Owning a dog, or any other pet for that matter is not only a pleasure. It is also a great responsibility. You need to tend to that animal properly, and keep it in the best possible help. Not only that you should treat your little friend properly, but you also need to nurture it and provide it with the best medical conditions.
At the same time, you should be always on the lookout for unpleasant situations. No matter how friendly your little friend is to other people, and it doesn’t show any signs of aggression, it can always be provoked to react in, let’s say, an unfriendly way. Naturally, the worst thing that can happen is to bite someone.
The problems that can arise from that occurrence are numerous. You cannot only expect legal action from the person who has suffered the bite, but you should also prepare for potential legal action against you. That’s why we want to discuss a couple of legal steps you need to undertake when something like this occurs. Let’s shine a light on some of those steps.
1. Prove Your Dog Was Provoked
The first thing you need to do is to try to prove that your pet was provoked in causing such an act. Most dog owners are not even aware of this possibility. For instance, dogs can be provoked in a high number of ways. Just because your pet has bitten someone, that doesn’t mean that it represents a danger to the surroundings.
For example, the pet maybe doesn’t enjoy having contact with a person it doesn’t know, especially when they eat. If they are not friendly towards other people, then this could be perceived as some sort of provocation. Another provocation can occur when someone intervenes in contact between two dogs.
Even though it might be strange, your pet’s actions will not be considered problematic if a toddler forces contact with it. There are numerous situations when this occurred, and the owner wasn’t perceived as guilty in front of the court. Therefore, a pet is not considered a danger to society.
2. Prove You Weren’t Negligent
As we all know, a vast majority of pets do not have a history of bad behavior. But it needs to be said that even though this is not the case with your own, you can still be held accountable for an occurrence like this. For example, a pet owner could be held liable as a part that acted negligently in that situation.
What does this mean? Well, it means that the owner wasn’t acting responsibly in protecting the victim from the animal. Naturally, this can mean a wide array of different things. Therefore, you need to think about to act when you are faced with this sort of accusation. Of course, your attorney will help with this part.
Probably the commonest situation you cannot defend from is that you weren’t acting properly if you left the dog unsupervised and the pet has done something bad to a person. If the court does prove you have acted negligently, then you cannot expect to avoid at least a fee.
3. Attend to the Victim
If a bite has already occurred, then you should take all the precautions to help that person. While this may not seem like a legal action at first, it can be a game-changer. Not attending to the victim immediately results in you having negligent behavior, which puts you in a dangerous situation in front of the law.
One more action that can give you an advantage is to detain the dog immediately. To do that, remove your dog from the scene, put it in a crate, or tie it to the pool. By doing so, you will prevent any other dangerous situation of this sort from occurring after the first one has happened.
Even if the victim doesn’t look that hurt, be sure to provide all the medical attention. If needed, drive that person to the hospital where wounds and injuries can be taken care of properly. By doing so, you will show to the court you have done everything in your power to resolve the situation in the best possible manner.
4. Possible Trespassing
Another thing you should strive for is to prove that your dog has bitten a trespasser. Naturally, it needs to be said that this is possible only in a couple of states. As we all know, legislation differs from state to state. When this is the case, it means that someone was on your property, uninvited, and has suffered a dog bite.
But there are several layers of this occurrence we want to discuss. For example, in some states, it can be problematic even if someone was trespassing, and if the owner didn’t act appropriately. When that happens, it can be put under the category of negligence, which we have already discussed earlier.
Some other states have a, let’s say, more traditional approach to these situations. The concept of property cannot be harmed by any trespasser, and any action of this sort that results in injuries is immediately dismissed. Therefore, you can see that it all depends on the state you are in.
5. Seek Professional Legal Help
Above all, we think you should strive towards finding a legal professional who can help you to build your case if you get sued for your pet biting someone. Numerous professionals have specialized solely in this category of law.
The professional will reach out to your veterinarian and ask for the documentation that shows your pet doesn’t have a history of being a danger to the people. Plus, it will do numerous other things that will make your case as strong as it needs to be. The help you will get from these professionals is incalculable. If you need these services, then you should visit here for more information.
In Conclusion
As we’ve said, owning a pet is a great responsibility. Here, we’ve provided you with some legal steps you should undertake if your pet inflicts some sort of damage on a stranger.
