How Dog Owners Can Avoid a Lawsuit
Dog owners can take some simple steps to prevent injuries -- and legal headaches.
Dogs bite 4.7 million people every year.
The explanations are nearly as numerous as the pet dogs, now counted at more than 62 million. Some speculate that Americans, frightened of crime, are favoring fiercer breeds. Also, busy owners too often leave their pets home alone, untrained, and unsocialized. Dogs that spend a lot of time by themselves (especially if they're tied up), aren't used to being around strangers, or haven't received basic obedience training, are prime candidates to bite.
Who's Liable?
Those injured usually have the law on their side. In the old days, the law gave dog owners what was called "one free bite." Put simply, an owner wasn't liable for injuries unless the dog had already shown it was likely to hurt someone. The dog didn't actually have to have bitten someone -- for example, if your dog lunged at the neighbor, teeth bared, you were considered to be on notice that the dog might bite.
Thes days, most states make owners liable for any harm their dog causes, whether or not the owner had reason to suspect that the dog was dangerous. Dog owners can find themselves on the hook for an injured person's medical expenses and lost wages, or even the therapy bills of a traumatized child. The dog owner may not be liable if the dog was provoked, or if the injured person was trespassing, but claims like these are often very hard to prove after the fact.
It's far better, of course, to avoid injuries rather than fight about legal liability after they happen. And the truth is that dog owners could prevent most bites.
Teach Your Dog
It's your job, as an owner, to train and socialize your dog. Humane societies everywhere offer low-cost basic obedience classes, which are a good way to teach your dog to behave around other dogs and people. Moreover, plenty of good tips are available in books such as How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend and The Art of Raising a Puppy, by the Monks of New Skete.
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