When dogs bite . . .

The face is a favorite target. Cheeks can be chewed to pieces, requiring layers of stitches. The lips, nose and cheeks can be torn off, causing injuries that permanently disfigure faces. 

A dog bite made international news in 2005 when a French woman’s Labrador bit off much of her face. Isabelle Dinoire fell asleep and lost her lips, nose and chin to her pet. She received the first face transplant in history when French doctors used a triangle of tissue from the face of a brain dead patient to replace hers.  

Fast forward to Houston in early July 2007. A pit bull attacks a six-year old. Doctors are able to save his face. It takes more than 200 stitches during three hours of surgery. The boy was trying to hug the dog before he went to bed when it bit him. 

Despite international interest in the 38-year old French woman’s case, children are the most frequent victims of dog bites. The National Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that dogs bite 800,000 Americans each year. Half of the dog bite victims are children, according to the CDC, and almost two thirds are four years old or younger.

A series of vicious, unprovoked dog attacks around the state prompted the 2007 State Legislature to consider new laws to protect Texans. A 76-year old woman died when dogs attacked her in her Milam County front yard. In San Antonio, two dogs attacked a 90-year old man who later died. Another dog fatally mauled a 10-year old girl there. In Harris County, a four-year old boy died after dogs attacked him. 

Dog owners in Texas can now go to prison for as long as 20 years if a pet seriously injures or kills someone in an unprovoked attack away from the owner’s property under a new law passed by a concerned legislature.  

Meanwhile, parents can go a long way toward protecting their children from vicious dogs and household pets by observing a few simple rules from the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The rules protect adults as well.

        Never leave an infant or young child alone with any dog.

        Don’t get a breed with a history of aggression for a household pet. 

        Spay/neuter your pet to reduce aggression.

        Do not play aggressive games with a dog.

        Do not approach an unfamiliar dog.

        Do not run from a dog and scream.

        Stand motionless (like a tree) when an unfamiliar dog approaches you.

        Avoid direct eye contact with an unfamiliar dog.

        Do not disturb a dog that is eating, sleeping or caring for puppies.

        Let a dog sniff you before you pet it.

        If a dog attacks, fall to the ground. Cover your face/head with your arms.