Recently in Dog Bite / Animal Attack in Boston:

National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which occurs between May 15 and May 21, is now coming to a close, according to Huffpost Green. But with 78 million pet dogs in the country and more than 4.5 million people who have suffered from dog bites or animal attacks, it is still important for Boston pet owners and lovers to learn how to prevent a dog from biting and how to avoid getting bitten.

"People get bitten because they see a dog they don't know," said Davie Dickinson of the Sacramento County Animal Care and Regulation in California. "They go up to it and they think the first thing you should do is put their hand out and let the dog sniff your hand."

Thousands of people suffer from animal attacks or bites each year, according to FindLaw. Many animal attacks in Boston involve dogs and other pets. Typically, victims may have a legal right to recover damages from the animal's owner or the party held responsible for the attack. If you have suffered from an animal attack or bite, a Boston personal injury lawyer may advise you to:

• Seek medical attention as soon as possible; then
• Determine who the owner of the animal is;
• Note if there might be other potential responsible parties; and
• Find out if you are entitled to recover any damages.

This past August, Amy Barnett's Boston terrier attacked a woman in Acton and must now be restrained at all times  and kept away from visitors. The Beacon reported Henry, the terrier, has been subject to behavioral evaluation after selectmen considered whether the dog would have to undergo euthanasia to protect public safety after the animal attack.

Amy Barnett's boyfriend's parents, Brian and Lucille Donley, were dog-sitting Henry while the couple was away traveling. Swansea resident Linda Medeiros and her husband, Mike, came to visit the Donleys when Henry attacked Linda and bit her hands and feet. The victim was rushed to the hospital the day of the attack and readmitted a couple of days later to treat the infections from her wounds.

While walking her miniature poodle on the way to a friend's house, a pit bull attacked Stephanie Moran's 8-year-old dog Beau, causing serious injuries to her pet. Telegram.com reported that pit bull escaped and charged out of its owner's yard on Knowlton Avenue. The pit bull attack resulted in Beau getting bit on his stomach and shook around.

Stephanie Moran said her dog Beau suffered multiple puncture wounds, including a ripped abdomen and severely damaged intestines and colon. The miniature poodle had to go through four hours of surgery, and the medical costs for the operations and treatments are nearly $6,000. Moran said "that's not even close to the projected total" because her dog may have to undergo another surgery.

Dog bites can be serious; just ask a Boston personal injury lawyer.

Bloomberg reports that dog bites have cost U.S. home insurers about 6.4 percent more in 2009 than the previous year. The average dog bite claim is over $24,000 for the third year in a row. The injuries from dog bites cost around $412 million in 2009. In 2008, the cost was $387.2 million. The number of dog bite claims went up by 4.8 percent.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, dog bites comprise about a third of homeowners' insurance liability claims. The costs of dog bites have risen because of medical expenses to victims. Cindy Younkin, the city attorney for White Sulphur Springs, Montana, told Bloomberg: "Health-care costs have gone up. [I]nsurance provides some sort of coverage that would take care of the costs."

The South Coast Today reports that a judge in Wareham District Court has awarded dog owner Claudia Martin with a judgment worth $8,804.62 over injuries that her dog sustained when it was attacked by a bull mastiff. The award amount includes damages, interest, and filing costs.

Claudia Martin filed the lawsuit against bull mastiff owner Donn. A Cordeira. Cordeira's dog attacked Martin's dog Sweetie two years ago. As a result of the attack, Martin claims that she has amassed a staggering $10,000 in vet bills. She said that while she is happy with the judgment, she tried to get Mr. Cordeira to settle with her. She said: "I tried to get him to make me some sort of an offer. He didn't want to do it." She did indicate that she was aware that he felt bad about what had happened.

Worcester City Council has decided to give preliminary approval to a new pit bull ordinance. The Worcester Telegram reports that the approval on the pit bull ordinance was unanimous by the Worcester City Council last night. It was also decided that the City Council will hold a public hearing on the pit bull ordinance on August 10; which is the council's next meeting.

For Worcester residents interested in attending the hearing, it will take place at 6 p.m. in the Esther Howland Chamber at City Hall. The proposed pit bull ordinance is similar to the pit bull ordinance in Boston called the Responsible Pit Bull Ownership ordinance.

It seems like there may be less of a need for a Boston personal injury lawyer for pit bull attacks. WCVB Boston reports that the City of Lynn has recently passed a pit bull ordinance that requires all pit bull terriers to be muzzled when they are off their owner's property.

The Lynn City Council has agreed to request that Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy increase the city's animal control department's manpower in order to enforce this newly passed ordinance. Currently, there is only one full time officer in the department.

A five year old boy and woman were victims in a pit bull attack in Lakeville this past Wednesday, according to WCVB Boston. The Lakeville Call reports that the boy and his babysitter were attacked by a pit bull that was owned by the boy's babysitter, Ms. Karen Bruno O'Leary. The boy was next door at his babysitter's house when the dog suddenly attacked him. When Ms. O'Leary attempted to get the dog off of the boy, the pit bull then started attacking her.

When police arrived on the scene, the dog attempted to attack an officer. The police fired three shots at the dog. The injured pit bull still attempted to attack medical response personnel, which compelled the police to shoot the dog dead with six more shots.

An 81 year old woman in New Bedford was the unfortunate victim of a vicious dog attack. The Boston Herald reports that Germaine T. Jorge was attacked after walking home from Mass in broad daylight at 9:00 in the morning. She said that a "big yellow dog" ran from behind a house and bit her near her hip.

A Boston injury lawyer can tell you how New Bedford is considering a new ordinance that would place restrictions on pit bulls. One of the requirements in the ordinance is requiring them to be muzzled while they are outside. Perhaps this ordinance should apply to dogs with a volatile history as well?