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Personal Injury Blog

Five-year-old Child Injured in Fremont Dog Bite

A five-year-old child in Fremont was left with serious injuries after she was attacked by a German shepherd which had a previous history of bites.  According to Fremont police, the attack which occurred in April, was completely unprovoked.

On the day of the attack, the dog’s owner was visiting the family of the little girl at their home.  As the dog and the owner walked to the front porch of the home, the little girl tried to pet the dog, and the dog attacked the girl.  The dog bit her on her right ear, severing a part of her ear at the tip.  The girl was taken to the hospital, and was treated and released.

The dog was placed under a 10-day quarantine, to ensure that it does not have rabies.  According to Fremont police, the dog has a history of previous attacks.  The dog had bitten other people on several various occasions.  As a result of this past history, once the quarantine is complete, the dog is likely to be put to sleep.  The owner of the dog has not been charged.

It was the second such dog bite involving a child in Fremont in just four days.  The other attack involved a Labrador retriever which attacked a seven-year-old girl, biting her on both arms.  The girl and her friends had been playing with the dog, when the dog seems to have become annoyed and attacked the girl.  She suffered serious injuries, including lacerations, a small puncture wound, several bruises and scratches.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 4.5 million dog bites every year.  An overwhelming majority of these dog bites involve children.  Children are also much more likely than adults to need treatment after dog bites.  In the year 2006, dog bites left 31,000 people with injuries so horrific that they needed reconstructive surgery.

The risk of being involved in a dog bite is greater if a child lives in a family that owns a pet dog.  The more dogs in the household, the greater the risk of a bite.

Unfortunately, many dog bites that California dog bite attorneys see occur because dog owners have not thought through the responsibilities and challenges of owning a pet seriously.  For instance, many dog bites can be traced to responsible dog ownership, involving dog owners who have not bothered to socialize or train their dog.  Socializing the dog is an important part of preventing dog bites every year.  A dog that is comfortable around other human beings including children, is much less likely to be anxious around people.  A dog that is anxious and threatened is at a much higher risk of biting others.  Besides socialization and training, dog owners must also make sure that the dog breed is a safe and non-aggressive one.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of dog bites. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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