What Happens If A Dog Bites Someone On Your Property? (Truth)

File a Report

No matter what the incident is, you want to make sure you write out a detailed explanation of exactly what happened that led to the dog biting the person. It should include all relevant names involved in the incident, including witnesses, exactly when it happened, how it happened, and why it happened. The closer to the time of the event that you fill out this description, the better it is. Get things down on paper while they are fresh in your mind.

The reason behind this is simple. If this is your child or even you that was bitten and you are required to have some kind of medical treatment for this dog bite, you can be sure that your insurance company is going to be asking for more details. If you already have the details written down, this will make it easy for you to supply them with that information.

If they have bitten someone else, like a neighbor, friend, or even the postman, you may have the police involved. If the person goes to the doctor, their medical insurance company is going to be involved and so is your homeowner’s insurance company. Each of these organizations is going to want a description of exactly what happened, and you want to make sure that you have the details.

Even if this person has broken into your house or gone on to your property in an attempt to harm you, you need proper documentation. If you are forced to go to court to testify against this person, you want to be able to say, “This is exactly what happened.”

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Dog-Biting Tips for Dog Owners

• Some articles make claims about which breeds are more likely to bite, but these articles are full of misinformation, and articles that scare people are part of the problem. Any dog has the potential to bite, but larger breeds can do a lot more damage. A visitor might laugh off a ferocious little Chihuahua but get really upset if your Rottweiler growls at them.
• A word of warning: some states have a “one-bite” rule and allow a dog one free bite before it is determined he is aggressive. If your dog has already bitten someone in one of those states, or if you have been stupid enough to train your dog to be aggressive, the penalties are going to be a lot harsher.
• Even if you have the mildest, most mellow old dog that would never bite anyone, you should make sure you have a secure place to put him in the house, have an insurance policy that covers him, and make sure you know of a lawyer you can work with if a bite occurs.
• Sometimes, bites happen to the nicest dogs. People can do the most annoying things, and sometimes it is just more than even the best dog can bear.
• Protect your dog's life. After all, she is always there to protect yours.

What If My Dog Bites Someone on My Property UK?

In the United Kingdom, the dog bite laws are now strict. Freely allowing the pet to be seriously out of control on a public or private property is now a breach. In other words, a dog owner may be prosecuted if the pet attacks someone on an owned property, including the pub area and backyard.

The only exception here is when a dog bites someone, such as a burglar, who enters your home illegally. You have to ensure that your dog is not a menace for health staff, postal workers, delivery staff, and other professionals who may come to visit you.

It is not necessary for your dog to bite or physically injure a person for a felony to occur. If anyone feels that your dog may hurt someone, the pet may still be out of control. This is applicable, regardless of size, gender, type, and breed.

It is highly recommended to study the dog’s body language to know whether your pet is uncomfortable or not in specific situations at home, such as children visiting you or a delivery boy knocking the door. This will help you to train your furry friend to cope or shift it to a safe place while dealing with guests or visitors.

Why Should A Victim Get A Dog Bite Attorney To Represent Them?

The dog bite attorney's overall role is to assist the victim who has sustained the dog bite before and during the legal proceedings of the dog bite case. Oftentimes, the victim looks to sue for a dog bite. The primary duties that a dog bite attorney is often required to do is to seek compensation for the victim's injuries and prepare for the legal proceedings.

What Happens When A Dog Bite Is Reported?

Those affected by a dog attack may wish to gain information on what action has been put into place after filing the report. It happens very often that a report is left untouched once someone files it with the government.

Most of the time, the report is either stored in a filing cabinet or database, and nothing is ever done about it. For this reason, many people wonder what happens to the costs accumulated from the bite, dog, and other bills.

One of the first steps that come after a report is filed is that the dog is quarantined. This usually entails that it is restricted to the owner's home. He or she is not allowed to let the dog go outside of the yard or house. Along with this restriction, the dog also shouldn't come in to contact with another person.

