It is commonly thought that the way children behave is a reflection of how they are being raised by their parents. This is not always the case with children, but it does tend to hold true with the temperament of dogs.
Dogs don’t always behave in the way that they should, but most are nonetheless friendly toward all humans that they come into contact with. When dogs are vicious and attack strangers, it is often because of how they have been treated or trained by their owners. And even if a dog has no prior history of aggression before attacking someone, its owner can still be held liable in a dog bite personal injury lawsuit.
A case in nearby Modesto is a tragic example of how dangerous dogs can be when they are allowed to become aggressive and are not controlled by their owners. According to news sources, a 59-year-old man was mauled to death in his own backyard by four pit bulls owned by a neighbor. The man’s 77-year-old mother was also attacked. She survived but had to be put into a medically induced coma due to her severe injuries.
A county sheriff who responded to the scene noted that “I have never seen this level of viciousness in any animal. This is just shocking.” Law enforcement officers shot and killed two of the dogs during the attack, and then killed the other two when they charged at officers trying to catch them.
It’s possible that the pit bulls’ owners will face criminal charges in addition to any civil lawsuits filed by the victims’ families. Vicious attacks like this are almost always preventable, and dog owners cannot afford to take their responsibilities lightly.
Source: The Los Angeles Times, “Pit bulls maul man and his mother, killing him and putting her in coma,” Veronica Rocha, Oct. 15, 2014