But the person whoem he bit was an intruder either in my house or on my property, would i be in trouble?, same as if he attacked a dog that was running through my front garden, My dog is a loving loyal dog, i have 4 children, youngest 6 months old and although i would never leave him alone in the room with my baby i have no thoughts that would make me think he was a danger to my family, He is a lovely dog to others out side of my property but he is a ferocious guard dog as soon as we are on my property, would i be responsible for any injury caused by him to trespassers according to uk law?
2006-10-01 23:37:42 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
Your house no.
But your garden yes. If the person entering your garden has a right to be there, ie the postman, the milkman if you order milk etc then you will be held liable.
If it is someone who has randomly come into your garden for no reason then nope.
2006-10-01 23:40:06 · answer #1 · answered by OriginalBubble 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You are 100%, completely and totally responsible for your animals actions. It doesn't matter if the person attacked was an intruder in your home. I have heard of court cases where an intruder has fallen through the roof of a house they were breaking into and got an $8000 payout from the homeowner because the roof wasn't safe.
I am more concerned about you not trusting the dog enough to leave the children with him. The reason dogs attack young children is because children are eye level with them which they see as a challenge. Teach your children from an early age how to interact with your dog to teach them and him that humans are higher on the foodchain and thus are supposed to be obeyed.
2006-10-02 08:15:00 · answer #2 · answered by Alyeria 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes you would. You have a duty even to people or animals which may come onto your property. The so called intruder might be no harm. It might be a confused elderly person or someone with learning disabilities who was confused, or a young man or woman in desperate need of help. And other dogs sadly are not aware of property boundaries and might stray. What you are saying in essence is that you know that your dogs bites and is potentially dangerous. If he bit someone who came into your garden you would indeed be liable and he would be put to sleep.
I think that the last thing you need is to get another one who may not turn out to be as wonderful with your children as you think this one is.
2006-10-02 06:57:00 · answer #3 · answered by fenlandfowl 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ringo, you are wrong! If there is a warning sign, then the intruder *can* have a case against you, because you are "warning" people that your dog is dangerous, and therefore a threat to them should they enter your property...this stands for even those jokey signs! Although it's silly really, because if someone enters a property after reading a warning sign, it should be at their own risk...but it's not about that really, it's about your knowing your dog *will* attack.
If you have no sign, and someone gets into your property, and your dog is just protecting his family and his house, then you will not be held liable, and the intruder will not have a case.
2006-10-02 16:56:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anon 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have this same problem as i have 2 german shepherds 1 male 9 months old 1 female 13 months old and they are very protective of us i trust my dogs with my children but never leave my youngest alone with them who is almost 4 the male dog is the most aggressive type and i fear he will go for a stranger if they are an intruder of some kind but when i tell him no he responds immediately and then submits to who is in my home. Its to do with teaching your dog to reconise dangers and when to act on them.
2006-10-02 06:54:28 · answer #5 · answered by vicky s 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Regarding other people responses on this Q I would like to say that anyone leaving any sized dog with a small child is irresponsible! The child and dog may not have bonded and a child may torment the dog causing the dog to react!
I have grown up around large dogs and continue to work with resuce dogs of all shapes and sizes now! Normal, happy, contented animals do not bite for no reason!
Unfortunately, it does depend on the law in your area, also the dogs history!
2006-10-02 09:58:09 · answer #6 · answered by bluedog 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check the laws and ordinances in your area. I know it sounds completely crazy but there have been lawsuits where a burglar sued a home owner, because the burglar was bit by the home owner's dog. And for whatever reason the burglar won. I know in my area there is a leash law and if someone strayed on to my property and I had a loose dog I am responsible. There is a huge difference between civil and legal liability.
2006-10-02 07:48:07 · answer #7 · answered by TritanBear 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would contact your local Humane Society to check on the laws in your area. Each state has it's own laws, let alone every country. However, as far as I know - if the person enters your house without your permission - you would be without blame. As for your yard, that depends on if your yard is fenced or not. If it is fenced with a beware of dog sign, no - unless it is someone such as the mail man or gas man and so forth, who have the right to enter your property. But as I said, I would check either with the local Humane Society or with your local law enforcement agency for exact ruling on where you live.
2006-10-02 06:44:13 · answer #8 · answered by Shadowtwinchaos 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
just make sure that you have guard dog beware signs placed where they are clearly visible,then should any one enter you house or back garden uninvited you should be covered.
your front garden is a different matter, because of obvious reasons, ie, postman,milkman,meter readers, etc.
in the same way as you would be responsible for, causing an accident in a car, or resposible for damage caused by your children, you are responsible for you dog.
it is always a good idea to have pet insurance so should anything ever happen you would be covered for compensation claims.
2006-10-02 07:02:28 · answer #9 · answered by mythmagicdragon 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You wouldnt be in trouble at the moment but I was reading in the paper yesterday that the news of the world is campaigning for dogs to be put down even if they bite an intruder on your property. Personally, I think this is madness.
2006-10-02 06:55:22 · answer #10 · answered by Catwhiskers 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you have "beware of the dog signs" it can be interpreted that you acknowledge your dog is dangerous and have encouraged him to be that way!! Don't put them up!! Instead have a photo of your dog with a "I live here" type sign put up. You need to be able to control your dog at "all" times and be confident that if he ever did attack you could calll him off.
I have 4 dogs, 1 GSD, 2 Danes and a setter, if they ever all decided to "attack" the same thing at the same time........?
I woudn't like to test the law with the "biting an intruder" theory, I suspect the dog would come off worse in court! (sadly)
2006-10-02 06:53:41 · answer #11 · answered by adihat 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