Dogs are part of the family for many. For thousands of years, “man’s best friend” has been warming by the fire, whether that fire was in a cave, on a wagon trail or gas logs in a new waterfront home.

Dogs can be the source of unconditional love and unlimited friendship.

But not all dogs are created equal when it comes to aggression.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, dogs are responsible for 28 human deaths every year. Also according to the CDC, a person is more likely to killed by a dog in the south: between 1999 and 2013, there were 113 people killed by dogs in the South Atlantic region (West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida). Those same years, there were 36 deaths in the Alabama-Mississippi-Tennessee-Kentucky area; 71 in the Louisiana-Arkansas-Texas-Oklahoma area; 28 in the Pennsylvania-New York-New Jersey region; nine in the New England states; 58 in the Wisconsin-Illinois-Indiana-Ohio-Michigan area; 22 in the Midwest; 44 combined in Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico; and 69 in Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii combined.

Of course, most dog attacks don’t end with the death of the person being attacked. In Washington several weeks ago, a little girl was attacked by a neighbor’s dog. The end result was multiple severe injuries and, likely, a lifelong fear of dogs.

In the county this week, a cat was mauled by a pair of dogs that had been inadvertently let out of their pen. The end result was the death of a pet and, likely, a less-than-neighborly future.

In Beaufort County, if a dog bites a person, that dog will be quarantined and judged whether it is a menace to others. If judged to be a menace, it will likely be euthanized.

The important message is this: if you have a dog that has exhibited aggressive behavior towards humans, other dogs or other animals, make sure that animal is securely confined any time people, other dogs or other animals are around. Make sure anyone visiting the house knows this information and knows to keep that animal confined.

No decent person wants to cause others injury, instill a lifelong fear of dogs, kill a neighbor’s pet or see his own dog put down. So do the decent thing, and keep a leash on ‘em.