San Diego Dog Bite Law Firm | California Dog Bite Injury Law

San Diego Dog Bite Personal Injury Lawyer: How to Help Children from Being Bitten by A Dog

Statistically, children are more often the victims of dog bites; thus, follow these tips to help ensure your child does not fall victim to a dog bite:

1. Parents or caregivers must never leave an infant or small child alone with a dog no matter if the dog is a “family dog;”
2. Children should be instructed on always asking permission from a dog owner before petting a dog, or for that matter, getting close to a dog;
3. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, young children, and this includes infants, should be taught early to be extremely careful around dogs and pets in general; they should be taught to never approach strange dogs.
4. Children should be taught to remain calm around dogs; and again, remind them to always ask permission from a dog owner before petting. This cannot be over emphasized, as I have represented injured children with dog bites, and I ask them if they asked permission from the dog owner before they were bit. Not that this has anything to do with liability in the case itself, but I am curious to find that generally the answer is often “no.” I cannot help to wonder if this was taught to the child early on, then maybe the bite would never have occurred.

I hope the above 4 tips to prevent a child from being attacked or bitten by a dog helps! I will periodically update this as I encounter more useful information with children and dog bites.