Statistics have reported that every year over 4.7 million people are severely injured from a dog and the more frequent victims are children ages 5-9. The real problem here is that very few individuals, especially people who own dogs, actually realize the extent and potential for injury and death from their favourite pets.

How Do These Dog Bites Occur?

Several lawyers in Hamilton have had a lot of past cases with dog bites and have come to realize that the fault of the bite is from the victim itself due to their negligence or poor judgement. Unfortunately, there are multiple cases that involve a dog biting a human being because of the dog owner’s negligence. It is truly sad that people have a love for their dog, but only ignore or are blinded by the fact that the dog is strong, intelligent and a dangerous animal, leaving the dog owners and those who come in contact with the dog unprepared and uninformed about what safety measures they should take if the dog were to take sudden action.

Dog bites can occur when the owner is negligent in restraining their dog whether it is in an enclosed area or on a tether or a leash. When the unfortunate happens and the dog is threatened by sudden movement there are no restraint systems in place.

In many cases, the dog is actually trained to guard and protect the owner and their property and to attack any trespassers or strangers. In some cases this may work well if someone were to try and hurt the dog owner, but the trained dog may act aggressively towards people it encounters who have no harmful intent and bite or even maim the unintentional offenders.

Other dog biting cases maybe caused by an oblivious or ignorant family member or babysitter leaving a small child alone with a dog without supervision. A child that can be known for their restraint and empathy can easily provoke even the most mildest-tempered dog to attack. Unfortunately, these dog bite accidents are extremely tragic on children especially if they are serious or fatal injuries that could have been prevented.

Pet owners or other individuals who come in contact with the dog can unwittingly act in an offensive or aggressive manner. Often enough, the dog feels threatened or in other cases the dog thinks the human is playing, but in most cases the dog is unaware of the potential physical damage they can do to people. Dogs view the world differently from humans and it is easy for an uninformed person to cross the line. The dog may feel obligated to attack especially if a person comes too close to the dog’s puppies, removes food while the dog is eating or a toy the dog is playing with or when a dog is teased or physically abused. Because of these negligent acts of human beings towards these animals, these situations are the fault of the pet owners or the humans involved.

Statistics

• As a result of dog attacks, over 1,000 people visit the emergency room daily.
• In the last 30 years, dog bite incidence have increased steadily and dramatically.
• Each year, 20 to 30 people die because of dog bites.
• The following breeds are responsible for at least 75% of dog bite attacks: Alaskan Malamutes, German Shepherds, Huskies, Pit Bulls and Rottweiler’s.
• It has been a proven study that the month of August has the most dog bite attacks. It is believed that the cause of these attacks are because of the weather and longer daylight hours which make people stay outside longer where they can come in contact with dogs.
• Mail men and women workers account for approximately 3,000 dog bites every year.
• Most frequently bit on the neck, face and head; 70% of serious dog bite injuries happen to children.
• Several dog bite attacks occur in the home or other familiar locations.
• Almost 33% lawsuits are filed because of dog bite cases.

The second leading cause of children injury is dog bite attacks.