Animal Attacks | Dog Bites
Without a doubt, dog is man’s best friend. Unfortunately, less than 5 million Americans experience dog bites every year. A dog can be overprotective or territorial. They may lose their bearings and become unreasonably frightened and lash out. You may have been attacked by a dog, owned by another person. In such an incident, a pet owner may not be as sympathetic as you may have thought, perhaps even becoming defensive and fearing the worst for their pet. The owner may even blame you for the incident and not take any responsibility in defense of his dog.
Overall, Virginia is a “one bite rule” state. That is to say, a dog is allowed one attack before an owner is put on notice of the dog’s vicious tendencies and held responsible for future attacks created by their negligence.
In Virginia, dog owners can be deemed to already have notice by owning a certain breed of dog that has developed a reputation, deservingly or undeservingly, of having a propensity to attack. This is because an owner has a responsibility to understand the general natural inclinations of that breed and of that particular dog. In that instance, the owner can be held liable for the first attack. Additionally, some counties have leash laws. If the pet owner violates the leash law, regardless of breed, the violation can be problematic for the owner in the case of a dog bite.
The Law Office of Christopher G. Findlater handles dog bite cases. If you have been bitten by a dog owned by another person, contact the Law Office of Christopher G. Findlater. The initial phone consultation and meeting is free of charge.
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