America is dog loving country. More than one in three households has at least one dog. There are over 75 million dogs in the United States.  

Some cities allow our four-legged friends to accompany us into public and semi-public venues, like grocery stores, shopping malls, restaurants, and bars. There are even doggie parks, made specifically for dogs to play with each other and dog owners to stand around talking about their, you guessed it, dogs! They are everywhere we go.

Despite the fact we have domesticated dogs, meaning we have adapted them from being wild animals to being useful for people, sometimes they still show their wild side. When dogs become aggressive towards people, it can result in very serious injury. Dog bites can cause excruciating pain that can last for months or years or longer. Scarring often serves as unsightly reminders of the trauma. As painful as the physical injury is, the emotional havoc wreaked by a dog attack can be every bit as painful if not more so.

Someone who is bitten by an aggressive dog is entitled to compensation from the dog’s owner. They may have second thoughts about pursuing a claim knowing that the dog may be euthanized as a result. While that is an understandable sentiment, it is always important to consider that the next time that dog reverts to its primal instinct its victim could be a small defenseless child who the unchallenged dog could kill.