With the weather getting warmer, many of us will start to venture outside to take advantage of the gorgeous springtime weather. During this season, many dog owners will also take their pets out for walks, and some will allow their dogs to roam free through parks and other public locations. To help prevent dog bite injuries, it is important for parents to teach their children how to act when they are around dogs. Below, we give you a few tips that can help you keep your child safe around dogs.

Teaching Dog Safety to Children

Despite your child's history with dogs or how happy a dog might appear to be, it is crucial for your child to understand that any dog can bite a person. Most dog bites come from a dog the victim knew. This means a dog bite could potentially come from your own dog, a dog owned by a relative or friend, or a dog owned by someone in your neighborhood.

There are a number of things that parents should be telling their children about being safe around dogs, including:

• Children need to be very careful around any dog that is eating, sleeping, chewing on a bone or a toy, or is caring for their puppies. Never attempt to approach, pet or play with dogs engaged in these activities because they are more likely to bite.
• Children shouldn't approach a dog that is injured, growling, barking, or appears to be scared.
• Tell your kids they should not attempt to pet a dog that they are not familiar with and should always ask the dog owner if it would be okay to do so. Teach your child to first let the dog sniff their closed hand and then pet the dog's back or shoulders, not the dog's head.
• It is important that children understand dogs are quite territorial and therefore they should not attempt to pet a dog who is in a car, in their doghouse, or behind a fence.
• If a loose dog comes running at your child, your child should stand still and not attempt to run or scream. They should also avoid eye contact with the dog.
• If your child is knocked down by a dog, they should curl up in a ball with their knees tucked into their stomach and their fingers locked behind their neck. They should use their forearms and elbows to cover their ears and face. It is also important that your child remains as still and as quiet as they possible can so the dog will hopefully lose interest and walk away.

Dog bites can be a traumatic event for a child because these injuries often have lifelong physical and psychological ramifications. Our Connecticut dog bite lawyers have represented the parents of children who have been attacked by dogs and left with serious, permanent and disfiguring scars. It is very important that you review these safety tips with your child. Doing so can help your child avoid a devastating dog attack.

If you or someone you know has suffered a dog bite injury in Connecticut, you should contact our experienced personal injury lawyers as soon as possible. We can explain the steps you need to take to get compensation for your injuries. Our Connecticut dog bite attorneys represent injured parties on a contingency fee basis, which means you don't have to pay to get assistance from our skilled dog bite attorneys.

Call (888) 244-5480, or contact our Ridgefield personal injury lawyers to schedule your free case consultation today. We can also give you free information about dog bite injuries from the book we have written. Let us put our experience to work for you.