What to do if Someone Claims Your Dog Bit Them?

If someone claims that your dog bit them, it is important to understand your legal rights and responsibilities under state law. Learn more about what you should do in this situation.

What to do if Someone Claims Your Dog Bit Them?

If you receive a letter from a lawyer representing the victim, it is important to answer it and provide them with your insurance information (homeowners or renters). Dog bites can be a serious issue, and if a dog bites someone on your property, you may have to face a lawsuit. On the other hand, if you were bitten by a dog on someone else's property, you may be able to recover damages from the property owner. It is best to contact a local personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal options.

Under state law, you can be sued if your dog bites a person or attacks another animal. Friends and guests are legally owed a reasonable duty of care when they set foot on your property. If they are injured due to a dog bite or animal attack, and can prove their negligence or lack of reasonable care in restraining their dog, they can sue for damages. Dog bite laws can vary greatly depending on where the bite occurs, and they can differ not only from state to state, but also between counties and cities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone follow certain measures when coming into contact with a dog. Factors such as the breed of the dog, the cause of the dog bite incident, the age of the victim involved, and many other elements can be used to determine the severity of a dog bite accident and whether the injured person can sue for damages. In some cases, a single bite can lead to a dangerous determination of the dog; in others, the dog must have bitten more than once. It is important to find out as soon as possible if dog bite claims are covered by your homeowners or renters insurance policy.

While physical injuries from an injured person's dog bite can be minor, dog bite attacks can be traumatic, no matter how serious. But what happens if a dog bites someone on your property? Whether it's a guest, trespasser or seller, you can be held liable under certain circumstances. You may be ordered to take your dog to a different jurisdiction, in other words, to find your dog a new home in another community. Dogs are usually more likely to bite if they are under stress of any kind, usually as a result of emotions such as pain, fear, anxiety, or excitement.

Grunting is an effective way for your dog to express stressors as it lets you know that he is upset. This principle does not apply when it comes to dogs that protect an owner, its owner's property or a member of its owner's family. Owners have a legal responsibility to prevent children from entering their property or to prevent their dog from hurting children. The “dangerous dog” label cannot be applied to dogs when the injuries were sustained by someone who committed a crime such as trespassing without permission on the property.

For example, an owner might not be liable if the victim ignored a prominent Beware of the Dogs sign (Benton v. This principle is particularly important when it comes to children who may wander around neighbors' yards and play with dogs.

Molly Armstong
Molly Armstong

Amateur beer scholar. Subtly charming beer evangelist. Incurable pop culture enthusiast. Devoted tv nerd. Hipster-friendly internet fanatic. Incurable web nerd.