Dog and animal owners have an intrinsic responsibility to ensure their pets are carefully controlled so they do not harm anyone. Unfortunately, these sorts of attacks are more common than most people realize, and they can result in serious harm to anyone who suffers them. Here are five things you need to know about dog bites and other animal attacks:

  1. Dog bites should not normally happen
    • Dog and animal owners who exercise proper control over their animals can generally prevent most unprovoked animal bites. However, the chances of a bite go up dramatically when a pet owner is irresponsible or negligent in training and socializing their animal. This can result in a poorly trained dog that may attack people without warning or cause.
  2. Dog bites are shockingly common
    • Despite the fact that dog bites should not happen when they are properly trained and socialized, they are an extremely common injury. According to the American Medical Veterinary Association, as many as 800,000 people are hospitalized each year across the US for dog bites. That amounts to more than 2,000 people every single day who require emergency medical attention due to being attacked by a dog.
  3. Children are at the highest risk of dog bites
    • By far the group most likely to be attacked by dogs and other animals are children, in part because they do not know any better. Due to their small size, they are also the ones most likely to suffer from severe injuries if they are bitten. However, dogs should be trained to not attack children, due to their lack of control.
  4. Dog bites can result in serious injuries
    • Dog bites are no laughing matter, especially when it comes to small children. These injuries can take weeks or months to recover from, especially if the bite was from an especially large breed of dog, and some may even result in permanent disability or death. As a general rule, the younger the victim, the more serious the consequences of a bite can be.
  5. Dog owners are strictly liable for animal bites
    • Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 44-8-413, all dog owners are strictly liable for any injury their pets cause. In other words, the simple fact that their pets injured someone means they can be held legally responsible, without needing to prove how negligent they were in allowing the attack to happen. The mere fact that it did happen is enough to establish liability under most circumstances.

 

If you have been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, you should contact the Tennessee personal injury lawyers at the Keith Williams Law Group. With convenient offices located in Nashville and Lebanon, our lawyers will work with you to create a litigation strategy that protects your legal rights and serves your personal needs. For more information or a free consultation, please contact us at 615-444-2900 or visit our contact page.