We believe that you are here because you have unfortunately been the victim of a recent animal bite injury. The truth of the matter is that these accidents can occur at any given moment, even when you least expect it. However, an animal bite can result in severe and lifelong injuries and can inflict immense emotional trauma for a lifetime.
We are here to tell you that you deserve to be compensated for your injuries. It is important for you to know that the owner of this animal must be held liable for your damages. Nonetheless, despite these negative outcomes, it is imperative to recognize the positive aspects that having a pet can provide for families.
Therefore, many families would genuinely like to adopt or acquire a pet altogether. However, some families may become hesitant about adding these animals to their daily lives because the State of Florida does, in fact, have strict animal bite laws. Especially when these are bigger animals that can look potentially dangerous.
However, we are here to tell you that that is not the case. The truth is that you do not have to feel unsure of seeking the company of a beautiful animal just because of what you hear on a day-to-day television. Pets are animals that are in need of love and compassion. With proper training, animal bites in Florida can undoubtedly be very much avoided. We encourage you to join us throughout this article. We wish to provide you with some helpful tips on how to lessen or mitigate the chances of animal or pet bite to other people.
Statistics and Legal Standards
According to the Sun-Sentinel, Florida had reported that in 2019 there were a total of 1,281 dog bites and other animal-related injuries within the state. Now, when we talk about population percentage, it has also been recorded that six out of 100,000 Floridians filed a dog injury claim, surpassing other large states like Texas or California.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mentions that a chained dog is 2.8 times more likely to attack a person than an unchained one. In other words, the level of care and training really impacts the animal.
Tip Number One:
- Animals behave on the outside based on how they are treated in their owners’ homes. This means that your pets must receive proper care, love, patience, and training. In other words, the owners are liable for their pet’s actions and not the animals themselves. Pets are loving creatures that need the guidance of responsible figures to love and care for them. If they receive this type of care, they will extoll that obedience in the outside world.
Tip Number Two:
- Do your best to avoid punishing your pet. The reality is that aggressive behavior tends to backfire and can ultimately increase aggression. Therefore, if you opt to retaliate by hitting, yelling or agitating it, your pet may feel the need to defend itself by biting you.
- Deciding to punish your pet may also cause your pet to bite someone else out of nowhere. More specifically, a dog or other pet that growls at a group of people, is letting you know that it does not feel comfortable around them. For that reason If you punish your dog for growling or acting in other aggressive behavior, it may not warn you the next time it feels uncomfortable and instead may simply proceed to bite.
Tip Number Three: Puppy classes
- If you have a dog, one of the best ways in preventing future aggressive behavior is by making your puppy join some intensive classes. These are designed to be enriched quality puppy training courses that will provide your pet with crucial positive behavior techniques. One that has time for a carefully supervised off-leash puppy play. By doing so, you will allow your dog to develop important social skills that will mitigate any aggressive behavior in the future.
- The truth is that younger dogs are able to absorb so many positive aspects by simply being exposed to other puppies. For example, these animals can learn how to adjust their style of play to then mold it to another puppy’s needs. It can also teach them how to effectively survey and communicate properly social traits. It also provides them with a healthy set of confidence around other dogs, and lastly when to take breaks and calm down after a nice round of interaction.
Tip Number Four: Allow your pup to meet older dogs
- A very important notion to have in mind is the ability to allow your dog to develop a fair amount of confidence around other animals. If you have a puppy for that matter, it is essential that you allow them to do a “meet & greet” with adult dogs but keep in mind that you will need to be picky with who they meet.
The truth is that a large number of dog bites can be attributed to past traumatic experiences where puppies were attacked or intimidated by people or other adult dogs.
- Therefore, while a puppy is still young, you must know that these animals are rapidly developing and creating their perception of the world around them. For that reason, a prolonged lack of exposure or an accumulated number of traumatic experiences can teach them incorrect perceptions about their world. Ultimately, these mistakes will lead them to be fearful and aggressive animals.
- As mentioned before when you actually begin to introduce your puppy to older dogs, be mindful about whom they interact with. It is crucial to introduce your puppy to only superb (trained) “doggy” role models. On average, healthy adult dogs will set important boundaries with puppies and give simple warnings. These types of dogs will contribute to the growth of your puppy because they are tolerant animals that will teach your pup some healthy dog behavior. Please be mindful that these encounters do have to be monitored and closely regulated to avoid any mishaps.
We are hopeful that this article has been helpful in giving you some specialized details on how to accurately train your pet to not be aggressive and to avoid unwanted accidents in the future. The truth of the matter is that having a pet in the household is a beautiful thing.
Whether it be dogs, cats, birds or whichever pet you wish to have, these are animals that can provide you with support, companionship, and love. You do not have to be hesitant to acquire a pet because as you can see, there are solutions to avoid aggressive behavior.
Furthermore, if you have any other questions about animal bites in Florida, we urge you to contact our offices of Scott J. Senft The Lawyer. We are expert on these types of cases, and are more than happy to provide you with more information. More importantly, Scott J. Senft is ready to represent you if you have been the victim of an unfortunate animal bite. Please, call us now!
