dog bite | Beaver County Personal Injury Attorney Newsletter

A Long Branch man sustained dog bite injuries when he tried to return a loose pitbull to its owner in Washington County.  The dog apparently got loose from its chain and the man tried to return it to its owner.  While the man was taking the dog back to its home, the dog bit the man on the arm.  The injury required 40 stitches and surgery to repair.

Pennsylvania dog owners have a duty to insure that their dogs are properly secured and unable to get loose and leave their property.  Beaver County and Pittsburgh area dog bite attorney.

A man was attacked by a pitbull today in Jeanette, sustaining injuries to his arms and legs requiring transportation to a local hospital by helicopter.  According to reports, the dog was owned by the victim of the attack.  Beaver County and Western PA Dog Bite Attorney.

Please vist my new Beaver County Personal Injury Lawyer website for information on personal injury cases..

A stray dog bit a 5-year old boy in Crafton last weekend and police and his family are extremely concerned that they cannot find the dog.  The dog bit the boy in his face and ran from the scene.  The family and police are searching for the dog because they have no indication that the dog had rabies shots.  If the dog cannot be found, the boy will have to undergo precautionary treatment for rabies.  The dog is described as a larger dog, possibly a Saint Bernard.  If anyone has any information on this dog, they should call the Crafton police immediately.

For the boy’s sake let’s hope that this dog is found.  Otherwise the boy will have to undergo the rabies treatment on top of whatever treatment he’s already experienced as a result of the dog bite.  Beaver and Allegheny County dog bite attorney.

The Lawrence County Court of Common Pleas recently considered a case wherein a veterinary assistant was bit by a client’s dog and determined that her lawsuit against the dog’s owner was allowed to proceed.  The bite occurred during an examination of the dog.  According to the court opinion, the owner of the dog knew that the dog had exhibited aggressive tendencies around certain people and the owner knew that the dog was sensitive to people touching it around its hindquarters.

As the examination of the dog proceeded, a family member of the owner grabbed the dog’s tail to restrain the dog and the dog reacted violently and bit the veterinary assistant on the leg.  A lawsuit was filed and after discovery proceedings the dog’s owner filed for summary judgment, seeking to have the case dismissed.

The court held that a veterinary employee is not barred from making a claim based on her status as a veterinary employee and further held that there was sufficient evidence of knowledge of a vicious tendency on the part of the dog.  The court therefore denied the motion for summary judgment and allowed the case to proceed towards trial.  See Allen v. Tanchuk, Lawrence County Court of Common Pleas.

Beaver County Personal Injury Attorney.

Two women were attacked by pit bulls yesterday in Uniontown, causing significant injuries to the women.  Responding police officers shot and killed the dogs.

As you can see from my dog bite statistics page, pit bulls cause a higher rate of injuries and fatalities as compared to other dogs.  While they can be safe and gentle pets, the potential for injury from pit bulls warrants caution around pit bulls and when considering buying or adopting a dog.  Dog bite attorney Tom Matvey.

Please visit my website page, “Dog Bite Statistics,” for information on dog bite injuries and fatal attacks.

See below for a video on dog bite prevention:

Two pitbulls were shot by police after they attacked and mauled a cat in New Castle.  According to reports, the police attempted to intervene in the attack without deadly force but were unable to stop the dogs from attacking the cat.  The police then shot the dogs as a last resort.

Pitbulls have a reputation for aggressive behavior.  The reality is that any dog can be dangerous if not trained and controlled properly.  Pitbulls and larger dogs can be more dangerous because of their strength and the size of their teeth and jaws.  For more information on dog bites and attacks, please visit my Dog Bite Attorney webpage.

This incident was reported by WPXI.

Insurance Claims, County Regulations Up Ante In Dog Biting Cases - CBS San Francisco

According to authorities, this dog attacked a 2-year-old boy in Castro Valley on May 8, 2012. (Alameda County Sheriff)

Filed under

Local, News

Related tags

Bite Prevention, Dangerous Dog, Dog attack, Dog Bite, Micahel Delehanty, Monica Delehanty, Pet, Safety

WALNUT CREEK (CBS 5) – Dog bite claims are way up across the nation and California leads the pack, according to the Insurance Information Network. If it’s your dog doing the biting, you’re likely to pay dearly.

One such case was that of Poppie, a flat coated retriever owned by Michael and Monica Delehanty of Walnut Creek.

The family was in the driveway preparing to take Poppie to the park when out of nowhere she rushed out into the street and attacked the neighbor’s daughter.

“It’s not like she went up to her and barked,” said Monica Delehanty. “She had a purpose like she went out and bit her, so we are trying to sort out what triggered that.”

