by William Patterson

Created on: July 03, 2009   Last Updated: July 04, 2009

Recently, here in South Florida, a 25 year old Ft. Lauderdale woman and her brother were walking three dogs in a local park, when they were attacked by two aggressive Pit Bull Terriers, on the loose. In the course of the attack, one of the woman's dogs, a Silky Terrier, was killed, and a second dog seriously injured. In addition, the woman suffered dog bites to her face and was left disfigured. Litigation is, of course, ongoing, but the woman will require months of surgeries and rehabilitation to heal the scars that were inflicted upon her that day by these dangerous animals, and certainly much longer to overcome her psychological wounds.

Sadly, incidents such as this are on the rise in the United States. According to the folks at dogbitelaw.com, today on average, 33 people per year in the U.S. are killed by dogs, up significantly from the 1980s and 1990s which saw only an average of 17 deaths per year. With over 800,000 dog bites every year occurring in the U.S. (that's one roughly every 40 seconds), it only makes sense to make sure you know what to do if you should be attacked by a vicious dog. We aren't talking about your neighbor's Chihuahua racing across your lawn to snap at your heels as you pick up the morning paper, or that nip on the finger that your child received after taunting Grandma's cocker spaniel. The purpose of this article is to provide some information on how to survive an unprovoked dog attack while you are walking on the street, or perhaps, like the Ft. Lauderdale woman mentioned above, walking your own dogs in a park. Here are some things you should know about dog attacks:

Avoid Dog Attacks

This is undoubtedly the most important rule. Most communities have strict rules on unrestrained dogs. If you notice loose dogs in your neighborhood, do not take the matter lightly. Often dogs escape from fenced back yards, or are inadvertently released by children playing. In such cases, the owners, who probably don't know that their animal is roaming the streets, will probably thank you if you give them a call, or drop by their house to let them know. In cases where dogs, especially large dogs, are habitually on the loose, the authorities should be contacted. Loose dogs can be impounded at a great deal of expense to the owner. By speaking up, you may save someone's life.

Also, be cautious when visiting local dog parks. Many dog-on-dog (and occasionally, dog-on-human) attacks occur in such parks, and we never go there during peak times of day when

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