Dangerous Dog Bites: Vicious Dog Attacks are far Too Common

Dog bites have been getting a lot of attention in the media lately and it has been different breeds of dogs attacking.  It seems like the past month the media keeps covering more and more situations that are about dog bites.   Sadly injuries and death due to dog attacks happen far too often. 

The first story that has been getting the attention of the New York newspapers and news channels recently occurred in the summer of 2008 when a 90-year-old man was attacked by two pit bulls in Staten Island.  The man was attacked in his own backyard by his neighbor’s two pit bulls and was mauled to death by the dogs.   The estate of the Staten Island victim is now suing the City of New York for $7 million because of their failure to respond properly to numerous calls prior to the date of the dog attack.   The niece of the victim said that emergency calls were placed to 911 and non-emergency calls were made to 311 and the situation was never properly taken care of.  She believes that if New York City officials had responded appropriately to the calls her uncle would not have been attacked by the dogs.  The owner of the dogs is being charged with second degree manslaughter and the dogs were euthanized.

The second situation happened in California and involved a 17-month-old toddler boy who died after being attacked by a pit bull at his babysitter’s house.  The babysitter claims that when she was in the bathroom the boy went in the backyard and she walked out to the boy being attacked by her dog.  She fought the dog off with a fork used for barbequing, called 911 and began driving him to the emergency room.   She was pulled over by a cop who had the boy flow to a nearby hospital to try to treat the injuries from the dog but he died shortly thereafter.  The dog is being held by a local shelter because it has not yet been decided if the dog will be euthanized yet. 

The third situation that occurred recently happened when a Florida man was walking his small dog with his wife.   During the walk four dogs started to attack the man’s dog.  In an attempt to save his dog he picked the dog up and put it over a fence to get it away from the four large dogs which appeared to be Mastiff’s.  The vicious dogs then turned to the man to continue their attack.  They were biting the man when the owner of the four dogs pulled up into the drive way and was able to free the man from the dogs.  The dog attack left the man with injuries to his head, arm, and legs.   It has not yet been decided as to whether or not the dogs will be put down or not. 

Dogs attacks are very serious situations.  Many people wonder what makes a dog attack or what makes a vicious or dangerous dog.  Some believe the answer depends on the dog breed and others believe that it is the way the dog is raised.  Both theories seem to be partially true.  Not all Pit bulls, Mastiffs, Rottweiler’s , German Sheppard’s, Siberian Huskies or any other dog that has a “bad reputation” is going to attack someone.  In fact, some Pit Bulls have wonderful dispositions and love children and some dogs such as Labradors Retrievers may possibly bite a child despite what they are known for.  

Raising a dog to be mean or attack or mistreating a dog can certainly lead to it being a vicious dog and injuring or possibly even killing someone.   Aside from this aspect there are certain tendencies that different breeds tend to follow, this does not necessarily mean they will attack someone but it does mean that the majority of their breed has a certain disposition that may possibly make them more prone to snapping or more prone to not stopping if they attack.  Take for example Siberian Huskies they are generally nice dogs and since the Disney movie Eight Below many children would like one as a pet.  While they are not necessarily prone to attack they look at situations differently than other dogs do.  They look at things in more of a wolf’s prospective so you need to understand the breed.  They are not known as a dog that is generally prone to attacking but they are known as a somewhat borderline “dangerous breed” because they have a problem stopping an attack once it is started and this also similar with many other breeds.  Perhaps this is why society has labeled certain dogs as dangerous because they are the stories you hear about not the small Pekinese that bites a child and needs 10 stitches.

As a dog owner you should always make sure you are aware of your dog and its surroundings.  Remember you are ultimately responsible for your dogs actions.

• Make sure your dog is properly secured when it is outside
• Put up signs around your yard that state that you have a dog
• Train your dog to be comfortable with people and other animals being around its food, treats and toys

If you ever find yourself a victim of a dog attack you should make sure that you follow these rules:

• Stand completely still when the dog is near you (stand like a tree)
• Do not make eye contact with the dog
• If the dog is biting you curl up into a ball and tuck your head between your legs (this will help avoid injuries to your neck, face and head. 
• Seek medical attention immediately after a dog attack to avoid excessive blood loss and infection to the dog bite wounds.
• Contact a dog bite attorney or a personal injury attorney and discuss your dog attack case with him/her.