Rabies is not like it looks in the movies.  You have probably seen terrifying images of aggressive dogs foaming at the mouth and transmitting rabies through their bites, leading to similar symptoms in humans.  That is what rabies looks like when it is already too late.  Today, most domestic dogs have been vaccinated against rabies.  Georgia law requires pet owners to vaccinate their dogs and cats against rabies.  Thus, in Georgia, and in other states, more than 95 percent of rabies cases are transmitted by bats, not dogs.  Despite this, it is still possible to get ..read more

When a dog lunges at you, knocks you down, and bites you, the first thing you worry about is usually the bite injury.  Will you need stitches?  If the dog bites your hand, will you need surgery, and when will you be able to write again?  Likewise, if a dog knocks you down, but its owners are able to get it to disengage before it bites you, you might think that the unsteady, unsettled feeling you are experiencing is just the physiological response to fear.  Whether or not the dog attack involved a bite that broke the skin, you should get a thorough medical examination immedi ..read more

Personal injury lawyers file fewer lawsuits than their websites and advertising billboards might lead you to believe.  It is usually possible for personal injury attorneys to get clients the money they need without going to court.  This is true not only in car accident and slip and fall claims, but also in dog bite cases.  The fact that you can probably get the medical bills for your dog bite covered without going to court should come as a relief, since many dog attacks are by dogs that the victim has met before.  There is no such thing as dog bite insurance, but various ot ..read more

It is easy to get money from an insurance claim related to an injury, but it is much harder to get enough money to cover all of your injury-related medical bills.  A lot of people take the attitude that filing an insurance claim, especially against someone else’s insurance policy, is a lot like buying a lottery ticket, and you are lucky to get any money at all, but this is a mistake.  When you file an insurance claim, your goal is to break even.  It is virtually impossible to receive an insurance claim that makes you wealthier than you were before the accident that caused your f ..read more

When people claim that they can tell what their dog is trying to tell them, it is not just their imagination.  Families with pet dogs have a familiar routine, and the humans and the dogs know what to expect.  They know who tends to be in which room in the house at which times, and they know where and when each member of the family likes to be left alone.  People outside the family have their own routines, but except with your closest friends, you do not really know about the little things that make them feel secure in their own homes; consider how awkward it is when friends or e ..read more

Interacting with people you know well is often awkward and uncomfortable, but when you meet a new dog, you usually become friends instantly.  Whether you know it or not, you probably have a repertoire of behaviors that you use to win the dog’s trust and build a rapport with it.  Of course, if you have ever remained employed for more than a short time, you also do this with humans, whether you know it or not.  People have a common understanding of what expressions and conversation topics they expect to hear in routine situations; you usually work off of a basic script and then ad ..read more

Domestic dogs are so friendly that it is easy to forget how much damage a dog bite can do.  People play and roughhouse with rottweilers, German shepherds, and all kinds of other big, strong dogs, and the human and the dog seem to share an unspoken understanding that it is all in good fun, just a wrestling match between friends.  A playful nip from a small dog, or even from a big dog, isn’t really a problem, is it?  Certainly, you wouldn’t sue your friend if your friend’s dog accidentally nipped you when it got caught up in the excitement of a tussle over a frisbee.  Whether ..read more

Georgia has a vast array of scenic natural landscapes, musical styles and regional cuisines.  As a swing state, Georgia is not even uniform in the political views of its voters.  Something that almost everyone can agree on in Georgia is that we love dogs.  In fact, Georgia’s dog bite laws are more dog-friendly than most other states.  Georgia law grants dogs the presumption of innocence.  If a dog bites a person in Georgia, the court will assume that the person gave the dog a reason to bite.  This means that, if someone else’s dog bites you and you file a personal ..read more

In mystery novels, the detective often asks witnesses whether the victim’s dogs were barking at the time of the crime.  The idea is that, if an unfamiliar intruder approached the house, the dogs would bark.  If someone entered the house without provoking a response from the dogs, this implies that the intruder was someone the dogs knew; it did not seem unusual to the dogs that this person should enter the house.  Perhaps the guard dog wagged its tail as a sign of welcome, or perhaps it opened one eye as if to say, “Oh, it’s you,” and then went back to sleep.  Dogs are intel ..read more

No one really knows your pain except you.  Other people can look at your injuries and guess how much or how little pain such an injury would cause.  If your injury does not look especially impressive but is very painful, people might even accuse you of exaggerating your symptoms.  When your family and friends do not believe you about your pain, it is annoying and frustrating.  The real problem is when your employer does not believe you and refuses to make accommodations so that you can work while you recover from your injury or take a leave of absence from work.  Likew ..read more