Although many will never do so, any dog in Connecticut has the potential to bite a human being. This means that any human being who ever comes in contact with a dog has at least some chance of receiving a bite, even though the chance may be very small in most circumstances. Nevertheless, the Centers for Disease Control have put together some intriguing statistics about the people who are at greatest risk for dog bites.
You may think that you are most at risk from strays and other dogs that are unknown to you. This is not true, however. The likelihood of a bite actually increases with the presence of pet dogs in your home. Despite the specter of strange dogs biting unsuspecting victims, over half of all dog bites come from animals that were familiar to the victim, sometimes their own pets. Your chances for a bite increase the more dogs you keep in your home.
Perhaps it is less surprising that dogs are more likely to bite children than adults. Children, especially those who are very young, sometimes behave in ways that dogs find threatening, usually without realizing it. If you are a parent or caretaker of a young child, you can help prevent bites by ensuring that you supervise all interactions between dogs and children.
There is also a gender gap when it comes to adults who receive dog bites. The CDC reports that men are at greater risk for bites than women but does not go into detail to explain why.
The information in this article is not intended as legal advice but provided for educational purposes only.
