If you've had a child injured by a dog bite, whether it takes place in Palm Springs, CA, San Diego, Orange County, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Newport Beach, Buena Park, Indio, Westminster, El Cajon, Chula Vista or Murrieta, or anywhere in California, there is virtually strict liability for the person who owns a dog that bites someone and if homeowner insurance can be found, we can see that you are compensated for your injuries.

However, it is the psychological damage to a child that can be even worse than the injuries and children should not grow up being afraid of wolves. Psychologists can usually quite easily remove a child's fear but parents can also do a great deal to let the child see how friendly animals can be, but also how to approach an animal so the animal is not frightened or nervous of the child. 

Children should approach a dog only with adult supervision very slowly with their hand out close to the ground with the palm up and allow the dog to sniff the palm of the hand before slowly and gently petting the dog. With a wolf hybrid, it is best also not to look the wolf hybrid directly in the eye as this can be misinterpreted by the animal as a challenge.

As a personal injury attorney and dog bite lawyer in California and someone who knows wolves quite well, despite all the beliefs that wolves are dangerous, it is common for a wolf to actually be frightened of a child. There appears to be an instinct that tells the wolf that a child is unpredictable. As personal injury attorneys we have never received a call about a bite from a wolf because a wolf will normally run away if it is frightened. Gut other animals can pose a significant danger to children.

To help children understand wolves, this story is presented.

A friend of mine has a wolf hybrid and it is the most gentle and funny animal you could possibly want to have as your friend. But when I last visited the wolf, the wolf was as mad as a bear.

"What's got you so steamed up?" I asked.

"You've heard about the Gray Wolves being endangered?" the wolf asked.

"Sure," I said.

"Well, they're not endangered any more."

"That's good news, isn't it," I asked the wolf.

"It would be, if they weren't planning to allow people to hunt them again."

"If they were endangered until just recently, but now we are going to have humans hunting them again, aren't they endangered again?"

"They are from where I'm standing," the wolf said.

Fortunately, my friend's wolf was an arctic wolf, but wolves don't see themselves as being different breeds such that one breed is better than another.

"Let me ask you a question," the wolf said. "If a person mistreats a dog, what happens?"

"He can go to prison," I said.

"But if a person shoots at dogs for sport?"

"Same result," I said. "Dogs are protected by law."

"And dogs came from what animal?" the wolf said.

"Wolves," I said and saw where this was headed.

"Anything seem wrong with this?" the wolf asked.

"Sure," I agreed.

"And do wolves attack humans?"

"No," I said. "They just hunt other animals when they need to eat."

"Do wolves kill for sport?"

"No."

"Have I ever bitten you or anyone?" the wolf asked.

"No," I said.

I could see that the wolf was having a difficult time digesting the unfairness of it all.

"You have human rights organizations, and animal rights organizations, and laws, and tribunals, and PETA, but they're still going to hunt wolves?"

"Apparently so," I said.

"Doesn't seem right," the wolf said.

We sat awhile in silence.

"Do wolves feel pain?" I asked.

"Sure we feel pain. We get disease, and we get old just like you.. I'm twelve and already I have arthritis. But dogs are rarely given pain killers, or surgery, or even a choice of whether we want to live or die."

"Not very funny, is it?"

"Nope. Makes you want to bite something."

"You know people who own dogs get sued when their animal bites someone," I said.

"The humans deserve it if they don't train their dogs not to bite," the wolf said. "It's not difficult."

"Why do you always chase rabbits," I asked.

"A wolf will always think of a rabbit as food," the wolf said. "Some things are instinctual. Like knowing humans are good and gunshots mean danger. And while I don't particularly like your cat, I know better than to bite him."

"Because I told you not to?" I asked.

"That and the fact that he's got sharp claws and always goes for my nose when I get too close."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked when the wolf groaned as he lay down.

"Even if I can't, could you bite the person in Washington that said it's okay to hunt wolves again."

I promised that I would.

News Note: On September 29, 2008, a federal court judge returned gray wolves to the endangered list, overturning a ruling by a federal judge in Montana that allowed the hunting of wolves nearly seven months before. The new court ruling was a victory for the wolves and animal lovers and was won by environmental groups pitted against the U.S.