Common Dog Breeds that Attack

Tracy Paulsen is a Massachusetts Dog Bite Attorney with over 15 years of personal injury experience.  She is the managing attorney of Massachusetts personal injury law firm Rightful Legal, and she is ready to Fight for Your Rights in the aftermath of a dog attack.

Attorney Paulsen knows that dog bites are traumatic. You may be an animal lover yourself, only to go through a traumatic experience because of a negligent dog owner and vicious animal.  Dog attacks can leave lasting scars, traumatize victims, disrupt families, and create costly medical bills. If you or your child has been bitten by a dog in Bristol County or anywhere in Massachusetts, you deserve clear answers about why the attack happened, who was responsible for controlling the dog, and what your rights are. 

In a successful dog bite claim, our clients can obtain compensation for damages like:

• Medical expenses
• Scarring and disfigurement 
• Damaged clothing and personal property
• Emotional trauma
• Time missed from work

At Rightful Legal, we are dog lovers, but we understand that dog attacks are a real risk. We represent dog bite victims with compassion, empathy and focus. Contact us today to learn how we can help you obtain fair compensation and justice for your dog attack injuries.

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Dog Breeds and Dog Attack Risk

It is important to note that any dog can bite. A dog’s size, sex, training, neutering status, socialization, environment, and owner’s behavior all influence risk. The American Veterinary Medical Association has reviewed decades of research and concluded that a dog’s breed alone should not be used as the only predictor of aggressive behavior against humans.  Rightful Legal has counseled dog attack victims bitten by many breeds, including mixed-breed dogs, and understands firsthand that not all attacks are by dogs from high-risk breeds.

Massachusetts law reflects this science. Since 2012, cities and towns in the Commonwealth may not regulate dogs by breed. You will not see lawful local bans that target a specific breed in Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton, or anywhere else in the state. However, insurers, landlords, and other non-governmental parties may use dog breed as part of their assessment of risk, including by refusing to do business with those who keep high-risk breeds.

Which Dog Breeds Frequently Cause Serious Incidents

Even with the cautions above, certain breeds are frequently cited across studies of more severe bites. This overrepresentation of certain breeds in attacking dogs is likely because of the dog’s size and strength, and the circumstances of the incident, not necessarily the breed alone. 

Reviews and hospital-based studies have often found that heavier or working-type breeds more frequently cause severe injuries. Those lists often include 

• German Shepherd Dogs
• Rottweilers
• Pit bull type dogs
• Huskies
• Akitas
• Chow Chows
• Doberman Pinschers
• Mastiffs and Bullmastiffs
• American Bulldogs
• Large mixed breeds

These findings do not mean that every dog of one of these breeds is dangerous, or that all dogs of other breeds are safe. This research simply means that when serious bites occur, larger and more powerful dogs predictably cause more catastrophic injuries.

Why Do Dog Attacks Happen?

Serious incidents of dog aggression are rarely explained by a single factor. Research on dog bite related fatalities shows multiple preventable factors occurring together, such as dogs left unsupervised with children, failure to confine or control, dogs kept isolated from typical human contact, and lack of neutering. Breed was not identified as a primary causal factor in that research. Public health guidance has long noted that unneutered male dogs are more likely to bite and that owner behavior and supervision habits play central roles.

Children are at heightened risk for dog bites because they are closer to a dog’s face, may misread canine aggression warning signs, and are frequently bitten on the head and neck. Their bodies are also smaller and easier for a rampaging dog to injure. Medical literature shows pediatric facial injuries are common after dog bites, which can cause lifelong disfiguration, in addition to other complications.

Massachusetts Dog Attacks at a Glance

Understanding local data helps families make decisions about prevention and care.

In a recent year, Massachusetts emergency departments recorded more than fourteen thousand visits for nonvenomous animal bites and stings. This category includes dog and cat bites and represents a notable rate of visits per 100,000 residents statewide.

When a dog bites a person in Massachusetts, local health authorities typically require a 10 day quarantine for the dog to monitor for rabies. This is true regardless of vaccination status and it helps avoid unnecessary rabies shots when the animal remains healthy during the observation period.

Rabies risk from domestic dogs in Massachusetts is low. State health officials have reported very few canine cases over the last decade, which is why clinicians no longer automatically recommend rabies post exposure prophylaxis for provoked bites from clearly owned dogs. A risk assessment still matters in every case.

For perspective on risk to workers, the U.S. Postal Service regularly reports thousands of dog attacks on mail carriers nationwide each year. That national figure underscores how frequently bites arise during ordinary activities like deliveries and meter readings.

Insurance data also shows the financial impact. Across the United States, the average cost per dog related claim continues to rise, reflecting higher medical costs and the severity of injuries.

Common Dog Attack Scenarios We See in Bristol County

Our clients come from across Bristol County. Many bites occur in familiar places. A child reaches to hug a resting dog in a living room in New Bedford. A visitor steps onto a porch in Fall River and the homeowner’s dog squeezes through a door gap. A delivery driver in Taunton rounds a corner into an unfenced yard. In each case, the legal analysis will focus on ownership or control, whether the victim was lawfully present, and whether any statutory exceptions apply.

Often, the dog has no prior bite history. That does not change your rights. Massachusetts imposes strict liability on owners and keepers for injuries caused by their dogs, with limited defenses such as trespass or provocation.

