Young New Jersey girl suffers serve personal injuries in dog attack
Many New Jersey children suffer from dog bite injuries every year. Children are especially vulnerable to suffering severe personal injuries from dog attacks because children tend to be closer to the ground than adults, more physically vulnerable and more likely to behave inappropriately around dogs. Regardless of how a child acts around a dog, New Jersey dog owners should take precautions to make sure that their family pet does not injure others.
A 9-year-old park visitor was mauled last weekend in a Hackettstown state park. In a terrifying Rottweiler attack, the girl suffered a broken arm and required stitches. Authorities believe that the dog owner was unable to control her dog and it was able to break free from her and attack the young girl.
There are several steps that New Jersey dog owners can take to prevent such a situation from happening.
- Socialize your dog: a dog is less likely to be vicious if it is properly socialized. Introducing your dog to a wide variety of people and other animals from an early age makes it more likely that the dog will be comfortable around strangers.
- When in doubt, muzzle: if a dog has shown signs of aggression to passersby or other animals then walk the dog with a muzzle. This may not be the most ideal situation for the dog but a muzzle would have likely prevented many of the injuries to the 9-year-old girl in Hackettstown.
- Good fences make good neighbors: a dog should always be secured when it is outside. A high, strong fence is a better solution than a chain or tie-out which can be easily broken. A fence will also keep neighboring children and strangers away from the dog.
- Professional training: if socialization efforts do not work seek professional obedience training for your pet.
Source: The Express-Times, “Stevens State Park dog attack leaves 9-year-old girl with broken arm, stitches, authorities say,” Kurt Bresswein, 6/14/11
