Many Philadelphia-area families hope their family pet will protect them in the event of a home burglary or invasion. However, to the canine mind, there is a fine line between someone who intends to hurt their human and a simple stranger. When a dog isn't highly-trained to differentiate clearly between the two, a dangerous dog bite can result.

A local Philadelphia news crew recently investigated four families' abilities to prepare for a guard dog attack. Of the families who participated, three owned one dog and the fourth family owned two dogs. The animals involved were of varying breeds: two german shepherds, a springer spaniel, a bulldog, and a boxer. The media asked a Corporal from the Delaware County Sheriff's Office to pretend he was a home invader. They did two separate tests in each house, first having the "intruder" enter an empty house, and then repeating the test with someone at home.

One owner expressed surprise that his dog was all bark and no bite. In fact, none of the dogs actually showed violent tendencies, although several ran around and barked loudly. However, the policeman noted that the test had a key difference from actual home invasions, as well as many other situations: fear on the part of the human. The Corporal noted that dogs really can sense fear, and whether the fearful person is a small child, a postman, or someone just walking down the sidewalk, dogs are more likely to show aggressiveness and even cause serious injury.

A tragic irony in any dog attack case is that viewing a dog barking or growling can produce reasonable fear, and that fear can in turn lead a dog to act harmfully. In Pennsylvania, dog bite cases ran 30 percent higher in 2012 than in 2011, and the effects of such attacks can include medical, psychological, and cosmetic trauma. Given the array of devastation such bites can produce, it is important for dog bite victims to understand dog bites are the fault of an irresponsible owner, not an understandably apprehensive person.