Dog bite question.?

Question

I was walking my dog on public, when she was bite by another dog. The dog run out of an anbanded house. Is the homeowner responsible for my Vet bills, as he was offering shelter to this dog?

Answer 1

You will probably want to check with your local Humane Society or Animal Control center. If the dog was off-leash, usually the owner of the dog is responsible.

Answer 2

Kind of a confusing question. But from what I can gather someone owns this house, but no longer lives there. In his/her absence a dog has moved in. And it's this dog that bit your dog. If that's correct then you should call animal control and have the dog removed.

Legally speaking it depends very much on where you live. In most places there are rules regarding ownership. In generally you have to be aware of the dog. So if the guy was feeding the dog for a few months there could be a case. However if it just happened to live there it will be very difficult to prove ownership. That being said, the most important thing to remember is that most states only value a dog at what you paid for it. So even if you could establish ownership the court could only rule that your property, valued at what you paid for it, was damaged. After legal fees, time, and energy you'd come out way behind.

Unfortunately we tend to have a very dog unfriendly legal system. It can be very frustrating for dog owners. Good luck.

Answer 3

Technically,
The owner of a dog is responsible for its actions so it is possible you'd have a case. But if the owner of the house is not the owner of the dog and the dog is a stray that just happens to use that house for shelter, you'd probably have to spend a lot of time, effort and possibly money to get an answer in court. Sometimes, the time, emotional energy and legal fees are worth the hassle.

Answer 4

If the authorities can proof who the owner is then it would make them liable. It is a tough situation because even if the dog was owned by the home owner. He can just claim it's a stray. If there is witnesses to say that the home owner has been feeding and giving it water for a long enough period then you have a better chance. Good Luck. Did the SPCA take the dog into their custody?

Answer 5

I'm not sure I understand. If the house was abandoned, how was there a homeowner?

Anyways, if there was a homeowner, and he was sheltering this dog, then I would try and get him to pay the vet bills. However, if you can't prove it was his dog, you may find it very difficult.

Answer 6

If this is not the owner of that abandoned house's dog, then they are not responsible. Though, you should contact your local police department (non emergency phone number) for better answers. You should contact them regardless and file a police report just in case you find the owner or something. The police might even know the owner of the dog.
Local animal control will also have answers.
Hopefully your dog is fine.

Answer 7

I am a little confused by your answer. So the dog does have an owner, but he ran out of an abandoned house? Well, if he assumes ownership of the dog, then he is liable for the vet bill, assuming that you filed a report with police or animal control.

Answer 8

The Owner of the Dog is responsible for the Vet bills. Not the owner of the House, unless they are one and the same. If it is a stray, you're on your own.

Answer 9

I doubt if the homeowner would be held responsible for a bite from a stray dog. If you could track down th owner you could hold them responsible but that would be next to impossible ro do,.

Answer 10

You would have more luck pursuing the dog's owner, not the home owner. Offering shelter is normally an active participation, not a passive act.