The dog is usually allowed to remain in the owner's custody until a disposition has been reached. These restrictions are required to be followed by the owner in order for the dog to be allowed in the owner's custody.

However, alternative circumstances can lead to the dog being taken to a shelter. The dog would be quarantined in that particular shelter until a determination is made. There are a couple of factors that may lead to this procedure being put in place. These are:

·       The owner is found not to be following the required restrictions

·       The dog is seen to be a considerable threat by either the local police department or local

animal control agency

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How to Stop Your Dog Biting

Now we’ve looked at some of the reasons a dog will bite, we come to the all-important question: how do you stop it from happening?

First and foremost, you’re going to need to teach them focus, control, and emotional stability.

If that sounds like mission impossible, take a moment to check out the Dog Calming Code I mentioned earlier. It won’t do the work for you, but it will make that work far, far easier, and more productive than it’d be otherwise. 

Once you’ve checked out the link, take a look at some of the following strategies. 

Identify the Root Cause

There’s no point in training a dog who’s sick, and there’s no point in treating a dog who bites out of fear the same way as you’d treat one who bites out of frustration.

Some solutions are universal, but some problems require a tailored approach. If you don’t figure out what the actual problem is, you’ll never truly address it.

Before you do anything else, take some time out to evaluate the circumstances around what made your dog bite. 

…Did someone approach them when they were eating? 

…Are they a rescue dog with an uncertain history? 

…Did they flip out after hearing a car backfire?

It might take a bit of work to understand the motivation, but the more work you put in at this stage, the more constructive the next one will be. 

Get Them Checked Out

Before you launch into any training or behavior modification, take your dog to the vet. 

If they’ve only bitten someone once and haven’t shown signs of aggression in the past, their behavior might be rooted in a medical issue. 

It might be something that can be easily fixed; it might be something that requires ongoing management. Either way, it’s not going to go anywhere until your get it diagnosed and treated. 

If your vet gives them a clean bill of health, but suspects anxiety might be to blame for their behavior. They may recommend a short-term course of anti-anxiety medication while you work on tackling the problem on a long-term basis. 

Prevent While You Cure

Depending on the underlying cause of your dog’s behavior, it may take some time before you address it fully through training. In the meantime, take steps to avoid anything that could trigger a repeat attack.

Be aware of their limitations and avoid putting them in situations that could lead to stress and aggression.

If they get protective over toys, clear those toys away before any visitors arrive. If they get testy around food, don’t approach them while they’re eating and let other people know to do the same.

Warn other people about the potential problem, and don’t let your dog approach other people or animals unless it’s in a controlled environment. 

None of these solutions will necessarily fix the problem, but they’ll at least keep everyone safe in the meantime.

Related Post: How To Calm An Aggressive Dog – Simple Tips For Aggressive Behavior

Socialize Them

Ideally, socialization needs to be done from a young age, but don’t worry if your dog’s getting long in the tooth: it’s never too late to learn some new tricks. 

The aim of socialization is to allow your dog to meet and interact with as many different people (including the elderly, children, and the disabled) and animals in as wide a variety of situations as possible.

The more accustomed they become to different sights and sounds, the less fear they’ll show around those situations in the future. 

Keep the introductions gentle, fun, and don’t forget to praise and reward your dog whenever they react calmly to a new experience. 

The aim of the game is to build positive associations. And if there’s one thing almost guaranteed to create positive associations in your dog’s mind, it’s a mouthful of their favorite treats.  

Learn Dog Language

If you can learn canine body language, you’ll be in a much better position to spot the signs that can lead to a bite. Whenever your dog is around other people or other dogs, watch out for telltale signs of unease such as…

• A stiff posture
• A fixed gaze
• A wrinkled muzzle
• A lowered tail

As soon as you notice any of the warnings, stop what’s happening and remove your dog from the situation before it escalates. 

Try Some Basic Training

You don’t have to be a fully certified dog trainer to put your dog through some basic training.

Simple obedience training can go a long way to teaching impulse control and discipline, both of which can prevent your dog from reacting to situations in an undesirable way. 

