Tips on Keeping Children Safe From Dog Bites in Carmichael
I’m Ed Smith, a Carmichael dog bite lawyer. Dog bites can cause horrific injuries or even death. The danger to children is even more intense since they are smaller in stature and unable to protect themselves. However, some measures can be taken to help protect children from a dangerous confrontation with a dog, whether it belongs to someone else or is an animal in your own home. Teaching your children about ways to interact with dogs and exercise caution can help keep them safe.
Teach Children How to Act Around Dogs
A high percentage of attacks by dogs involve children. Because children don’t understand a dog’s reactions to stress or how to communicate with a canine, it can lead to an attack. Sometimes, dogs will even bite when playing and injure a child. The responsibility for keeping children safe is with the parents and other adults. Supervision of both children and pets is essential, even with the family dog, particularly if the child is small. Some safety measures that should be taught to a child are as follows, but there are no guarantees.
- Never stare a dog in the eyes. The animal may take this as an aggressive gesture.
- Do not pull the dog’s tail or ears.
- Keep a distance from the dog’s face.
- If the dog is resting, leave it alone.
- Stay away from the dog’s rest area, food bowls, and toys. Some dogs are possessive of their things.
- Do not hug the dog tight or pester it when it wants to be left alone.
- Do not jump on the dog.
- Keep fingers away from the dog’s face.
Dog Bite Injuries
A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health shows that children are vulnerable to dog bites on their faces because of their short height and corresponding facial position. Boys between the ages of five and nine are the most likely to be bitten. Nearly 50 percent of reported dog bites to children were caused by the family pet or the dog of a neighbor. The location of the bite is more dependent on the child’s size than anything else. Smaller children are more likely to have facial bites while older children suffer damage to their lower extremities. Most injuries are deep puncture wounds, which can become infected. Treatment may include skin debridement, immunizations against rabies and tetanus and antibiotic therapy. Other injuries may include:
- Broken bones
- Soft tissue injuries
- Eye injuries
- Lacerations
- Traumatic brain injury
Dog Bite Fatalities
Forty-nine fatalities occurred nationwide in 2017 due to dog bites. Unlike the previous year, none of the deaths were to California children. Three children died from dog attacks in California in 2016. One was a 9-year-old Linda, California, boy. The other two fatalities were to infants, one from Fresno and the other from Stockton. The majority of deaths happened to young children left unsupervised with dogs.
Related Articles by Carmichael Dog Bite Lawyer Ed Smith
Carmichael Dog Bite Lawyer
I am Ed Smith, a Carmichael dog bite lawyer. An injury caused by a dog bite can happen to anyone. If you or a loved one was injured because of a negligent dog owner, you can recover fair compensation. I can offer you free and friendly legal advice at (916) 921-6400. If you prefer, you can access my toll-free line at (800) 404-5400, or use the handy contact form on my website.
Since 1982, I have worked hard to protect the rights of and obtain just compensation for injured Carmichael residents, along with other areas in Northern California, in all types of car accidents and in wrongful death claims.
I am a Million Dollar Advocates member of California. The membership of this forum is composed of trial attorneys around the country with a client verdict or settlement in excess of $1 million.
Read what former clients have had to say about my practice and about some of our prior cases at:
Photo Attribution: https://www.pexels.com/photo/adorable-animal-canine-cold-158682/
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