,
statutes, legislation, session laws, or administrative rules are
online but are not listed here.
Many states have enacted legislation related to dog bite injuries.
In some states, the general principles of common law negligence
apply to this type of injury. In common law states
it is necessary to establish negligence on the part of the dog owner.
In order to prove negligence, you must demonstrate the traditional
element of a common law tort claim including duty, a breach of that
duty, and an injury. Even in the absence of a strict
liability statute, the possessor of a dog known to be vicious is
liable for harm caused by the dog even if he/she has exercised utmost
care to prevent it.
This site provides the text of state legislation concerning dog
bites.
Dog Bite®
is a registered trademark of Dog Bite,
phone: Toll Free1-877-249-2936 Dog Bite Lawyer
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