Even though many American homes have dogs as part of the family, the cases of dog bites in the country remain high. Approximately 4.7 million Americans are injured from dog bites every year, with nearly 50 percent are children and 20 percent require medical attention. An estimated 30 to 50 people die from mauling and other dog bite related fatal attacks. The leading state in fatalities is no other than Texas.

Texas laws do not have specific animal attack statute. What the Lone Star State has is the one free bite rule, which states that the person injured can only recover compensation if the dog has bitten another person in the past. If there is no history of dog bites, the person can pursue a case depending on these three factors:

Negligence – The dog’s owner or handler failed to use reasonable care and safety measures to control the dog and prevent it from harming others.

Strict Liability – Despite not having records of injuring others, the dog shows signs of aggressive, dangerous, or mischievous behavior. Certain dog breeds such as Pit Bull, Rottweiler, and German Shepherd are more prone to have dog bite cases.

Intentional Misconduct – For various purposes, certain dog owners train their pets to be aggressive towards strangers and attack on command.