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Editor: Jeffrey Harlan Penneys, Esq.
Profession: Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorney

Category: Dog Bite Questions and Answers

The increase in large dog ownership has resulted in an increased amount of dog bite claims. German shepherds were identified as the breed involved in 44% of all dog bite claims, but account for only 22% of license registrations. Small purebred dogs accounted for less than 20% of bites but more than 40% of registrations. The Pit Bull Terrier is a common cause of dog bite injuries in minors. The major problem is that they are frequently (94%) unprovoked. These dogs are also typically freely roaming animals (67%).

The tendency for dogs to bite results from a variety of factors. Some dogs are genetically predisposed towards aggressive behavior. If your dog is trained early, the tendency to bite is decreased. This means early socialization to people and other animals, proper training, and quality of care and supervision.

Factors that tend to increase the tendency to bite include mistreatment, malnourishment, behavior of the victim, as well as other factors, as described below.

Dangerous situations

(i) invading dog's territory

(ii) threat to dog's family

(iii) threat to dog

(iv) jealous dog

You must be careful to avoid:

(i) approaching or bending over dogs especially if they are lying quietly

(ii) approaching them immediately after entering their territory

(iii) teasing or waking them

(iv) playing with them until they become overexcited

DO NOT:

(i) hold your face close to a dog

(ii) allow dogs to roam unleashed

(iii) approach a strange dog

(iv) tease a dog

(v) startle a dog

(vi) disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies

(vii) leave a small child and dog alone

(vii) omit vaccination of a dog

(viii) leave a dog alone with strangers

(ix) ignore the warning signals of aggressive behavior