If you’re not sure where to start, the Dog Calming Code is simple, effective, and an excellent tool to teach your dog to stay calm, focused, and mindful of your instructions, regardless of what’s happening around them at the time.

What NOT to Do When A Dog Bites

The most dangerous course of action – for the dog and the human – is also the one taken by most uninformed owners of dogs who bite. Many people react to their dog’s bite by physically and sometimes severely punishing the dog into submission. Some dog trainers even recommend this method, to be employed at the dog’s first sign of aggression. A warning growl or snarl is met with a harsh verbal correction and a leash jerk, followed by more serious measures such as hanging or helicoptering if the dog continued to resist. While this method does manage to “whip” some dogs “into shape,” others will escalate their resistance, fighting back until dog, human, or both, are seriously injured or even dead. You should NOT punish a dog for biting.

This method may also teach the dog not to give a warning prior to the bite. It certainly doesn’t do anything to minimize the dog’s stressors. If anything, it increases the stress, since the dog now associates a severe beating along with whatever other negative feelings he has about the stressor.

Let’s say, for example, a dog is not fond of children. A child approaches and the dog growls – his attempt to let us (and the child) know that her presence is stressful to him. We jerk on his leash and tell him to knock it off. He snaps at us in response to the jerk, so we punish him harder, until he stops fighting and submits. The end result is a dog who isn’t any happier about being around small children, who has now learned that it isn’t safe to growl. This dog is now more likely to bite a child next time he sees one, rather than growling to warn her away, since he has learned that his growling makes us unreasonably aggressive. We may have suppressed the growl, but we haven’t helped him feel any better about being around kids!

A growl is a good thing. It tells us that our dog is nearing his bite threshold, and gives us the opportunity to identify and remove the stressor. Snarls and air-snaps are two steps closer to the threshold – our dog’s last-ditch attempts to warn off the stressor before he is forced to commit the ultimate offense: The actual bite.

If your dog growls or snaps frequently, you need to take notice. He is telling you that there are lots of stressors pushing him toward his bite threshold. If you don’t take action, chances are good that he will eventually bite. And if your dog bites a child – then what? Let’s just say dogs who bite tend to have short lifespans.

What Might Happen To Your Dog And You After A Dog Bite

In some states, law enforcement is authorized to remove your dog from your premises after he bites someone. He will likely be quarantined at a local shelter or veterinarian’s office. If you can provide proof of a current rabies vaccine, you will save the victim having to endure treatment for rabies, and may reduce the amount of time your dog is held in quarantine.

Depending on the state where you live, laws vary on how dog bites are handled. California, for example, has a “strict liability statute” when it comes to dog attacks, according to Bisnar.

“This means dog owners are responsible for the actions of their dogs, no ifs or buts,” he says. “There are very few exceptions to this rule. If your dog bites someone, whether on your property or not, you are liable.”

If the attack happened because of an intruder, different rules could apply, Bisnar says, but generally speaking, any dog bite in California is considered the dog owner’s fault. States that do not have a strict liability statute when it comes to dog attacks usually have a “one bite rule,” according to Bisnar.

“You have to be on notice that your dog might have a propensity to bite people before you are liable for the damages caused by that dog’s bite,” he says. “You might also be liable if you are a ‘keeper’ of the dog — someone who does not own the dog but houses the dog on behalf of the owner — and you know about the tendency of that dog to attack or bite people.”

Trespassers

You may find it shocking to know that the law in a minority of states actually allows trespassers who are bitten by your dog on your property to bring a lawsuit. It will ultimately depend on both the state you are in and whether or not there is a dog bite statute in place that protects owners from liability to trespassers. For instance, Florida’s dog bite statute only allows persons to sue the owner or occupier if they are bitten by a dog and that person is in a public place or lawfully in a private place. Simply put, a person is not lawfully in a private place if they are trespassing, attempting to commit a burglary, or other criminal offense.

