Your Dog Bites Your Neighbor? What That Means for You
Your Dog Bites Your Neighbor? What That Means for You
If your dog bites your neighbor, you may have to deal with some legal repercussions. Your neighbor may have the right to sue you for personal injury. A personal injury ruling in your neighbor’s favor may obligate you to pay your neighbor’s medical bills as well as any lost work wages, therapeutic costs and other expenses that the person had to endure because your pet bit him or her. The reason is that the courts may see you as a neglectful pet owner, at least for that period during which your pet bit another person. Here’s why:
- You’re Responsible for Your Pet’s Actions
In many states, pet owners are held completely responsible for the actions of their pets. Animal owners are expected to train their pets not to be aggressive if they aren’t going to act as household guardians.
- You’re Responsible for Another Person’s Safety Around Your Pet
When you become a pet owner, you adopt responsibility for another person’s safety around your pet. That means that you have to make sure that your pet does not bite your neighbor or anyone else who comes around it in a non-threatening manner.
- You’re Responsible for Your Pet’s Repetitive Aggression
You can be held to a higher standard of responsibility if your pet has previously bitten someone and you had knowledge of it. In fact, a judge may order that you pay additional monies for allowing your pet to bite someone when you knew that it had done something similar in the past.
The Lebanon personal injury attorneys at Henry & Beaver have years of experience defending dog bite cases. Contact Henry & Beaver today if your dog has bitten someone.