Our Child Injury Lawyer Answers Your Questions About Dog Bites

Contact the San Francisco Police Department immediately, and their vicious and dangerous animals unit will investigate the occurence.

Vicious And Dangerous Animals Unit
1200 15th St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-554-9213
415-554-9214

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help children who have suffered from dog bites, or families of children who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at https://www.keanelaw.com

 

1. Seek medical attention.

2.  Document the injury.

3.  File a police report.

4.  Call Keane Law Firm.

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help prevent dog bites, or if you have been bitten by a dog and need legal representation, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at https://www.keanelaw.com

• Never stare at a dog in the eyes or put their faces up to a dog's face.

• Never try to take something away from a dog.

• Never go near a dog who is eating or drinking or chewing on something.

• Never approach a dog  that is on a bed or furniture.

• Never approach a dog that is tied up or in a vehicle.

• Never try to pet a dog through a fence or in a crate.

• Never climb over a fence into a dog's yard, even if the dog is usually friendly.

• Never try to break up a dog fight or interact with dogs that are play fighting.

• Leave dogs alone that are sleeping, resting, injured, very old or with puppies.

• Teach your child about canine body language 

• A safe dog is one that is panting, face happy looking and wagging his tail enthusiastically.

• A dangerous dog has his mouth closed, ears forward, intense look.

According to the CDC;

Preventing Dog Bites

Teach children basic safety around dogs and review regularly:

• Do not approach an unfamiliar dog.
• Do not run from a dog and scream.
• Remain motionless (e.g., "be still like a tree") when approached by an unfamiliar dog.
• If knocked over by a dog, roll into a ball and lie still (e.g., "be still like a log").
• Do not play with a dog unless supervised by an adult.
• Immediately report stray dogs or dogs displaying unusual behavior to an adult.
• Avoid direct eye contact with a dog.
• Do not disturb a dog who is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies.
• Do not pet a dog without allowing it to see and sniff you first.
• If bitten, immediately report the bite to an adult.

Yes, we do.  Unbelievably, there are some extremely careless and negligent daycare providers who feel the need to leave young children unattended with dogs.   In daycare settings, the daycare provider must put the care and safety above his or her desire to let the dog run free in the daycare setting.  This is a form of child neglect - especially when someone is being paid to do a job. It only takes a moment to change a child's life forever......

 

Yes. Owning a dog and having small children in the home is an arrangement that requires responsible adult behavior. Experienced pet owners know how much responsibility and work are required to choose the appropriate dog to bring into the home and neighborhood where children are present. Dogs do not automatically know what behavior is expected from their owners. And owners may not know how to properly raise or socialize a dog, or may choose not to appropriately socialize a dog. There are dog owners that intentionally raise a dog that is not well socialized. That is why the incidence of dog bites is so prevalent. A majority of dog bite incidents occur because the dog owners did not fully appreciate the necessity for educating themselves to the proper methods of raising, socializing and supervising the dog.

Two statistical values remain unchanged – the number of deaths by canine homicide and vicious attacks. remain fairly stable year to year, but one factor does change – and that is the dangerous breed of choice among those irresponsible dog owners that socialize dogs for home protection and intimidation. The bad owner-dog complex is usually the denominator in vicious dog attacks and canine homicides, regardless of which breed is most popular in a given time period.    

 

 

According to the Humane Society, every year approximately 4.7 million dog bites occur in the United States. That is almost 2% of the American population. Roughly 26 people are killed a year by dogs in the last decade. Approximately eighty percent of dog bites occur by an animal that is known to the victim and is usually a pet of the owner or neighbor. And most dog bites occur near the victim’s home. And over half the dog bites occur on the dog owner’s property. Children are three times more likely than adults to sustain serious injury from dog bites. Over half of the child victims sustain significant injury to the face. The Humane Society reports that over fifty percent of the bite victims are under the age of 13-years-old. One kennel reported that of the children killed by dogs (canine homicide), nearly 70% of the victims were under the age of ten-years-old, nearly 22% are under the age of one year and approximately 7% were sleeping infants. It is important to discern between dog bites and canine homicide. While Pit Bulls and Rottweilers are responsible for a large number of the canine homicides, all breeds and their owners are responsible for the high number of dog bites. You will recall the case of the Pomeranian dog that killed an infant while its owner was preparing a bottle in the other room. Even in communities where certain breeds are banned and there are low concentrations of “dangerous breeds” there is still the same frequency of dog bites in the population. Any dog can and will bite under certain circumstances.