Common Causes of Dog Bites in Southlake

No matter how passive or friendly, every dog can bite someone and will if the situation is right. Dogs can bite for isolated reasons, but some reasons recur among people who are bitten each year.

There are many solutions to curb dogs from biting, such as training and neutering them, but owners whose dogs are considered dangerous in Texas are legally responsible for compensating bite victims even if the owners generally manage their dogs well. Read on to learn more about common causes of dog bites in Southlake and how an experienced dog bite lawyer could hold owners responsible when their dogs injure others.

Territory and Dominance

Dogs are protective of their toys, food, yard, offspring, home, and humans, but this protectiveness is most often observed in guarding and herding breeds. Running toward an unknown dog to snatch the dog’s toy in play could lead to another bite, for example. All female dogs are protective for a period after giving birth, so interacting with newborn puppies before their mother is willing can lead to a bite.

Some confident dog breeds and unneutered males defy human dominance by biting them. For example, a visitor to a dog owner’s home might push the dog off the sofa to sit down, which could trigger dominance aggression.

The Fear Factor

Imagine a child rushing a dog to pet and cuddle it when it is out for a walk or resting near its doghouse. The dog doesn’t know the child’s intention, so the sudden movements and noise scare it, and the dog may bite out of fear. This form of aggression most often targets strangers, even when they are not acting with intent to cause harm, and is the basis of why dog groomers and veterinarians muzzle dogs they have not met before. A lawyer in Southlake could help determine whether a dog should have been muzzled to prevent bites.

When a Dog is in Pain

Dogs age and feel pain like humans, and any dog of any breed is likely to bite if they are in pain or sick and they feel someone is making it worse by annoying them. This could happen if someone pushes a dog’s rump down, trying to force it to sit when it has arthritis, or grabbing it around the head for a hug when it is suffering from a toothache.

Dog Fights

Sometimes neighbors walking their dogs will encounter others doing the same. When the dogs proceed to fight, trying to break them up commonly causes bites to the human separating them. A loud noise or a hosing down are safer ways to separate the fighters.

Dogs Have Limits

Children must learn how to read animal behavior cues. They should know when their taunting, pestering, aggressive play, including riding their dog, is enough and the dog wants them to stop. Dogs may growl their displeasure, and they often communicate it with a bite.

Lawsuits Result from Dog Bites

When a dog bites you, the owner may be liable for your physical, emotional, and financial losses under state law, but you will have to prove the owner was negligent, reckless, or under strict liability that the owner knew or should have known the dog was dangerous. Dogs bite for a variety of reasons, even well-trained and managed dogs.

Dog bites can become infected easily, and you could lose ears, fingers, and a nose over one, disfiguring you for life. The dog’s owner might say you were at least partially to blame for your injuries as a defense against your claim. After learning the common causes of dog bites in Southlake, contact our law firm and let us assess your circumstances and advise you about a potential lawsuit.