Avoiding A New Haven Dog Bite Injury While Playing With A Dog In The Snow

January 10, 2025
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Dogs of all sizes will often get very excited by a change in the weather conditions and many breeds of dogs love to go outside and play in the snow. This can be a fun outing for both the dog and its owner, but it an turn into a New Haven dog bite injury quite quickly if you don’t keep a close eye on your dog and how she is interacting with others while playing in the snow.

Let’s imagine a situation where you are taking your dog for a walk and the city of New Haven has had a few inches of snow. It’s actually quite a magical time to be out and enjoying the city when most of the cars are off the roads and there is a fresh blanket of snow covering many of the neighborhood parks that you often enjoy with your pet during the spring and summer months. You take your dog for a walk and happen on a park where there are a few kids playing in the snow and your dog wants to get involved in the excitement. This can be OK, but your dog should remain under your careful supervision at all times to keep everyone, including your dog safe.

While people, especially kids, love to play with dogs in the snow and many dog breeds love the playtime as well, there is often a tendency to get a little rougher with the dog. Kids may think it is fun to throw a snowball in the dog’s direction or even get rougher and wrestle a little with the dog in the fluffy white stuff. This might be cute to see your dog having fun with some of the neighborhood kids, but it also may turn dangerous quickly, Dogs can be unpredictable and that is why you need to make sure you are monitoring the situation very closely. You can allow your dog to have fun with the people she is interacting with, but at the first sign of any distress you will want to end the fun.

Here are some things to keep an eye out for so you know when your dog has had enough and it is time to rein her in from the playtime.

1.) Stiff or rigid body language. When your dog is having fun she will be playing wildly and loosely, but if you start to notice that she is stiffening up a bit that may be a sign of stress and you might want to consider stepping in. This can be a tough sign to notice, but if you pay close attention you will notice a difference in your dog when she feels like she has had enough and as her person you need to notice this and protect her safety and the safety of those who are playing with her.

2.) If your dog starts to growl or snarl it might be time to head home. Some gentle yipping noises are natural from your dog when playing in the snow, but when it gets to be too much she may start to growl at the person or people who she is playing with and this is a sure sign that her stress levels are rising and she needs to be removed from the situation to make sure everyone stays safe.

3.) When you notice your dog has hair standing up on her spine this is called “raised hackles” and can be a sign of stress in your dog. This can be particularly difficult to spot when your dog is playing in the snow, but if you keep an eye out of this sign you can stop playtime before it because dangerous for your dog or for the person she is playing with.

If you keep a close watch on your dog while she is playing in the snow, especially with others, you will be able to notice the signs that the playtime is becoming stressful for your pet and you can stop it before it turns into a situation where there ends up being a New Haven dog bite injury. While you may be inclined to let your dog play for a long time, in the snow, short bursts of fun are the best because the dog will eventually get cold and start to feel some anxiety and stress over the outing and this could turn into a bad situation quickly.

Whether it is your dog that is involved in an incident or you were injured by another dog you may need to speak with an attorney who has extensive experience with these types of situations. Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will review your situation and work with you to protect your long-term interests.