THE INCIDENT

1. Were their any witnesses? After tempers cool off, but before memories fade, get names and addresses. [REMEMBER, we're talking serious bites here. For the ordinary dog bite I will send you elsewhere.]
   
   • Strange as it may seem, most attacking animals are male, and the majority of attack victims are boys between the ages of 9 and 12 years. Here is a link to a perfect example.
     
   • A large number of bites are provoked unknowingly. Therefore, was this animal provoked? [Look at it from the dog's point of view.]
     
     • Most female dogs will protect their offspring. Most dogs of either sex will protect their food, and what they perceive to be their property. Therefore, did the victim attempt to pet or pick up a newborn pup? Did he or she attempt to feed the dog or touch its food?
     • Did the victim intrude, uninvited, onto the dog's perceived territory, or was the victim invited? [Territorial aggression is listed as one of ten categories of canine aggression studied by Drs. Hart and Hart at the University of California, Davis.]
     • Did the victim tease the dog or touch the dog's property, i.e. a toy or bone, etc.? [Common sense tells us that if a ham sandwich falls under the dining room table, by the time it hits the floor it should be perceived as the dog's property, however, a 9 to 12 year old child and some adults may not know what a dog perceives.]
     • Pain will also provoke a dog. Was the animal injured at the time of the bite? Was it struck, kicked, or pinched by someone else, or perhaps run over by a car?
       
   • Some animals may bite in the exhuberance of an exciting game.
     
   • Some dogs (especially sight hounds) will chase moving targets, i.e. a bicycle. Most dogs will chase a cat. You (the adult) can expect to get bitten if you try to break up a dog fight or rescue a cat from a dog. Maybe your child should not be expected to make these fine distinctions.
     
2. Get the names and addresses of any police officers, doctors, nurses, EMTs, ambulance attendants, neighbors, or bystanders who may have treated the victim.
   
3. Was the dog cornered? Find out if the dog could have avoided the confrontation that may have led to the bite by running away.
   
4. Did the animal sustain the biting incident for any length of time? Was the injury a single bite, or a multiple bite? Did the dog shake the victim?
   

Dog lovers who read this material may feel that I am cynical and do not care for animals. Obviously this is not true. I have a dog and have had many in my lifetime. I am a graduate veterinarian. (Washington State University, class of 1962.) I think anyone who wants a dog should have one. However, while you and I have every right to own a dog, our neighbors have an equal right not to be bothered or threatened by it. In my experience, most of the serious victims of dangerous animals are children or the aged. In my many years investigating animal attacks I have found that privately owned security dogs seldom attacked an intended target. They preferred the neighbor kid, the meter reader, or the Avon lady. I have several large color photos of some young victims. I thought about placing a few pictures on these pages. Fortunately, I just thought about it.

You may return to the preceding page or go on to the next topic, which is the owner, or if this is making your stomach growl you can always return to Bob and Nita's homepage.

to Robert E. Armstrong.