You know the fear. You’re walking with your tot enjoying the warm weather, when suddenly, you see someone approaching walking his pit bull. Your tot and his dog are about to meet at eye level. What should you do? Turn and head home or keep walking ahead?

After reading the results of a new study from the State University of New York at Buffalo, I’d say err on the side of caution. According to SUNY researchers, kids are at a higher risk of dog-bite injuries to the head and neck, especially during warmer weather, Reuters reports. The researchers speculate that the higher incidence of dog bites could be because kids are outdoors more in the summer and dogs tend to be more irritable in hot weather.

Whatever the reason, with summer coming, parents need to be on the alert to protect their kids from dog bites, especially if we have young children. (About half of the injured kids in the study were age 4 or younger.)

Just in the past two weeks, we’ve seen the damage a dog can do to a child when two pit bulls attacked a 6-year-old boy who was playing outdoors. He had 42 lacerations that required hospitalization for three days, according to WRAL. The dog owner was initially cited with allowing his dogs to run at large, but after the child’s family complained the charge was not harsh enough—and police gathered more evidence—the charge was upgraded to assault. Now instead of just being fined, the dog owner could face up to 8 years in prison, if convicted.

Attorneys for the city believe they can argue that the dogs are deadly weapons capable of causing death or serious bodily injury. In this case, I have to say, I see their point. The courts will decide who’s right, but parents seeking to keep their children safe from dangerous dogs will be watching to see what happens next.

In the meantime, experts say training your dog and teaching your child how to act around dogs is helpful. The SUNY study found that the family pet was to blame in 27 percent of cases of dog-bite injuries, and of dog breeds, pit bulls were most commonly involved.

Many countries currently have enacted breed specific laws that make it illegal to import, sell or breed certain types of dogs, such as pit bulls, according to Dogsbite.org, a national dog bite victims group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks by creating laws.

According to information on the group's Web site, pit bulls and rottweilers accounted for 71 percent of attacks in 2007. To date, 250 cities nationwide have enacted a pit bull ban, according to Dogs.bite.org.

Learn how to prepare a pet for baby's arrival in "Four Legs Meet Two" on Carolinaparent.com.