A Salt Lake City man is reported to be recovering from injuries recently sustained in a dog bite attack. Michael Burdett was involved in an incident in which the owner of a 60 pound pit bull mix, Aaron Thomas, purportedly commanded the animal to attack Burdett, inflicting injury to his arms, legs and stomach. Thomas claims that Burdett tried to run him over with his motorized wheelchair and thus the impetus for urging his dog to attack him; the use and return of a cell phone to its proper owner may also have caused the rift between these two men. Regardless, Thomas has been arrested on assault charges and his dog is being held at the Animal Serves kennel in Salt Lake City. The injured man in the incident, Burdett, does not want the dog to be put down, saying that it wasn’t the dog’s fault that the event occurred.
It is unfortunate that pit bulls should be vilified for their fierce loyalty to their owners, to the extent that they would attack someone or something else at his/her command. Dogobedienceadvice.com cites the bulldog as being “very playful and gentle,” but “can’t shake off their ‘bad dog’ image.’“ As admitted by the victim of the accident itself, this was a negligent act on the part of the owner and not the animal.
A Utah dog bite lawyer is able to help victims such as the one above to receive compensation for their losses, which often are more than physical. The emotional trauma that may accompany physical disfigurement must be compensated for. Contact an advocate at the Christensen Law Firm that cares at (801) 506-0800.