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Tag: Dog Bites

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Most Likely Areas For Dog Bites in San Diego; Bites by Breed

A recent news story by NBC 7/39 highlights the areas in San Diego where victims are most likely to be bitten, the breeds most likely to bite, the months in which dog bites are most likely to occur, and the typical age of victims.

Not surprisingly, the months when dog bites are most likely to occur are warm-weather months, the most prevalent being July, when people are outside with their dogs enjoying the weather.

Also, not surprisingly, the highest number of reported dog bites come from pit bulls. Not surprisingly because the breed is very popular amongst owners who are either irresponsible or do not have the experience to control a very physical breed like a pit bull. However, the #2 breed–Labrador Retrievers–is a surprise. This breed is particularly popular amongst owners with young children and is known for its’ great temperament. We suspect the placing is due to the sheer number of the breed in San Diego County. As the news story states, any dog can bite at any time depending on the circumstances.

Our office actually gets more calls for the #4 breed, the chihuahua, than any other breed other than the pit bull. In our experience, the chihuahua is a particularly aggressive breed and will lash out at its’ owners and others. There are probably more bites by chihuahuas than the number reported. The saving grace is that, due to the animal’s size, the damage does not tend to be as serious or life-threatening as when a larger breed bites.

Last, the areas where most dog bites occur and the age of the victims raises a great deal of concern. Most dog bites occur in areas where pit bulls and more menacing dogs are popular. Coupled with the fact that most victims are under 10 years old, and this is a recipe for disaster.

Dog owners must take all steps to protect other members of the public from their animals’ aggressive actions. If you or a loved one has been bitten, knocked down, or otherwise injured by a dog, please contact us for an immediate consultation.…

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Bad Owners Lead to Ban, Euthanization of Pit Bulls

These are bad times if you are a pit bull, or own one, in Denver.

Scared by the damage that pit bulls can inflict when they attack, the City Council of Aurora approved a ban of new pit bulls within the city limits. Owners of existing pit bulls can keep their pet if the meet new rules, including a special, breed-specific licensing fee of $200, carrying $100,000 of liability insurance, be at least 21 years of age, and post warning signs in the front of their property.

With the exception of the breed-specific licensing fee, none of these requirements are outrageous. They are simply the minimum requirements of being a responsible dog owner–of any breed.

However, the ban is the result of not only urban myths about the breed, but, most importantly, bad owners.

So are pit bulls the product of the breed or bad owners? And who is responsible for the damages they cause–the dog or the owner?

First, let’s deal with the public’s fear of the breed. As many are aware, this muscular breed looks like this:

Quite menacing looking, huh?

But, if we’re going to condemn the big, muscular, adult version of the breed universally, then we also have to condemn these guys as equally bad:

Not ready to do that? Unfortunately, one of the consequences of Aurora’s ban is that pit bulls of all ages are being sent to the pound.

Even more unfortunate is that this breed has been the victim of poor owners and, in most cases that come into our office, completely irresponsible owners. It seems common sense that dog owners should keep their animals closed in their property, should carry sufficient insurance to pay for damages caused by their animal, and–if there are signs of prior aggressive behavior–place warning signs outside their property.

Yet, I can’t tell you how many times we have received telephone calls from the parents of small children who have been mauled by pit bulls owned by irresponsible owners who (1) let their animal wander the neighborhood unsupervised, (2) do not carry ANY insurance at all, and (3) do not take any extra steps to safeguard others after their animal had shown prior aggression.

Dog bites obviously aren’t limited to pit bulls. We’ve received a greater number of calls from dog bites from smaller dogs (chihuahuas, poodles, etc.) than pit bulls. The difference, though, is that the pit bull owners have been irresponsible almost to a man while the other dog owners possess insurance and supervised their dogs.

This is not an indictment of pit bull owners in total. Just a certain group of owners. The public should hold these owners to a higher standard of responsibility than they hold themselves. The public should also take a little time to find out about these often misunderstood animals.

But they should cut the animals some slack for the shortcomings of their owners.

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