The domestication of dogs dates back hundreds of years, but on occasion, “Man’s Best Friend” can bite back. The first rule of acting is “don’t work with animals”—but in everyday life, we do not have the luxury of avoiding the neighbor’s poorly behaved and vicious looking dog. Through domestication, dogs have been trained to be far calmer than their wild counterparts, and other members of the genus Canis, such as wolves and coyotes. However, negligent or abusive owners can cause dogs to act particularly aggressively toward humans. Alternatively, some breeds of dogs being predisposed to attacking is a subject of a great deal of debate among breeders and academics. In 2013, there were 25 fatal dog attacks in the United States. In 13 of those cases, the victim was 5 years of age or under at the time of death. Why Dogs Attack
According to the Humane Society of the United States, the reasons dogs attack can be sorted into three main categories:
Fear-Motivated AggressionLike humans, or any other animal, dogs react when they are afraid, and may feel driven to attack in the interest of self-defense, even if we perceive our disposition toward the animal as non-aggressive. Fast-moving people or objects, certain noises, objects, or gestures may provoke a reaction.
In particular, many rescued dogs have been abused. Although most pet adoption agencies test for untoward aggressive behavior, some rescued dogs may exhibit a particular fear for men, women, children, skin coloring, voice, accent, and other features reminiscent of their past abusers. A dog that feels threatened may attack the human that is causing it to feel this way.
Protective, Territorial, and Possessive AggressionThese behaviors are all very similar, but each has a particular nuance. Protective aggression is focused on people that a dog considers to be a threat to the animal or its family. Territorial aggression, as the name implies, is the protection of land. For dogs that have been permitted to mark their territory with urine, the property which the dog feels compelled to defend may well extend past the boundaries of the owner’s property. Possessive aggression is the defense of food, toys, or other objects prized by the dog. It is also the most associated with bites, in particular, bites to children.
Redirected AggressionRedirected aggression is the most difficult type of aggression to fully comprehend, as it is often misunderstood by pet owners. A dog that is already agitated by what they perceive to be an aggressive instinct from one source may redirect that aggression at an available target, in particular, if that target gets in the middle of the dog and their source of aggression, such as admonishing a dog for barking at the mailman.
Variation among Breeds and Individual DogsNot all dogs are equal, and the potential for a dog to display aggressive behavior in a given situation varies from dog to dog, and from breed to breed. It is possible to have an unusually calm and placid pit bull, as well as to have a markedly aggressive golden retriever. It is possible for some dogs to respond aggressively with minimal stimulation, while others may be presented with a litany of threats and make no attempt to bite.
In particular, certain breeds, most famously the American Pit Bull, are considered to be characteristically violent in comparison with other domesticated dogs.
The following breeds of dogs are considered to be among the most vicious:
Health Risks of Dog BitesAs with close contact with any animal, the risk for infection starts even when not much surface damage has been done. Despite physiological changes associated with domestication, dogs still retain many characteristics of wolves. Even smaller dogs like those found in the purses of television reality-star socialites have large, sharp teeth and claws and powerful muscles in their jaws and legs that can inflect serious injuries. Even inadvertent scratches can become easily infected.
Any person bitten by an animal potentially carrying rabies or parvovirus should seek medical attention immediately. In addition, dog bite victims may also suffer severe bacterial infections of soft tissue or bone which have the potential to become life threatening if left untreated.
Defending Yourself against Dog AttacksCertain municipalities have restrictive laws concerning reckless endangerment and discharge of a firearm. Using a firearm may seem like an acceptable course of action, but could open the victim of a dog attack to civil or criminal liability. In addition, shooting a dog not acting aggressively toward a person has the potential to result in legal action being taken against the person who shot the dog. Despite these warnings, no person in the United States has been convicted of a crime for using a weapon (including a gun) to stop or a dog that was currently attacking the person, even if this action results in the death of the dog in question.
Although dogs possess the physical ability to commit violent acts, dogs do not possess the legal ability to commit crimes, as the lack the requisite mental capacity to shoulder the consequences of their actions. Because of this, charges cannot be brought against individual animals.
However, many states have laws which allow dog owners to be held liable for the harm to persons (or other dogs), or damage to property that their dog causes. Increasingly, no prior history of vicious behavior need be documented for liability to be determined.
In Texas, dog owners can be charged with a second or third degree felony in the event a dog attack results in death or serious bodily injury if the attack takes place outside of the dog’s normal place of confinement. In California, owners can be sued on two distinct liability clauses for one attack. The proliferation of dog attacks in the state of California has led to a special administrative procedure for handing attack cases.