If an invited person comes on your property are you responsible if your dog attacks or tries to attack them?

Question

We have pitbull who is very calm and gentle and trained. Our neighbor asked if they could borrow something from us. So I went into the house to get it. Our dog was outside on her chain and I came out to give our nieghbor what he needed. He was invited over so he wasn't trespassing. The dog jumped off of the porch and ran after him. Would the owner be responsible if the dog hurt him and should the dog be disciplined?

Answer 1

Yes you are responsible since you are the owner of the dog. You should have homeowners insurance that covers dog bites. This would cover medical expenses if your dog would hurt someone.

Answer 2

I would say you could be held responsible. The best course of action is to properly restrain the dog.

I don't know that there will be much purpose in disciplining the dog--the dog is acting on instinct. I suggest you make sure your dog is either confined by a fence or a chain and that you warn any person you invite on the property that the dog might be hostile at times.

Answer 3

If a dog attacks someone you would be responsible, especially if he was invited onto the property. Since it is a pitbull you would have a very hard time gaining any sympathy from people about it not being your fault. Pitbulls have been proven to snap with people. They may be okay with the family but they can get mean with other people. Plus, I heard a guy telling everyone how nice his was and then about a month later it attacked his 9 year old son and tore his face up. It took over 200 stitches to close up the cuts on his face. I would just watch him very carefully so he doesn't end up hurting someone.

Answer 4

I wouldn't go as far as to assume that your dog attacked him for no reason. There are a good number of reasons for him having done this.

The first, and most common, especially since he is well trained and behaves like an angel for you, is called "fear biting" or "fear aggression" that can come about any time in a dog's life, and for any reason at all. Most of the time, fear aggression comes about because of a past traumatic experience such as someone breaking into your home.

The second reason, is that there was just something that your dog picked up on, that he did not like about your neighbore.

And the third reason, is that your neighbore did something to provoke your dog.

I would not suggest diciplining your dog, especially if the problem is fear aggression, because your dog is just doing what he thinks he needs to do to protect you, your home, and himself.

The best thing that you can do to remedy this problem would be to contact a professional trainer, warn people verbally that your dog may bite, and of course, invest in a "beware of dog" sign. You might also want to consider putting your dog in a separate room in your house, or making sure that when you have company, your dog is safely detained in a kennel.

I don't know if the laws are the same in your state as they are in mine, but as far as I know, unless there is visable warning (i.e. beware of dog sign), then you ARE held responsable if your dog bites somebody.

Answer 5

HOLD THE PHONE!!! You just said she was very calm and gentle. So, what was her attitude when she was running after him? No, it is not acceptable behavior, and needs to be corrected, but many people get bit because they think a running dog is an aggressive dog. My Pit likes to jump the fence (bloody tropical storm knocked down my hieght... grrr) or slip out the door whenever he can, and he loves people. Luckily, people around here are smarter than average, (placing themselves between dog and child/other and speaking kindly to the dog) and help to avoid incidents. If your normally kind dog was agitated to the point where she broke free from her chain and actually attacked... the question then must be raised, what did your neighbor do to her while your back was turned?

Answer 6

If your animal attacks any one or hurts any one, invited or not, yes, you are responsible. Yes, the dog should be disciplined. Pit bulls have a reputation for attacking people without cause. Even calm, trained ones. The problem is, we just can't read their minds and figure out what their thinking before they attack.

Answer 7

Yes to both of your questions! Once your dog knows that the person is "allowed" to be there, eg: you haven't started screaming "help" or anything, it shouldn't go chasing after the person! You need to train him not to do this, or keep him either with you , or tied up / locked up when others are on your property. No matter what happens on your property, you're liable for any damage done to another person while they're there. Even if the person is an intruder, you may be liable, so be very careful!

Answer 8

Yes, the owner is responsible. It's normal and acceptable for people to come up and ring your doorbell, and they should be able to do so without fear of being attacked.

This is the reason why homeowner's insurance is hard to get if you have a pitbull, doberman, rotweiller, or other large breed. If your dog attacks, expect to pay some hospital bills.

Answer 9

You are responsible no matter what. It might seem unfair, but your neighbor could claim that your dog is aggressive...even on a chain, and if your dog did bite.. well, it's not necessarily a just world even for a nice pitbull.

Make sure your dog is up to date on shots. It can add some weight in your favor.

Answer 10

Of course you are responsible. It is your duty, as a dog owner, to keep that dog under your control. Never discipline a dog. He/she doesn't know what you are disciplining him/her for. What you should do, is keep your dog on a shorter chain, and there is a new law out that says you should never keep your dog outside on a chain for more than two hours at a time.