Having Company For The Holidays? Prepare To Keep Your Dog From Biting The Company

When you have visitors over to your home for the holidays it can be a joyful time, but it can very quickly go badly if your dog bites one of your guests and you end up needing a New Haven dog bite lawyer.  If one of your guests is bitten by your dog it can go from a holly jolly to a sad and lonely holiday very quickly for you.  Therefore, it is important that you take some steps to keep yourself, your guests and your dog at peace when visiting.

Your preparations should begin before anyone even makes their way to your front stoop.  You should inform your guests ahead of time, if they don’t already know, that you have a dog.  You should asks your guests if they have any issues with dogs, fears or otherwise, and talk to them about these issues before they come over to your home.  Once you’ve informed them of the fact that you have a dog you should detail your plan for them so they know what to expect when they come over to your home.  For instance, if you plan to keep your dog in the same room as everyone who will be over, make sure your guests know this so they can be prepared to interact with the dog in a safe and non-threatening way.

Once you’ve notified all your guests that will be coming, you will want to prepare your dog.  The best thing to do to prepare your dog for a houseful of company is to try to simulate the event as best you can.  For instance, you may want to have loud music playing while you and your family walk around the room where the party will be held talking loudly.  This type of simulation, while not exact to how to the party will play itself out will ease your dog’s stress about the upcoming party and will allow her/him to mentally prepare for the onslaught of company that you will be having around the holidays.

When your guests arrive you should carefully introduce each one of them to your dog and allow her/him to sniff each person as they come in.  This will allow the dog to familiarize him/herself with each guest and not look upon them as strangers.  If you give your dog plenty of time to familiarize him/herself with the company as they enter your home you may be saving yourself from many problems later in the night.

If you have a guest or multiple guests that are nervous around your dog, but have signaled they would be ok if your dog was around while they were there, you may want them to be greeted with your dog on a leash so you can better control the situation.  Keeping your dog on it’s leash may not be a long-term solution for the whole night, but it might be a nice gesture for your guests who may be uncomfortable around the animal.

Depending on the size of your home and the layout of the room where your party will be held, you may want to keep your dog in a room that has either a door or a baby gate to keep her/him enclosed in a room away from your company.  This may be the best solution for you as you can then have company without having to worry about whether or not your guests will get a New Haven dog bite injury and have it dampen your holiday spirits.

No matter how friendly or laid back your dog may be, having company over to your house is an unusual thing for your pet and it may cause unusual behavior.  It is important to be prepared and to make sure that your animal and your guests are aware of each other and are put in the best position to act right.

If you do host a holiday party and your pet happens to bite someone you may need to speak with an attorney who has experience in this type of incident.  Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will speak with you and review the particulars of your situation.