Preszler Law Firm provides quality and comprehensive legal services for victims of accidents, injuries, and personal injury since 1959. Our team will take care of all the details, even if that means talking with your insurer. Contact one of our attorneys for a no-cost consultation. In the past few years, dog ownership for first-timers has been a growing phenomenon. In the United States, currently, 11% of dog owners have owned their pets for less than a year. Dog ownership comes with a lot of responsibilities. Pet owners may not have been prepared to handle the challenges that come with owning a dog. Dog owners have a duty to ensure that other people are safe when they're around their dogs. They can become dangerous, particularly if provoked by or feel threatened by someone they've never met before. Unsocialized dogs have been known for displaying aggressive behavior towards perceived strangers. Attacking people by biting, grabbing, mauling, or in any other way can cause serious injury, even permanent disfigurement. A dog attack can be deadly. Children, especially infants and toddlers are at risk of death if they're bitten by a violent dog. In the last few years, 85 percent of dog attack victims were younger than 10 years old. Many fear that the increase in recent dog ownership will lead to an increased number of bite injuries. One pediatric hospital has reported that emergency room visits by children who were injured in dog attacks have increased by 300%. A dog bite can cause trauma, particularly for young children. Scars can leave behind both psychological and physical scars, which can often last for the rest of a person's life.