Liability of Dogs & Dogs in General
I have two dogs - golden retriever and chocolate lab. I love my dogs, the chocolate lab is named Teli and she is, no joke, my best friend. For a short while after our case study on the murder of Diane Whipple, I was a bit suspect around my woofies. Whenever I play fight with them, I'm a little bit afraid - because I really don't want to get killed. In this post, I'd both like to present some evidence on dog bites and dog liabilities, and have some anecdotal stories.
So, I started with a simple Google search, "how often are people attacked by dogs?" What I learned was that there are about 78.2 million dogs in the US and that just about 4.5 million people report dog bites each year. That means that, if you sat down and played with a large group of dogs, about 6% of them might bite you. On the other hand, there have been over 280 dog bite fatalities in the past 20 years - that's kind of crazy.
If someone is bitten by a dog while trespassing, the owner is not liable for the dog's actions. But, if a dog hurts someone in public, the owner is usually obligated to pay any medical bills and, in most states, can be sued.
I was listening to a podcast the other day about a man who lived with a pack of wolves for five months. He was in the Yukon doing biology research when a pack of wolves moved into his campsite. They would follow him to the river each day and he would toss salmon to them as he caught it. When the wolves howled at night, he would howl with them. He became part of the pack. This podcast reminded me that these wolves are just like dogs, they are friendly and enjoy human companionship, but they could snap if you did something wrong. For instance, the biologist never looked any of the wolves in the eyes out of fear that they would then attack.
Once, I was staying in a hostel in a small town South America. There were three stray bull dogs that lived behind the hostel and ate our food scraps. Whenever I went into town with friends, they would follow us. One night the three bulldogs followed a friend and I into town. I went into a market and when I came out, the bull dogs were attacking a different dog on the street. People started throwing things at them and yelling. They killed the other dog.
Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that dogs can be pretty scary. It's important to realize that when you are buying dogs, or rescuing them, you are bringing a domesticated predator into your home. But, you also might be bringing in your best friend.
So, I started with a simple Google search, "how often are people attacked by dogs?" What I learned was that there are about 78.2 million dogs in the US and that just about 4.5 million people report dog bites each year. That means that, if you sat down and played with a large group of dogs, about 6% of them might bite you. On the other hand, there have been over 280 dog bite fatalities in the past 20 years - that's kind of crazy.
If someone is bitten by a dog while trespassing, the owner is not liable for the dog's actions. But, if a dog hurts someone in public, the owner is usually obligated to pay any medical bills and, in most states, can be sued.
I was listening to a podcast the other day about a man who lived with a pack of wolves for five months. He was in the Yukon doing biology research when a pack of wolves moved into his campsite. They would follow him to the river each day and he would toss salmon to them as he caught it. When the wolves howled at night, he would howl with them. He became part of the pack. This podcast reminded me that these wolves are just like dogs, they are friendly and enjoy human companionship, but they could snap if you did something wrong. For instance, the biologist never looked any of the wolves in the eyes out of fear that they would then attack.
Once, I was staying in a hostel in a small town South America. There were three stray bull dogs that lived behind the hostel and ate our food scraps. Whenever I went into town with friends, they would follow us. One night the three bulldogs followed a friend and I into town. I went into a market and when I came out, the bull dogs were attacking a different dog on the street. People started throwing things at them and yelling. They killed the other dog.
Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that dogs can be pretty scary. It's important to realize that when you are buying dogs, or rescuing them, you are bringing a domesticated predator into your home. But, you also might be bringing in your best friend.
This is very true, keeping your guard up at all times in the presence of any animal is ideal especially after watching this case. Even the nicest dogs you encounter in a life time, the littlest thing can trigger them, and they can possibly attack. A provoked attack can happen anywhere, especially around little kids who can tick them off at anytime. There are several cases that regard family dogs attacking out of the blue, so educating children on how to approach and act around dogs rather than the dogs because they are very unpredictable. I think it is more of a natural instinct to these pets to protect their territory, and selves, so I do not think the damage is completely responsibility of them because it is what their role was before evolving into domesticated dogs, and the owners cannot quite control every single action a dog completes, as their behavior in various different situations is extremely unpredictable.
ReplyDeleteI love this post! I think it is so cool that you have two dogs; they sound super cute, and I like how you referred to them as "woofies." :) I also enjoyed reading your anecdotes. I agree that it is very true that you have to be super careful around any animal, even if it is domesticated. The dogs case proves that it is completely possible, based on the breed of dog, for a dog to attack a human seemingly for no reason. If some dogs are anything like Marjorie's dogs, then we are in for a disaster eventually. Though some dogs are unpredictable, most are kind and gentle. With the help of their owners, I believe that vicious dogs can become gentle and kind, though it might take a good amount of work on the owner's part.
ReplyDeleteThis post really gave me another perspective on the dog liability topic. I also have a dog, a black lab, and he is a total goofball. Owning a dog is like having a kid and to a certain extent you are liable for your kids actions. I think alot of factors play into the Pressa Canario case making the owners liable. The fact that they adopted someone who owned dog of war, a aggressive dog training program, the aggressive dog training book, and the previous attacks from the dogs that neighbors complained about. If your dog runs into the street and someone dies in the car accident I do not believe you are liable. It is a fine line but I believe that it depends on the circumstance. Great Post!
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