4-Year-Old Bitten by Pit Bull in Chattanooga

According to a report by TimesFreePress.com, a four-year-old boy was bitten around the neck by a neighbor’s pit bull recently. The attack, which occurred in the Silverdale area, happened in the evening while the young child was playing in the front yard of his home with his father. A police spokeswoman stated the dog reportedly broke loose from his owner’s backyard, ran up the street, and attacked the unsuspecting child. The boy’s father pulled a knife and stabbed the dog to get the dog off of his son, and the dog’s owner was able to grab the canine and put him back in his cage. Charges for the dog’s owner are pending further investigation and the 4-year-old boy sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Dog bites and dog attacks are a very serious problem in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year, and children are the highest risk for dog bites. Children are more likely than adults to receive medical attention for dog bites, and kids ages five to nine years old have the highest rate of dog bite-related injuries.

To prevent the possibility of your child getting a potentially serious dog bite, spend time with a dog if you are considering adopting or buying one to observe the canine’s temperament; dogs with histories of aggression are not suitable for households with children. Also, be sure to train your dog properly before bringing it into your home with a young child, and seek professional advice immediately if the dog begins to develop dangerous or aggressive behaviors. Basic dog safety tips can also prevent a dog attack from occurring, so teach your child these simple rules:

• Tell a child to not approach an unfamiliar dog or approach a dog that is eating, sleeping, or caring for puppies;
• Do not allow them to play with a dog unless an adult is present;
• If knocked over by a dog, instruct them to roll into a ball and lie still; and
• Tell them to report a bite immediately to an adult.

Teaching your child basic safety rules can help them avoid a potentially dangerous dog attack, but owners of other dogs who are less cautious and do not properly secure their animal may still cause an attack. The Tennessee dog bite lawyers of Massey & Associates, P.C. can help you obtain the compensation you deserve if you or a loved one has been injured by a dog bite due to the dog owner’s negligence in handling his or her animal. Call for a complimentary consultation at (423) 697-4529.