Articles Posted in Dog Bites

Alexandra Robinson Hinkle will tell you that she really loves living in Hayward, California. In fact, Alexandra said of her neighborhood, “It’s probably one of the best places to live in Hayward. There’s constantly families walking and people jogging.” And, that is exactly what Alexandra loved to do; take scenic walks with her dog, Tag, along Skyline Drive. That is, until last week when she and Tag were attacked by two neighborhood dogs that were running loose. And, these were not just any two dogs, but a Pit Bull and a Rottweiler. Alexandra suffered injuries to her hand, and cuts and bruises from being dragged by the Rottweiler, who was fittingly named Cujo. Her dog, Tag, suffered puncture wounds to his ear and his testicles. Only the intervention of a diligent neighbor, not the owner of the dogs, saved Alexandra and Tag from further injuries. Even more disturbing, Alexandra learned that several neighbors had complained to police and local officials about these same two dogs running loose. The dog’s owner, Matthew Marino, was due to testify at a closed hearing to determine what will become of the dogs. Alexandra wants a promise the dogs will not return to her neighborhood. For now, Alexandra lives in fear, saying, “It’s a shame they’re willing to let it [her neighborhood] become a place of terror and fear.”

Unfortunately, certain breeds of dogs have a bad reputation for being more dangerous, and even the average person knows that. In fact, certain dog breeds are known to be more dangerous, and those dogs are purchased by the military, police, etc. for their natural, inborn attack propensities.

Insurance companies have become aware of the risks of insuring homeowners who own certain breeds of dogs, and they have researched these risks; some of them even refusing coverage to homeowners who own dogs such as Pit Bulls and Rottweilers. These types of dog breeds are known to have more aggressive issues that make them dangerous not only to adults and other dogs, but especially to children.

This is all the more problematic, because Hayward is described ‘the heart of the bay’, the bay being San Francisco Bay. The dog owners should have taken heed after a recent high profile case; a few years ago in San Franciso 33 year old Diane Whipple was attacked and killed by two dogs an the owners of those dogs were originally charged with murder.
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In a dog bite attack, a 9-year-old boy’s top lip was ripped off when his pet dog, a pit-bull terrier, tried to snatch a cookie out of his mouth, according to BBC News report last week.

The family raised the dog, Simba, from the time he was a puppy, and although this is the first dog bite incident they have experienced, the family has since euthanized Simba and given away another pit-bull terrier they owned. Pit-bull breeds are listed by the CDC as being a dangerous breed.

John Henderson, the dog bite victim, reportedly needed a skin graft to try and repair as much of the damage as possible, at least at this point in time. John must now wait six weeks before the extent of the damage is known.

According to the news report, the dog bit the boy’s lip and would not release. The boy’s mother said she would never have another dog after this traumatic incident.

“It was horrible – our worst nightmare,” she said.
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A dog owner, who shirks responsibility when his or her pet bites someone, could end up in some hot water, according to a bill that passed in the Michigan State House on Thursday.

An Associated Press news report states that this bill proposes criminal penalties for dog owners who leave the scene of a biting incident without providing vaccination information and assistance to the bite victim.

A violation will be considered a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a $500 fine. The Bill is sponsored by Rep. Jee Mayes, a Democrat from Bay City, Mich.
The bill passed the House by a 98-5 vote. It now goes to the Senate.

Normally, bite victims can file civil lawsuits against dog owners. We should know. Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys has dealt with numerous dog bite injury cases, many of them horrific incidents involving small children, who have required plastic surgery.

But I agree that criminal prosecution should be an option as well. Dogs bite more than 4.7 million people a year in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of dog bites requiring medical attention has increased 15 times faster than the increase in dog ownership. In addition, there are 850,000 dog bites requiring medical attention in the U.S. annually and letter carriers suffer about 3,000 bites annually as they attempt to do their jobs.

These are alarming numbers and this is a problem that is getting worse, not better. Victims of dog bite attacks undergo a lot of pain and life-altering injuries, including deep skin wounds, loss of fingers, infections and scarring.
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