In six years Poppie had never shown any signs of aggression.

“She’s relatively high strung, but she has never had a problem with children. We have young girls, they always have friends around,” said Delehanty.

The little girl next door required multiple stitches. Her family didn’t want to talk to our reporters.

Since the incident the Delehanty’s house life has changed, especially Poppie’s.

She’s now officially listed as a “dangerous animal” and has to be kept in confined in a newly built kennel when left alone, something the family is trying to get her used to.

But the hardest change has been that, under Contra Costa County’s strict regulations, Poppie may “only be removed (from the house) for the purposes of obtaining veterinary care.”

“Essentially she has life imprisonment in our home,” said Delehanty.

The rule may seem extreme, but its not surprising, according to dog bite expert Ron Berman.

“The whole attitude about dog bites has changed,” he said. Berman testifies as an expert witness in dog bite trials and said the Diane Whipple dog mauling case in San Francisco a decade ago set the bar much higher. In California, county ordinances have gotten stricter ever since, according to Berman.

“Now it’s a much more difficult situation for everyone,” said Berman.

The biggest issue has been insurance. Some companies will now also exclude dogs labeled dangerous or vicious, no matter what the breed is.

That’s why Contra Costa County Animal Services director Glenn Howell insisted that specific language to be written into the Delehanty’s policy.

“There has to be some recognition in the policy that this particular dog’s name as a dangerous animal is covered,” he said.

The family ended up having to buy separate insurance just for Poppie. They currently pay $ 500-a-year, plus another $ 500 annually to renew the dangerous dog permit with the county.

Spending $ 1,000 a year to keep the family dog is expensive but necessary said Howell.

“We don’t issue very many dangerous dog permits in the county, but if they want to keep the dog they will go through the process,” he said.

“You know you’re held hostage. They have your animal. You want them back,” said Monica Delehanty.

“The easy answer for us would have been to put her down. It’s just that we need to give her another chance,” said Michael Delehanty.

Next week is Dog Bite Prevention week. For more information on how to prevent dog bites visit the American Humane Association.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Kent County dog bite, a case of the weird and bad reporting

What happened? It depends on which account you read. One reports that two of the dogs got into a fight and redirected when the owner attempted to intervene. Another states that all five dogs immediately began fighting inside the car when the owner’s dad approached to provide gasoline for his son’s car – one slipped out and attacked the dad and owner. And another one states that the dogs all got out of the vehicle, began fighting, then ate everybody in sight.

How severely the dogs bit is in question too. All three who intervened in the dog fight were bitten…guess where? On their arms. You know, that appendage most likely to be used in breaking up a dog fight. The dogs were not so hyped up that they couldn’t be calmed down and corralled – all five were safely handed over to authorities.

If you see some of the pictures, you’ll notice the dogs aren’t in prime shape. They are a little underweight, one looks fearful, and one looks relatively comfortable/friendly. It’s my understanding that the owner was having some financial woes and in lieu of getting rid of his dogs, he was living with them in a car.

His dogs, by the way, are all licensed. They all have their rabies vaccinations. Their owner is not a criminal. Friends and family describe the dogs as friendly, treated with love and compassion by their devoted owner. I think this opinion piece is a worthy read.

We have, in my view, an obvious (and sad) case of easily aroused, under-exercised dogs getting excited, redirecting and biting when humans interfered in a fight. Add the fact they were in a confined space with no escape and you have a serious problem. We don’t have dogs who went on a mauling spree – five dogs on a mauling spree would probably put a person in traction rather than a short stay at the hospital emergency room. That isn’t to call the injuries a nip – the dogs may have shown some restraint but they bit hard enough to cause puncture wounds.

The worst part of this case, to me, are the comments on the articles which mostly suggest shooting or poisoning the dogs or possibly getting rid of all pit bull type dogs in the universe. These dogs did nothing wrong. They are as much victims as the ones they bit, even more so because they were supposed to be protected by their owner. No matter how much I empathize with the owner’s situation, he wasn’t being responsible. He put those dogs in a situation in which failure was a guarantee, not just a mere possibility. Which sucks, because he didn’t do it out of malice or cruelty, he did it because he loved his dogs and didn’t want to see them get killed. I’m certain he never imagined this would happen AND that it would become state news.

I can only hope his friends and family will rally around him and, yes, his dogs. That they will help bail the dogs out and find better living conditions for him and his dogs. I hope that a behaviorist or trainer or qualified rescue can analyze the dogs behavior and figure out which dogs would work best together and which dogs should be considered for placement elsewhere. These dogs and their owner deserve a lot better. I really do wish them all the best of luck.