My 20lbs dog pounced on a smaller dog at the dog park, what are my legal obligations toward vet bills?

Question

Today I was at a dog park with my small dog who has never attacked or injured any dog or human, a very small 2lbs Chihuahua came in, the dogs were getting along fine and then my dog started chasing the little dog and pounced on it, the dog started to cry, it was terrible, I retrieved my dog, leased him(both dogs were off their leads) and gave the man my number. He called me a while ago and let me know that the vet bills are already adding up (it seems his little ribs are broken) I desperately need to know what my financial obligations are with regard to the vet bills ? I am not trying to get out of my responsibilty, but I am a student and I don't have money to just pay all the vet bills, I just really don't know what my obligations are, please help.

Answer 1

You did the right thing and being responsible. The right thing to do is to pay the vet bill, but make sure that you are not being ripped off.

Before committing to pay anything, ask to see the receipts AND the phone number of the veterinarian. Most vets will gladly explain what they saw and what is related to the pounce. Some owners will try to get away w buying heartworm prevention, vaccines, and other things not related to the accident but they need, just to rack up the bill. Since there is no contract, or the dog was under your care or anything, you dont have to pay anything you didn't think was necessary. Also, by being in a dog park and keeping dogs off leashes, both parties should agree that there is certain responsibility they have to take, so the other party should also be responsible for part of the bill, not just you.

If the vet came up w the diagnosis of broken ribs, I assume there are radiographs involved (around $100). Unless there are fractured lungs, broken diaphragm, etc, there is not much you do for broken ribs but cage rest.... definitely ask their vet what's going on.

Forgot to add, the other party should notify the veterinarian that they will get a call from you. By law, vets can't talk about medical issues of their patients to other ppl other than the owners without consent. That is private medical information, so the vet should be aware of this situation before explaining to you what's going on.

Answer 2

I'd find out what vet the fellow was taking the dog to and verify the bill for treatment before paying ANYTHING. I do feel that you are obligated to pay for the Chihuahua's treatment since your dog was off it's leash and your dog injured the other dog. The situation is similar to a 2-car accident in which a second car rear-ends the first car. The first car may have stopped suddenly and for no good reason but the driver of the second car is still liable because he hit the first car by following too close or whatever.
Too, this fellow could take you to small claims court if you do not pay up. He could even include his court fees (such as the application fee). All that would add up to even more than the original vet bill. Something to think about...
P.S. -- After reading what others have written here, I now think that offering to go halves might be the best solution since the fellow was also to blame for letting his small dog run free without a leash.

Answer 3

I may be wrong here but since both dogs were off there leashes and playing I would offer to pay half the vet bill.He knew his dog was small and should have been more careful about which dogs he lets it interact with.You have half the responsibility because your dog did the damage but it was not malicious and dogs are dogs you never know what they will do sometimes.His dog could have just as easily bitten your dog and done damage.And as the other answer says I would ask to see the bills before you give him any money also get a receipt for your money note on the receipt what it was for and have him sign it.If he disputes this and tries to take you to court I don't think he would get any more than half the bill.Hope this helps

Answer 4

Most dog park rules state that the owner is 100% responsible for injury caused by their pet. At the very least, you should pay half.
In my opinion, a 2 lb chihuahua should not have been there in the first place. What were they thinking? I know it's a dog park, but common sense should have been used on their part.

Answer 5

I feel that you are responsible for the vet bill no matter what the cost is ... even though both dogs were off their leash... as soon as you seen the little 2 lb dog come over you should have leashed your dog ... to your dog this little one looked like lunch ... your dog did the damage to the smaller dog ... then you should be paying the bill .... you should have control of your dog at all times... when your dog started to chase the little dog you should have gotten him back on his lead...
And as far as paying the amount ... get the copy of the vet bill ... call the vet and speak to him about the damage that your dog had done and if necessary could you make monthly payments on this bill ....

Answer 6

what was your 20lb dog doing in with the toy dogs ? do they not have seperate entrances for the smaller and bigger dogs ? you are responsible for all medical bills no matter what the cost they are all yours. you should have put your dog back on the lead when you noticed him getting rough . That is too bad that you dont feel that all the vet bills are yours but they are and you need to pay them no ? s asked .

Answer 7

I would agree that you should have to pay half. A person who lets their 2lb do run around and play with bigger dogs should know that accidents are likely to happen-the dogs were playing, your dog didnt do anything out of agression, his dog was of lead too, and Im sure he seen the dogs playing together before this happened-he agreed to letting the dogs play by not saying anything, or by stopping them.

Answer 8

>> I would offer to pay half. You take on a certain amount of responsibility when you take your dog to the dog part. I would not expect anyone to pay the complete bill for me. This is why I never take my dog to the park.

Answer 9

That's a tough call. I would pay 50/50, thats the way it should be.