Originally Posted by CeeHawk37
Damn! Hate to hear about this and hope the little guy is on the mend. Laws must be different than here. Typically if there’s a biting incident that results in injury, the county will step in and hold the dog for evaluation on the first go around. They can determine to put the dog down after the investigation. If there’s a second incident then it’s game over for the dog and the owner gets some fines to pay if I remember correct. I’d run that up to either the mayor or town council (county council if it’s out in the sticks). Seems like there’s got to be some recourse for an injury like that. If not there should be one.

Not sure how I’d handle it if the authorities all just shrugged their shoulders and said nothing can be done.



The way I understood it before I lost my cool is that the city passed a new ordinance. If you are on the property that the dog lives, the dog isn’t responsible nor the owners regardless of who was bitten. Thats all the info I was given even though I pressed the issue wanting a more reasonable explanation. I googled it and more or less found the same thing in writing.


Originally Posted by Andalusia
At a minimum I would think you should be able to file a claim with their liability insurance to cover your medical costs.

So the reason they won't do anything is because your wife and son voluntarily entered their yard?? Or is it is because they requested your wife to come over did not include your son?? Was the yard fenced?? Just trying to understand how they made the determination that nothing would be done?



No the yard wasnt fenced. They didn’t get out of the car at first. The home owner came to the car and got my son out to show him a bicycle that was in the garage. Once my son got out and got to the garage (holding the home owners hand because he is scared of dogs) the dog bit him twice.


They made that determination based on the city ordinance, cut and dry pretty much. Legally how it works is that the home owner is required to take the dog to the vet for a 10 day quarantine voluntarily. If they don’t, then the health department can contact the police department and have a warrant issued on the home owner. I know for a fact the dog hasn’t been taken anywhere and I would be willing to bet my savings account it will not. After the conversation I had with the lady in charge at the health department, there’s no doubt in my mind that they will not press the issue and follow up on whether the dog went to the vet or not.