am i liable for my neighbors actions.?

Question

she was being arrested for selling drugs. she grabed her son 8mths and ran into my yard. police man followed. my blue heeler just saw my neighbor who he has known all his life being chased. so he attacked the policeman.officer shot at him till his gun was empty. smokey is real fast. he got the officer down and went for his throat. but missed and bit his nose off.my lazy 20yr old son that just sleeps all day at last woke up and called smokey off. whats going to happen to smokey and me.we have a six foot priavicy fence. and smokey has never bitten anyone before. i am really sorry for the officer.

Answer 1

here is another made up story. when will you people grow up. bite off the officers nose? that is so stupid.a very real way to tell you are lying is that they did not have the dog taken to the ound,geesh!!!!!!!!!!!!!
----retired texas deputy sheriff----

Answer 2

If you had "No Trespassing" Signs on your property, you would have protected your rights and the rights of your dog. As it stands, the dog thought that both the police officer and your neighbor were intruders and since the police officer was behaving in a threatening manner, the dog sought to protect what he see as "his" property. Therefore, your defense would be self-defense. The police might try to accuse you of harboring a fugitive since you apparently didn't call the dog off quickly enough. You will probably have to fight like hell to keep the dog from being put to sleep but your argument should be that you and your dog were simply protecting your property and defending yourself from threatening actions. I would suggest you get yourself an attorney immediately and be sure not to talk to the police without that attorney present. Also, the attorney could get an injunction against destroying the dog if the police try to do that. You can't sit and wait because your dog interfered with an arrest and the officer discharged his weapon prompting tons of investigation and paperwork. Someone will have to pay -- make sure it's not you and your dog.

Answer 3

With a good attorney I believe you will not be liable for your neighbor. Also if you have a 6 foot privacy fence whether the police officer was in pursuit or not I think you met the standards by law. I believe that the officer may be able to go to your homeowners for payment of bills and such but my suggestion is to call a law line and ask the specific questions and let them answer under what your law is.

Answer 4

I don't know what country you are in, but it doesn't sound like your dog is a total psycho, just doing it's job. Maybe he thought the cop was attacking your neighbour. But ask yourself what might have happened to a child climbing into the garden looking for a lost ball or something. I think they may have a case to euthanize the dog, sadly.

Answer 5

Under the circumstances, as you have presented them, you should not be liable. It is possible that your dog could be taken away, but that too is debatable since the dog was in his own tard, basically minding his own business and reacted to a strange intruder. By the same token, the officer would not be liable for any harm to the dog because he was defending himself.

Answer 6

In my opinion, they should not be allowed to take your dog away. Your dog was in your yard, enclosed by a fence. The dog misinterpreted the situation thinking the neighbor was in danger. It's not like the dog got out of the yard and bit someone for no good reason.

I would try to fight it if they try to take your dog. Good luck to you.

Answer 7

Sounds like the cop, needs to learn to run faster.

Answer 8

I'm sorry but the state or county or city will probly your puppy to sleep and you'll probly will be charged for something

Answer 9

You might check with your homeowner's insurance (if you own your home). Sometimes insurance includes your animals and what they do. It is worth a try.