Your Liability As A Dog Owner

Depending on where you live your liability as a dog owner can seem very confusing. Ensuring that you are fulfilling your legal obligations while giving your pooch love can be complicated at best. Some of the things you are liable for may even be surprising.

First you are of course liable if your dog bites or hurts someone. Generally this applies only when you are not on your own property. Walking your dog, transferring them to the vets office, or going to the dog park are all places this completely applies. It also applies to other dogs, so if your dog is rough with other dogs you need to watch it carefully.

This even applies if the person is on your property. It is your job to make sure that your dogs remain in your control at all times. Even a beware of dog sign will not excuse you from this liability. If a person is taunting your dog or trespassing however you are not negligent.

A good example of negligence on your own property is your mail carrier. We all know of the cartoons and jokes where a mail carrier comes to deliver mail and leaves the property injured by a dog that someone was not watching. While carriers expect to avoid some animals allowing your animal to terrorize the carrier daily or actually harm them can result in a lawsuit being filed against you.

Secondly you are responsible for any and all property damage your dog causes. In some cases owners may consider your dogs waste to be damage and you may be fined if you do not ensure that it is picked up and kept with you at all times. Beyond this shared fences and other such items with your neighbors are also covered.

However if you were reasonably attempting to control your dog you may argue that you are not responsible. Things like your dog breaking free of it's leash for the first time or tunneling under a fence that you didn't know had to be fixed can be examples of this. Not fixing these situations or allowing them to continue will however provide proof of your negligence should an incident occur.

Finally if your dog creates an unsafe environment you may also be charged with negligence. If your dog messes on a sidewalk and someone slips you may be sued. If your dog digs holes on public land and someone breaks their ankle you may be liable. And if your dog threatens the neighborhood cat and causes them to come to harm you may be liable.

These are very general rules and may not apply in your area. Many of these depend completely on your local ordinances and looking up the corresponding legal codes may save you some stress. However if you follow these recommendations you can be pretty sure you won't be found liable for the actions of your dog.

Controlling your dog and the environment around them will reduce your liability. Giving you more time to give your canine companion love without worry. In addition you will not be surprised by a lawsuit that seems to come from no-where.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Your-Liability-As-A-Dog-Owner&id=8841662