One of the times when a dog bite is most common is when the animal is just trying to protect its food. For instance, you may go over to a neighbor’s house with your child, and the child could run up to the dog — excited to see it — while it’s eating. Many dogs who are usually calm and kind will bite in that situation.
Why do they do it? It’s instinct. It’s just a product of evolution. In the wild, the survival of the fittest is very real. Dogs live longer when they protect their food. Other animals, lacking food, often try to take it from them. Ownership is not about rules and laws, but about who can keep what they have.
Now, domesticated pets do not have this problem. They have an unlimited food supply that is offered to them by their owners. They don’t need to protect it. Even if they did, a human child wouldn’t want to eat that food.
But dogs do not think all of that out. They just rely on the instincts that have kept wolves, their ancestors, alive for so long. And that means that someone running up to them unexpectedly while they are eating may be a threat. If that person steals their food, the dog fears for its very life. Those instincts kick in and the dog reacts instantly.
The dog may even feel bad about it after the fact, but the damage is done. Children often suffer serious bites to the face and neck, due to their height. Parents must know what legal options they have to seek compensation.