The Dangers Of Dog Bites

If you own a dog you should do everything you can to make sure your dog understands different types of behavior, such as what is acceptable and what is not. A lot of people argue that a dog behaves the way it was raised and taken care of by its owner. Showing your dog how to properly behave can be done through training, it may involve time and dedication from you, but in the long run it will protect you and your family. Signs such as aggressively chasing people or consistantly snapping at people may indicate that your dog isn't just being protective and that there may be a serious problem with your dogs behavior. Training done by either you or an actual dog trainer may help reduce or eliminate this type of behavior.

Take precautions such as:

- Never leaving your dog alone with a small child or a stranger

- When taking your dog for a walk using a leash wil help prevent a bite from happening, chances are you will see quite a few people and other dogs while walking, this could possibly set your dog off. However, being able to restrain your dog will help.

- It is a wise idea to take the time and money and invest in putting a fence in your yard to keep your dog away from neighbors or passerby's when you aren't around.

If you have suffered a dog bite:

- Call 911- explain to animal control or the police exactly what happened

- Identify the Dog- Do you know where the dog lives or what breed it is?

- Take pictures of your injuries right away and continue to take pictures as your injury gets better or as you get treatment for it

- Get medical care- it would be a wise idea to see your doctor regardless of the extent of your wound

If you or your child has been bitten by a dog there are steps you should take right away to treat your injury while you wait for help to arrive. Treatment methods can vary depending on how severe your bite injury is. If the wound is deep you should apply pressure to help stop the bleeding and see your doctor right away or wait for medical attention to arrive if you have called for an ambulance. On the other hand, if you have sustained a minor wound from the dog bite, meaning it barely broke your skin, then you should simply wash it with soap and water and apply antibotic cream to help prevent infection. You should also cover the wound with a bandage. Even if your wound is minor you may want to have your doctor look at just to make sure its not really worse than what you think. If there are any signs of infection from the dog bite such as swelling or redness than you should seek medical attention right away. You should also see your doctor if you suspect the dog has rabies.

Dog owners in Iowa don't realize the liability they put on themselves when they get a dog. There are more than 4.7 million dog bite cases each year. When picking out a new family dog or puppy, you shouldn't base your decision on how the dog or puppy looks. You need to take your family into consideration first. If you have small children or any children at all you should go with a breed that is great with kids.

If your dog were to attack or bite someone, then as the owner of the dog, you are liable; there are very limited exceptions for dog owners such as if the person was trespassing. If you fail to have insurance and your dog bites someone, it could end up costing you thousands. However, insuring your dog may not be as simple as it seems depending on what kind of dog you have. Insurance companies have stopped insuring certain breeds of dogs. Examples include: - Pit bull - Doberman - Rottweiler - Akita - Chows - Wolf Hybrid These breeds aren't necessarily "bad" dogs, but they tend to be a high risk dog to own and insure because they have been known to attack more often than other breeds. Please keep in mind, if you do have insurance and your dog bites, your insurance company will most likely demand that you pay a higher premium or might even remove your dog from the policy, because there is now a higher risk of your dog attacking again.

As a dog owner, there are different things you can do to limit your liability. For example, before you decide what kind of dog you want you should reasearch breed you are interested to see if it would fit in with your family. Another thing you need to do it inform your homeowners insurer that you have gotten a dog. If you fail to do this you are placing even more risk on yourself and family, because you won't have insurance coverage to protect your family if the newest member of your family does bite someone. In 2007, the average cost of a dog bite claim was $24,511. Can you afford to not be insured?