Preventing Dog Attacks: Tips to Teach Your Children

Recent events in our community make this an important topic. Dog attacks happen more often than you may think, and the consequences can be severe. When a person is attacked by a canine, the injuries are often serious and can even lead to death. According to the CDC, about 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year.

Regrettably, most dog attacks are found to involve children. The importance of teaching your children ways to prevent dog attacks are now more important than ever! Here are a few tips you can teach your children, how to avoid dog attacks, bites or aggressive behavior.

• Avoid unknown dogs at all times. No matter the breed, it is always a good idea to consider leaving the area if you see a dog wandering around loose and unsupervised.
• Teach your child to avoid yelling, hitting, running or making any sudden movements towards the dog.
• When the owner is with their dog, teach your child to ask the owner’s permission to pet or come in contact with the animal. Even if the owner is with the pet, this doesn’t mean the dog might not be aggressive. It is always a good idea to ask permission first.
• Children should confidently and quietly walk away if confronted by an aggressive dog. Your instinct may be to run, but this can often escalate the situation.
• Teach children to never confront the dog while it’s eating. This can cause the dog to get nervous and instinctively cause some aggression.
• Teach your child how to use gentle behavior when in contact with any animal to avoid any aggressive reactions.

If your child has been a victim of a dog bite or dog attack, it is important to take action immediately. Seek medical attention right away no matter how insignificant the injury may seem and report the incident to your local animal control or police department. Take down the name and address of the owner if possible. Be sure to take photographs of the injuries immediately following the traumatic incident. It is also important to take additional photographs several hours and days after the incident in order to properly document the injury and healing process.

The laws involving animals bites can be very confusing and complex. It is important to contact an experienced Marietta personal injury attorney at Jones & Swanson for guidance.