Some dog bites come as a surprise. You have no idea that you are about to be bitten, but the dog attacks very suddenly and without warning. There is little you can do except try to fend off the attack and get medical attention for your injuries.
But in other cases, you will notice the aggressive dog in advance. Maybe they are barking or growling at you while you are out for a walk in the neighborhood, for example. Maybe an off-leash dog approaches you while you are out for a jog, and you feel nervous that you are about to be attacked. Your instinct is probably to run away, but is that actually what you should do?
The problem with running
In many cases, you are best off to slowly try to back away from the aggressive dog, not making eye contact, turning sideways to create a thinner profile and trying to de-escalate the situation. In fact, running can actually make things worse.
The problem is that many dogs instinctively want to chase and attack due to something known as prey drive. If you slowly back away from a dog, it can see that you are not a threat and it may not engage. But if you turn and run, you create numerous problems.
For one thing, turning your back on the dog means you cannot watch it. As you start to run, the dog’s prey drive kicks in, and it instinctively gives chase. The dog will be faster than you, so running will not actually protect you and could just cause you to be bitten.
Seeking compensation
Even if you do run, however, that does not mean that the bite is your fault. The dog’s owner may have been negligent, and you need to know how to seek financial compensation.
