The majority of severe dog bite attacks that occur each year in the United States have victims who are under the age of five. Virtually all Los Angeles personal injury lawyers would tell you this statistic is due to the fact that younger children often do not fully understand the situation and can be somewhat more trusting or act uneasy around dogs. It is very important to always make sure that parents supervise young children when they are around unfamiliar dogs and other animals.

Recently in the Los Angeles area, three pit bulls fatally attacked a two-year-old. The child ventured off into a garage where the dogs were, and the animals attacked. Law enforcement officials euthanized the three dogs involved in the mauling. Over the last few years, there have been multiple reports of pit bull attacks in the Southern California area, and multiple pit bull owners had to put down their dogs. Not all pit bulls are prone to attack, but these dogs are an aggressive breed. However, unlike many other states, California does not allow the banning of specific dog breeds.

If you or someone you know has suffered a dog attack, the dog bite lawyers at the Law Offices of Samer Habbas in Los Angeles are knowledgeable and committed personal injury lawyers who can help victims of dog bites and attacks. If you have questions or concerns and would like to talk to an experienced personal injury lawyer, call the Samer Habbas dog bite lawyers today at 1.888.848.5084 to schedule a consultation.

Dog attacks maim thousands of people in California and other states every year and can cause very serious and even fatal injuries. An experienced California dog bite lawyer like those at the Law Offices of Samer Habbas can tell you that dog bite victims face expensive medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and emotional trauma that lasts well beyond the attack. There is a dog attack danger scale that identifies the most dangerous breeds and may be able to help prevent you from becoming an animal attack statistic. Here are the six signs of a dog attack that parents should teach their children and heed themselves:

1. A dog in its own yard and no master present

More than three in every four dog attack fatalities (78%) in 2008 were people killed by dogs protecting their own yards with their masters not around.

2. Pit bull, Rottweiler, Akita or Chow

Pit bulls have a nasty reputation because they’ve earned it. In 2008, 65% of all people killed in dog attacks were killed by pit bulls. The other three species are also notoriously aggressive and prone to attacking people.

3. The pack mentality

Pack behavior in many animals transforms docile animals into aggressive, deadly ones. More than one-third (39%) of all fatal dog attacks in 2008 involved multiple dogs attacking the victim.

4. Chained or tethered

Just because a dog is restrained does not mean it isn’t dangerous. Nearly one in ten fatal dog attacks in 2008 involved dogs that were restrained.

5. Male

Studies have shown repeatedly that male dogs are far more aggressive than female dogs.

6. Newness

A dog newly introduced into a home or a new person living in a home with a dog present is a dangerous situation for an average of 60 days. It is especially important to monitor dogs, even trustworthy, friendly ones, around small children for the first 60 days and beyond.

The presence of any one of these factors is dangerous. The presence of two or more should be avoided altogether. If you or a close family member has been injured in a dog attack, call 888.848.5084 and schedule a free consultation with the Los Angeles dog bite attorneys at the Law Offices of Samer Habbas.

The death of a toddler after a dog bite attack on Thursday evening, May 27, brought the total of Southern California dog attacks on children to six in just as many months of 2010, with two of those attacks ending in fatality.

In the latest incident, a family pit bull mauled a 2-year old toddler while he played in the backyard of the family’s home in San Bernardino. The 2-year old suffered extensive head and neck wounds. He passed away approximately six hours later at the Loma Linda University Medical Center. The reason or provocation for the mauling is unknown.

The first fatality from a dog attack in Southern California was in January when a family pit bull attacked a 3-year old. In February, a pack of dogs attacked three children in Fontana, seriously injuring all three. In April, a friend’s dog attacked a six-month old boy in Riverside County as he sat in a child carrier at the home of his mother’s friends.

The San Bernardino dog bite lawyers at the Law Offices of Samer Habbas remind you that California has a dog bite statute. California Civil Code Section 3342 places strict liability on the animal’s owner. This means that whether a dog bite occurred in a public place or when the victim was lawfully on private property, the dog’s owner is responsible for any damages that arise out of the attack.

If you or an immediate family member sustained injuries in an animal attack and have questions about your legal rights, feel free to contact The Law Offices of Samer Habbas for a free consultation. These personal injury attorneys represent dog bite victims in San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange County and Riverside. They will explain the law and your legal options in clear, simple terms so that you and your family can make informed decisions about proceeding with a legal claim against the dog’s owner.

To contact these San Bernardino dog bite lawyers, you can fill out the contact form here or you can call 888.848.5084. To ensure that you don’t miss any deadlines that will preclude your right to recovery of damages, it is always prudent to retain legal counsel sooner than later.