You can’t trust anybody in politics.  Nowhere has it been more succinctly expressed than in the words of  the 33rd President, Harry S. Truman, who famously said,  “You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog.”

A collection of photos of some of the Presidents and their dogs follows:-

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1830236,00.html

A photo of President Barack Obama and his dog Bo:

President Obama and his dog

Ever heard of Musical Canine Freestyle?  Also simply known as Canine Freestyle, it simply means choreographed dancing with dogs to music.  This fun sport has developed since the early 1980’s to the level that competitions are held regularly with strict rules and regulations about the performances.

Below is a YouTube dog dancing video that illustrates the moves in one such competition:  The Canine Come Dancing Competiton in England.

Put them in a situation, however, where they are frightened or hurt or wildly excited, and they are perfectly capable of inflicting wounds.  The wounds may not necessarily be direct bites or scratches.  Even a person falling on the sidewalk because he tripped over your dog or tripped because your dog barked at him can blame you, and a court of law could find you liable for hospital bills.

The way to avoid this kind of liability, is to prevent your dog from causing injury whether direct or indirect. 

1.  Keep the dog chained, and if let free, keep it in an enclosed area such as a house compound.  Allowing the dog to be out at large makes you liable for any injury caused by the dog.

2.  Train your dog not to be frightened of people and to socialize.  Exposure to a lot of persons at a tender age will allow the dog to be able to relate to crowds.

3.  Keep children away from your dog.  Most children do not know the consequences of what they are doing, and may get bitten because their behavior may be interpreted by the dog as being threatening.  Keep access to your dog child-proof.

4.  Have prominent warning signs warning people to beware of the dog if you have one.  This way people who do not heed the warning sign have only themselves to blame.

dog bite injury

 

Dog bites can be considered a serious health problem.  It is a traumatic event for the dog bite victim and his family, both physically and psychologically.  The injury may be as mild as a superficial scratch or can be as serious as nerve or muscle injury, or fractures, or chronic disability or deformity or even death. 

Psychological injuries can range from a simple temporary shock to nightmares to persistent phobias about animals, which can be incapacitating.  When the injury is more than just mild, one is tempted to seek the advice of dog bite lawyers.  The costs of medical and/or psychological aid can be very high, and only dog bite lawyers will be able to give good counsel as to what steps to take to get adequate compensation for the injuries sustained as well as to conduct legal proceedings against the dog owner.   From the point of view of the owner, it would be quite necessary for there to be insurance coverage against dog bites.  The numbers of dog bites annually ( 4.7 million cases of dog bites annually in the United States alone) make it quite attractive for lawyers to specialize in just dog bite laws alone. 

It is important from the legal angle to have as much documentation as possible for any legal action in order to prove liability.  Photographs of the injuries, records of the medical treatment taken, opinions of the specialists consulted regarding the seriousness of wounds and ultimate prognosis, evidence of previous bite history on the part of the dog as well as prior knowledge of this by the owner help a lot.  Dog bite lawyers armed with proper documentation should have no problem in court.

biting dogs

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a government agency has published some dog bite statistics which are worthy of attention. Some of these are shown below, together with others from various sources on the internet.

The list of dogs most guilty of causing dog bites:

1. Pit Bulls
2. Rottweilers
3. German Shepherds
4. Huskies
5. Alaskan Malamutes
6. Doberman pinschers
7. Chows
8. Great Danes
9. Saint Bernards
10. Akitas

60% of dog bite victims are children.
According to the American Medical Association, dog bites form the second highest cause of childhood injuries, surpassing playground accidents.
The majority of dog bites to adult humans are at the lower extremities followed by bites to the upper extremities including the head, face and neck.  For children, 77% of dog bite injuries are to facial areas.
The majority of fatal attacks are due to pit bulls and rottweilers.
Biting dogs were more likely to be male, unneutered, and chained.
Each year, 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs. 800,000 of these will need medical attention. About 16 of these turn out to be fatal. The majority of these are children.

Every dog owner needs to have insurance that provides coverage for dog bites and other injuries caused by their dogs.  This kind of insurance ensures that the dog owner’s insurance company pays an appropriate amount in compensation for the injuries that the victim may suffer as a result of bites by the dog.  The extent of injuries vary from small nips to severe mauling attacks, and the result can be loss of life and limb or loss of income.  Infection can also settle in as a complication of injury.  Similarly mental distress occurring as a result of a dog attack can be debilitating and require expensive psychotherapy.  All of this costs money, and if you are not insured against these, the damage to your wallet can be horrendous. 

One of course does not expect that one’s pet dog will go out and attack people.  However these occasions can be unpredictable.