Animal Attacks and Dog Bites

Dog and other animal attacks are not laughing matters: few things can be as frightening, in fact. Severe injury and trauma can result and in some cases, such as those in which the victim is a child, an attack may even be fatal. Regulations on owner responsibility vary by state. Generally, a state will have one of two policies regarding an unprovoked dog attack. The first is strict liability, in which the owner is considered responsible for the attack regardless of other circumstances (such as whether or not it was the dog’s first attack). The second policy is “one free bite” in which the owner is not considered responsible in the case of the dog’s first attack.

Dog owners can take certain steps to minimize the possibility of animal attack:

• Have your dog spayed or neutered
• Discourage your dog from playing roughly: do not teach this type of play
• Maintain up-to-date vaccinations
• Put your dog through obedience classes
• Never leave your dog unsupervised with babies or small children

Simple safety tips include:

• Do not bother or provoke strange dogs
• Leave dogs alone while they are eating, sleeping, or taking care of puppies
• If you choose to pet a dog, do not rush into it – let it see you and smell you first
• Do not leave children alone with a dog
• Avoid aggression with dogs – never stare it in the eye, run from it, or otherwise provoke it
• If you are attacked by a dog, remain still
• If you are knocked down by an attacking dog, curl into a ball to protect yourself

Should you be attacked and injured, seek help quickly. Try to find out who the owner is, but always seek medical help first.

If you or a loved one is in need of legal assistance, call Heavens Law Firm at 1-866-HEAVLAW, submit a free online consultation, or contact us. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary recovery of funds. In many cases, a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. Please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.