What are the Most Common Types of Dogs to Attack?

Dog bites and attacks are getting increased attention across the country and especially in Illinois. Stories have surfaced about large dogs jumping on little children and leaving them scarred for life. If you are interested in this subject, or know someone that has been attacked by a dog, it is important that you know the facts about these incidents. Here some important points:

• More than 4 million dog bites/attacks every year
• Almost 1 million people need medical attention because of dog bites/attacks every year
• Almost 500,000 children need medical attention because of dog bites/attacks every year
• Hundreds of thousands of people need emergency medical care because of dog bites/attacks every year
• Almost 9 in 10 dog bites/attacks cause harm to the body
• The majority of dog bites/attacks result in maiming
• Only 20-30 people die every year from dog bites/attacks

Illinois used to abide by the "one-bite" rule. This stated that a dog owner was not liable for the injuries that the dog caused until he or she had knowledge of the dog's dangerous propensities and this generally presumed or imputed after the dog's first bite. In fact, the Illinois Animal Control Act even defines dangerous dogs in 510 ILCS 5/2.05 as the following:

"(i) any individual dog anywhere other than upon the property of the owner or custodian of the dog and unmuzzled, unleashed, or unattended by its owner or custodian that behaves in a manner that a reasonable person would believe poses a serious and unjustified imminent threat of serious physical injury or death to a person or a companion animal or (ii) a dog that, without justification, bites a person and does not cause serious physical injury."

However, Illinois has moved away from this regime and placed strict liability on dog owners for dog bites or attacks. Now, no matter the justifications, the dog owner is liable to the attacked if the following circumstances occur: 1) the dog bit the plaintiff 2) the plaintiff was legally entitled to be where he was when the bite occurred 3) the plaintiff was acting peacefully at the time of the bite 4) the plaintiff did not provoke the dog and 5) the defendant owns the dog. To prevail on an Illinois dog bite case, you must prove all of these points.