Dog Bites

According to a report by TimesFreePress.com, a four-year-old boy was bitten around the neck by a neighbor’s pit bull recently. The attack, which occurred in the Silverdale area, happened in the evening while the young child was playing in the front yard of his home with his father. A police spokeswoman stated the dog reportedly broke loose from his owner’s backyard, ran up the street, and attacked the unsuspecting child. The boy’s father pulled a knife and stabbed the dog to get the dog off of his son, and the dog’s owner was able to grab the canine and put him back in his cage. Charges for the dog’s owner are pending further investigation and the 4-year-old boy sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Dog bites and dog attacks are a very serious problem in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year, and children are the highest risk for dog bites. Children are more likely than adults to receive medical attention for dog bites, and kids ages five to nine years old have the highest rate of dog bite-related injuries.

To prevent the possibility of your child getting a potentially serious dog bite, spend time with a dog if you are considering adopting or buying one to observe the canine’s temperament; dogs with histories of aggression are not suitable for households with children. Also, be sure to train your dog properly before bringing it into your home with a young child, and seek professional advice immediately if the dog begins to develop dangerous or aggressive behaviors. Basic dog safety tips can also prevent a dog attack from occurring, so teach your child these simple rules:

• Tell a child to not approach an unfamiliar dog or approach a dog that is eating, sleeping, or caring for puppies;
• Do not allow them to play with a dog unless an adult is present;
• If knocked over by a dog, instruct them to roll into a ball and lie still; and
• Tell them to report a bite immediately to an adult.

Teaching your child basic safety rules can help them avoid a potentially dangerous dog attack, but owners of other dogs who are less cautious and do not properly secure their animal may still cause an attack. The Tennessee dog bite lawyers of Massey & Associates, P.C. can help you obtain the compensation you deserve if you or a loved one has been injured by a dog bite due to the dog owner’s negligence in handling his or her animal. Call for a complimentary consultation at (423) 697-4529.

A dog bite injury can be terrifying, painful, and leave the bitten person with permanent physical and emotional scars. When a biting dog or cat has rabies, however, the long-term health risks to anyone bitten by that animal increase dramatically.

Rabies cases in domestic pets have been declining throughout the United States in recent years, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. The rate has especially dropped in Tennessee due to state mandatory vaccination laws for dogs and cats. However, nearly 40,000 people in the U.S. are treated for rabies as a preventative measure each year. These treatments are especially common after a person has been bitten by a strange dog.

While rabies vaccinations can keep dogs from getting rabies and transmitting it to humans, many people who are bitten by dogs each year do not know the dog and are unable to catch it in order to have it tested. Therefore, doctors who treat dog bite victims in hospital emergency rooms may recommend the person be treated for rabies “just in case.” Although the cost of rabies treatment is high, it is not as high as the personal cost of actually developing rabies – a disease that, if left untreated, is fatal.

If you are bitten by a strange dog or other animal, wash the bite area with water and mild soap for at least five minutes, and seek medical attention immediately. Medical professionals can help determine if preventative rabies treatment is needed. If you can, catch or confine the animal that bit you so that it can be tested for rabies.

Dog bites can be terrifying and carry high financial and personal costs. If you or someone you love suffered a dog bite, please don’t hesitate to call the experienced Tennessee dog bite injury lawyers at Massey & Associates, P.C. For a free consultation on your Chattanooga-area injury case, call us today at (423) 697-4529.

Nearly 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly one million of these bites are bad enough to need immediate medical attention. Nearly 25 percent of all dog bites are suffered by children under age 14, making dog safety an important concern for their parents and their children.

Help your family avoid dog bite injuries by practicing the following safety tips when dealing with dogs:

• Do not approach an unfamiliar dog. If the dog is with its owner, ask the owner if it’s safe before petting or approaching the dog. Allow a strange dog to see and sniff you before petting it.
• If a strange dog approaches you, do not run or scream. If an approaching dog starts attacking, drop to the ground and lie still. Acting in a hostile manner toward an aggressive dog may only make the dog more violent.
• Report strays and dogs acting strangely to your local animal control office as soon as possible. Although humans do not often catch rabies or other diseases from dogs, these diseases may make the dog more likely to bite. If the dog has rabies, it can be transmitted to other animals.
• Spend time with a new dog and have it examined by a vet and neutered or spayed before bringing the animal into your home. If any household members are afraid of dogs, consider delaying your adoption of a dog until all family members are comfortable with the animal.

Dog bite attacks can be frightening, especially for children, and may cause serious injuries. The experienced dog bite injury lawyers in Chattanooga at Massey & Associates, P.C. can help you understand and protect your legal rights after a dog bite attack. For more information and a free consultation, call us today at 423-697-4529.