The way Bill

Newman sees it, just about anything can make a dog snap.

That goes for

the cute, harmless looking dogs and the mean, ugly looking ones, too,

says Newman, who oversees Fayette County's animal control efforts and

the county animal shelter.

Newman, who

has been in the business 38 years, is troubled by recent reports of dog-mauling

deaths that have occurred elsewhere.

"People

say, 'He won't bite,'" Newman said. "But my theory is, he's

got teeth, doesn't he?"

A dog attack

could start just because of a perfume, facial hair or other features,

Newman noted.

"You don't

know what can set them off," he said. "Some dogs don't like

kids. Some don't like men. Some don't like women. Animals see things in

people that we don't see."

Newman recalled

a local incident in January when a 12-year-old Fayette County boy was

attacked by an Akita dog in the Timberlake subdivision. A neighbor was

able to shoo the dog away and help the child get to safety after striking

the dog with a shovel.

"That

was a close call," Newman said. "That dog was huge. It could've

killed that kid."

Dog owners

can be held liable in court for more than just bite injuries, Newman said,

citing the example of a dog wandering onto a road, causing the driver

to swerve and have an accident.

Many insurance

companies won't cover judgements in those lawsuits beyond the owner's

regular liability coverage in most cases, Newman added.

Newman shares

this three-pronged advice for prospective dog owners:

First, make

sure you can afford a dog. Food, equipment, shots and trips to the vet

are expensive;

Second, make

sure you have a physical space to keep the dog such as a fenced-in yard;

Third, make

sure you have enough time to spend with the dog.

If you can't

meet the above requirements, don't bother bringing a puppy home for the

kids, Newman said.

"I want

people to be responsible," Newman said, adding that he also thinks

"every child should have a pet. Animals play such an important part

in children's lives."

Parents need

to instruct their children not to approach unfamiliar dogs, even when

they're sleeping over at a friend's house, Newman suggested. Curious kids

can get up in a pet's face and agitate them enough to cause a stir, he

added.

"They

need to preach to kids that if they do not know that animal, do not go

up to it and don't approach it," Newman said. He added that the sounds

of children screaming and hollering when they play can also irritate pets

into becoming aggressive.

Newman suggests

researching the breed of dog before actually buying one. It's also nice

to see the puppy's mother and father if possible and determine if the

dog has a good temperament, he added.

"Dogs

can also be rough in nature and hurt you by just playing rough,"

Newman said.

It's a bad

idea to buy or take in animals from people who set up shop in front of

shopping centers, "because they'll do anything to get rid of them,"

Newman advises.

Although Peachtree

City has ordinances allowing pets to be unleashed with voice command,

the rest of Fayette County except Brooks and Woolsey requires cats and

dogs to be on leashes at all times, Newman said. They must also remain

on the owner's property at all times and not be allowed to wander the

neighborhood, Newman added.

"When

you get an animal, it ought to be for life," Newman said.

Fayette County

Animal Control picks up stray dogs, not those owned by local residents.

They also respond to animal bite cases and injured animals on a 24-hour

on-call basis.

Newman encourages

bite cases to be reported immediately so the animal can be quarantined

for 10 days to make sure the victim wasn't infected with rabies.

Animal control

officers can cite pet owners for cruelty to animals, violations of the

leash law. Also, certain dogs can be declared vicious, requiring dog owners

to have a double fence and a roof to prevent the dog from escaping and

measures to prevent the dog from digging its way out.