Dog Bites: A Well-Trained Dog is No Guarantee

Many people insist their dogs are friendly and well-trained, and there is no risk at all to have children around them. Pet owners insist their animals have never been aggressive toward anyone, and that the uncomfortable feeling large dog get around small children is unreasonable. People insist that few dogs are actually dangerous. People are often wrong.

A story out of Florida illustrates that no amount of training can ever be a complete guarantee of animal safety. A police K9 named Renzo, one of the best trained animals in the world, was pulled off active duty after a February 11th incident where the he bit a worker at a doughnut shop without any provocation.

This dog had already bitten a police officer during the pursuit of a suspect. The police had assumed the heightened stress of the situation explained Renzo’s aggression, but when the dog bit an individual in a non-stress situation, it was clear that something had gone wrong.

The sequence of events was particularly terrifying, as the worker had no indication there was a dangerous animal nearby:

• The worker was reaching into his car for his work apron
• The dog was receiving positive reinforcement from an policeman other than his handler
• The dog began acting aggressively, leading his handler to try to restrain him
• The dog jumped through the car window and rushed the doughnut store employee, biting him viciously four times

Clearly, anything can happen with an aggressive animal, no matter how well trained. If you are around an animal and you experience an uneasy feeling, act on it. Keep your child away from the dog, no matter how much the owner insists you are being overprotective. Sometimes, no matter how careful we are, we come into contact with an aggressive animal. If you or someone you love has been bitten by a dog, please contact a qualified attorney. As the case with Renzo makes clear, all too often the first aggressive incident is ignored until there is a second victim. An experienced attorney can help eliminate an incident with a possible second victim.