Massachusetts Law and Your Right to Compensation for Dog Attack Injuries

Strict liability and key protections

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 140, Section 155 holds a dog’s owner or keeper liable when the dog causes bodily injury or property damage. You do not need to prove prior viciousness or negligence. If the injured person is under age seven, the law presumes the child did not trespass or provoke, and the defendant has the burden to prove otherwise.

Breed neutrality and dangerous dog orders

No Massachusetts municipality may deem a dog dangerous or regulate ownership based solely on breed. Dangerousness determinations and restrictions focus on behavior and circumstances rather than labels like pit bull, shepherd, or mastiff.

Statute of limitations

Most personal injury claims in Massachusetts must be filed within three years of the incident. Calculating deadlines correctly matters because missing the window can bar your claim. Do not wait to ask an attorney to evaluate the facts and preserve evidence.

What To Do After a Dog Attack

Your health and your claim both benefit from taking certain simple steps in the immediate aftermath of a dog bite. 

Seek medical care right away, even for small punctures. Dog bites can drive bacteria deep under the skin. Clinicians may irrigate, debride, prescribe antibiotics for high risk wounds, and decide whether to close the wound or allow it to drain.

Report the bite to local authorities. In Massachusetts that typically means contacting your city or town’s animal control or animal inspector. Reporting triggers the required quarantine process and ensures the incident is documented.

Document everything. Photograph injuries on the day of the bite and over the following weeks. Save clothing. Write down the dog owner’s name, address, and insurance information. Keep a log of pain, missed work, and activity limitations.

Avoid detailed statements to insurers before you understand your rights. Insurance adjusters work quickly and may seek recorded statements that do not reflect the full picture of your injuries or losses.

Call a lawyer who handles these cases every day. At Rightful Legal, we secure medical records and bills, obtain animal control and health department reports, interview witnesses, analyze homeowner or renter insurance coverage, and handle all communications with insurers so you can focus on healing.

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How Breed Evidence Fits Into a Massachusetts Dog Attack Injury Claim

Because Massachusetts law is breed-neutral, your case will rarely turn on whether a dog was a certain breed. That said, breed information may appear in medical records or animal control notes. We treat those references as descriptive context, not as proof of owner fault. Courts care about how the incident happened, whether you were lawfully present, what the dog did, and how badly you were hurt. A dog’s breed may or may not be relevant for this analysis.

Where breed often matters most is in damages. A severe facial bite from a large, powerful dog can cause more extensive scarring than a small nip. Large working breeds have big teeth and powerful jaws, as well as a body mass that makes their attacks difficult to fend off. The severity of a dog’s attack, influenced by factors like its breed, affects medical treatment and the value of pain and suffering. Research also shows that many severe events involve multiple preventable factors at once, like lack of supervision and poor confinement practices. We present those facts clearly to insurers and juries.

Prevention Tips That Work for Any Breed to Help Avoid Dog Attacks

Families in Bristol County can reduce the risk of dog attacks without stigmatizing certain pets or breeds. Good dog safety practices apply to all canines, regardless of breed.

Teach children to leave resting dogs alone. No hugging sleeping dogs, no climbing on them, and no reaching for food or toys. Adults should supervise all interactions with toddlers and elementary age kids.

Ask before you pet, every times. Many bites happen when well meaning people approach unfamiliar dogs too quickly. Let the owner confirm the dog is comfortable and keep your hands low and slow to avoid frighting the dog.

Secure the environment. Homeowners can install self closing gates, use interior baby gates to separate dogs during deliveries or gatherings, and ensure door hardware latches fully. Delivery heavy homes benefit from parcel lockers or instructions that keep carriers outside fence lines. It is best to have at least two physical barriers between an aggressive or reactive dog and any human or other animal.

Spay or neuter and socialize. Dog owners can take steps to ensure their dog’s temperament is the best it can be for its breed. Evidence-based public health guidance shows that unneutered male dogs have a higher bite risk. Early socialization and reward-based training also help dogs read human behavior and recover from startles more calmly.

How Rightful Legal Builds Your Dog Attack Injury Case

At Rightful Legal, every client’s case is the story of a real person.  We treat you with compassion while fighting fiercely to hold negligent dog owners and keepers accountable. We collect the records that matter, from emergency care and plastic surgery notes to vaccination records and quarantine documents. We work with treating doctors to describe scarring, nerve damage, infection risks, and the likelihood of future revision procedures. We calculate lost wages and show how limitations affect daily life. Then we pursue full compensation from the homeowner or renter insurance policy responsible for the dog, including medical expenses, wage loss, scarring and disfigurement, and pain and suffering.

If settlement discussions stall, we are prepared to file suit within the three year deadline and litigate with purpose. We know the courts and juries of Bristol County, and we are relentless about getting our clients the results they deserve.

Call Rightful Legal for Help with Your Dog Attack Injury Case

It is understandable to wonder which breeds attack most often and have other questions about the traumatic event you suffered. The most important questions for you to ask are why a particular attack happened and how the law protects you now. An experienced Dog Bite Lawyer like Tracy Paulsen can help you answer those questions and guide you through the steps to recovering the maximum possible compensation for your injuries.

Massachusetts law is clear: owners and keepers are responsible when their dogs injure people, and the Commonwealth’s laws focus on behavior and circumstances rather than breed labels. If you or a loved one were bitten by any breed of dog in Bristol County or elsewhere in Massachusetts, contact Rightful Legal and speak with attorney Tracy Paulsen today. We will answer your questions and keep what you share with us confidential. If you choose to work with Rightful Legal, we will safeguard your claim, provide you personalized attention and legal guidance, and help you move forward from your dog attack injuries with confidence.