After the family pit bull bit him in the face, the 5-year-old victim is coming along just fine and should be released from a hospital soon. The pit bull apparently bit the boy in the face after he scratched the animal’s neck. However, no one is exactly sure what happened because the boy was the only witness to the incident.

The family has had the dog since it was a puppy, and the pit bull is now 7 years old. During that time, the family said they “did not have a problem with it.” Still, the family decided that after this incident — which left the 5-year-old with serious facial injuries — that the dog needed to be put down.

While this is your “run of the mill” dog bite story, it does bring up a couple of reminders about these incidents. The first is a misperception about dog attacks. The first thing that most people think when they hear “dog bite” is that a pit bull was involved. However, any dog can suddenly have its instincts kick in and maul someone. Any dog, if improperly trained or if the owner negligently handles it, can become a danger.

The other aspect to this story is that the pit bull did not have a recent rabies vaccination. The dog will be tested, and then the appropriate rabies procedures will be enforced. This is a crucial aspect in the wake of a dog bite, as sometimes the victim doesn’t know anything about the dog, or very little about the owner. They have to get the rabies treatment anyway as a precaution — but if the owner of the dog is held liable, he or she could end up paying for that treatment in addition to some of your other medical bills.

Source: Sun Journal, “Police: Dog-bite victim expected to be released from hospital,” Leslie Dixon, March 19, 2014