Bitten by a Dog as a Child, Maryland Dog Bite Attorney Jason Plotkin of the Pinder Plotkin Legal Team Publishes a Picture Book to Help Kids Recover

The Pickle, the Patch, and the Puppy, out in paperback and Kindle on August 31, 2026, gives parents of children ages 4 to 7 a story-based way to work through the fear that outlasts the bandage — written by a personal injury attorney who was bitten as a child and now handles child dog bite claims across Maryland.

Baltimore, MD - August 31, 2026-- The Pinder Plotkin Legal Team announced that CEO and Managing Attorney Jason Plotkin, Esq., has published The Pickle, the Patch, and the Puppy, a picture book for children ages 4 to 7 about recovering from a frightening encounter with a dog. Both the paperback and Kindle editions are available August 31, 2026, on Amazon, with more information at pickleandthepuppy.com.

Cover of The Pickle, the Patch, and the Puppy by Jason Plotkin, Esq.

The story follows a boy named Stevie in the weeks after a dog bite, when the bandage has come off but the fear has not. His mother gives him two ideas he can use on his own: the Brain Alarm, a plain-language way of naming what fear does inside the body, and the Bravery Ladder, a four-rung plan that breaks something scary into steps small enough to actually take. Stevie climbs it one rung at a time until he can greet Teka, a new black Labrador puppy.

Licensed therapists and counselors who treat children after traumatic events reviewed the book ahead of publication, and their comments are posted at pickleandthepuppy.com. Their reactions center on two things: that the Brain Alarm gives a child usable language for the fight-or-flight response, and that the Bravery Ladder mirrors gradual exposure, the approach clinicians use to help a child face a fear one step at a time.

Plotkin was bitten by a dog as a child, and dog bite claims involving children are a regular part of the firm's Maryland practice. Maryland also gives injured children considerably more time to bring a claim than most parents expect; the firm's Maryland child dog bite page covers how those cases work.

"What stayed with me wasn't the stitches — it was being scared of every dog on the block for a long time after," said Jason Plotkin, Esq., CEO and Managing Attorney of the Pinder Plotkin Legal Team. "Parents ask me all the time what to do about that part. This is the book I wish someone had handed my mom. It doesn't replace a therapist, and it isn't about the legal case at all. It's a story a family can read on a night when a kid is having a hard time."

A free printable companion, My Bravery Journal, is available at the book's website, with drawing space, a blank Bravery Ladder a child fills in, and a Certificate of Bravery. Parents can also download the firm's free guide, The Parent's Guide to Child Dog Bite Claims in Maryland, covering first medical steps, health department reporting, homeowners insurance, and Maryland's dog bite statute.

The book is Plotkin's third and his first written for children. He teaches nationally on dog bite injury litigation and personal injury practice, and is available for interviews and podcast appearances. The Pinder Plotkin Legal Team represents injured Marylanders in auto accident, dog bite, and workers' compensation matters from offices in Baltimore, Laurel, and Bel Air, Maryland.