The summer is a fantastic time to take your pet on a walk or to enjoy visiting friends and family. You might start exercising outside or spend more time riding your bike to and from work.
Summertime also means that more people will be outside and moving around, but this does create a risk of escaped pets and stay dogs. Unfortunately, not all dogs are friendly, and if they get out, they could hurt someone.
What should you do if you’re approached by a dog?
The good news is that most pets are friendly, so if you’re approached by a dog that doesn’t seem aggressive, it probably won’t be. Stay still, allow it to approach to sniff you, and then see what happens. If it’s a happy dog, it may come up to you to get some affection or while looking for food or water.
In other cases, dogs may be overexcited by escaping or by what is going on around them, like the sound of fireworks throughout July or heavy traffic in the area. If a dog is skittish, scared or aggressive, try to put space and a barrier between yourself and the animal. Then, call animal control. If you can safely contain the animal, such as if you can lure it into a fenced area safely, that can help keep it safe and protect others who might otherwise come into contact with it and suffer a dog bite.
If you do end up getting bitten by a dog and the dog is caught, it will be checked for a microchip and tags. The owner, even though they were not with their pet, can be held responsible for its actions. An attorney can help you learn more.