Are Owners To Blame For Aggressive Dogs

Generally, your dog can be your best furry partner. However, at times, it can also become a financial liability, especially if it attacked and bit someone, causing another person injury. This situation usually happens in several places, particularly in California.

For this reason, California and other parts of the world strictly impose laws relating to incidents when dogs become aggressive and cause injuries to someone else. This boils down to one question: “Are owners to blame for aggressive dogs’ behavior?”

If you want an answer to this question, keep reading this article to learn everything about dog bites and their owners’ liability, if any.

Dog Bite Injury Law And Owner Liability: Everything You Need To Know

States have laws when it comes to dog bite injuries and their owners’ liability. However, the most popular state with strict implementation of dog bite laws is California. Under its mandate, pet owners can be held responsible for the injuries caused by a dog bite. The extent of liability can aggravate if the dog bite happened when the injured party was in a public or lawful private place. The law also emphasizes that the liability attaches when the injury was because of the bite and not by other behaviors of the dog.

And since California dog bite laws have strict interpretation, the dog owners can’t use as an argument the fact that they lack knowledge about their dogs’ aggressive behavior or that they provide adequate care to prevent them from harming someone. On the other hand, these laws generally can’t help injured victims who weren’t bitten by dogs. But to still obtain compensation, they have to prove that the injuries were caused by the owner’s carelessness, such as failure to use reasonable care to control their pet’s aggressive behavior.

Despite a lawful dog bite claim, a dog owner in California may have the opportunity to defend themselves against the injured party. These defenses may include:

• The person bitten was guilty of trespassing at the time the injury was sustained.
• The person bitten was proved to be partly at fault for what happened.
• The person bitten was aware of the risk of injury and took that risk voluntarily.

Due to these circumstances, if you or one of your loved ones had been bitten by a dog, speaking with a dog bite lawyer in Los Angeles can be a great idea. With their legal expertise, they won’t hesitate to fight for your dog bite claim seriously to ensure you’ll get the compensation you may be entitled in the first place.

Dog Bite Injuries And Owner Liability: How To Avoid These Situations

It’s important to understand that dog aggression can be a complicated situation. And to guide you in determining how a dog can become dangerous, keep these instances in mind:

• When the dog has injured or killed a domesticated animal twice within the past three years.
• When the dog has bitten someone without provocation, which caused the injuries of the other person.
• When the dog forced some persons to protect and defend themselves from their aggressive behavior on two separate occasions within the past three years.

And now that you know how your dog can cause danger to anyone, it’s time to become familiar with how you can avoid dog bite incidents if you’re a dog owner. These may include:

• Knowing The Behavior Of Your Dog - While it’s true that you need to protect your dog from others, you shouldn’t also forget to protect others from it due to their aggressive tendencies. For example, if you have an aggressive or vicious dog running around but your Internet installer will come over, it’s best to let your dog stay in another room. It can be the best decision you can make to protect your dog, others, and yourself from possible liability caused by dog bites.
• Training Your Dog Properly - To avoid dog bite incidents, it’s best to train your dog early, often, and properly. Start establishing appropriate habits as soon as you get it. From communicating with your dog to learning obedience commands, you should obtain training to reinforce discipline and prevent aggressive behaviors from happening.

Final Thoughts

If someone else’s dog has bitten you or your loved one without provocation on your part, don’t panic. Instead, stay calm, seek medical attention right away, and consult your lawyer on how you can receive compensation for your injuries.

In case you do not know dog bite laws in Los Angeles or other parts of California, keep all the information mentioned above in mind for your reference. By understanding the rules on dog bite injuries and owner liability, you’ll know how to fight for your legal rights.