Dog Bites and the Law

Dog bite laws can vary greatly depending on the local jurisdiction. It is important that you research the laws in your area, so you know what to expect. The following conditions typically apply in dog bite cases:

• You will need to show proof of your dog’s rabies vaccination history.
• A quarantine period may be required. The period will likely be longer if the rabies vaccination is not current.
• Depending on the situation and your dog’s history, it is possible for your dog to be designated a “dangerous dog.” You may have to comply with specific laws regarding the handling of your dog.
• Laws may require that your dog is euthanized if your dog is considered “dangerous,” if the injury was very serious, or if a fatality occurred. Also, you could be held legally responsible and face criminal charges.

What to Do if Your Dog Bites a Child

In cases where the victim is a child, it’s important to try and determine what the cause of the bite was. Even if you only saw the tail-end of what happened, it’s somewhere to start.

The reasoning for this is that if the bite was provoked, your dog may get off with a warning. 

Dog bite statistics show that children are the most common victims. This is because many children don’t know how to handle dogs properly. They may pull on them, hit them, stand on them, and do other things that could cause the dog to eventually snap.

And, since children can’t read dog body language unless taught (we suggest this fun dog body language card game for kids from Good Dog in a Box), they don’t know the warning signs and cannot stop before they cross the dog’s aggression threshold.

Try to keep in mind that this is a high-stakes emotional situation — the parent of the child will probably be agitated and may lash out at you. Remember to maintain your composure; mom is feeling just as shaky and scared as you are, if not more.

Always sequester your dog and seek medical attention first, as you would with any bite. Then, try to talk to the kiddo — with their parent, of course — about what happened if they’re old enough. 

If they are not old enough to talk things through, wait until the parent has calmed down before discussing what happened. Pushing too hard could overwhelm them and reduce the likelihood of a positive resolution.

If the bite was unprovoked and the dog snapped at a child for an unrelated reason or went out of its way to bite the child, however, there may be further repercussions.

Minimally, your dog will need to work with a certified dog behavior consultant to address the root cause of the dog’s fear and aggressive behavior. 

Get Legal Help If You’ve Been Bitten by a Dog on Someone Else’s Property

Dog bites can be a serious problem. If a canine bit someone on your property, you may need to fight a lawsuit. Conversely, if you were bitten by a dog on someone else’s property, you may be able to recover damages from the property owner. Contact a local personal injury attorney to discuss your legal options.

How to Interact With Dogs

Dogs are cute and often friendly, so it's easy to get excited when you see one. However, they can quickly turn on someone they don't know. Even if you don't have a dog yourself, it's important to know proper behavior for interacting with dogs and how and when to approach one.

All children and adults should learn how to keep themselves safe around dogs. Most importantly, dog owners must be responsible for their dogs. Fortunately, responsible dog ownership and education of the public can keep everyone safe.

• Never try to approach or touch an unfamiliar dog without first asking for the owner’s permission. If an owner is not present, do not go near the dog.
• When meeting an unknown dog, allow the dog to come to you. Allow it to sniff you. Do not reach to pet it unless the owner has given permission. If the owner and dog cues are appropriate you can, crouch down or turn to the side. Always let it sniff your hand before you pet it.
• Do not put your face close to an unknown dog; this includes “hugs and kisses.”
• Understand dog body language. Most dogs will show specific warning signs before biting. But some may not.
• If you are cornered by a dog, remain still and avoid eye contact. Never run or scream. When the dog stops paying attention to you, slowly back away.
• If you’re knocked over by a dog, fall to your side in a fetal position, covering your head and face. Remain very still and calm.
• Never approach a dog that is eating, sleeping, or caring for puppies. Dogs in these situations are more likely to be protective and can become startled.
• Never leave young children or babies alone with a dog for any reason.
• Do not approach, touch, or attempt to move an injured dog. Instead, contact a veterinary professional or animal control for assistance.

Your Dog May Be Quarantined

One thing that may happen is that the court may require that your dog be quarantined. This doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be taken off of your property, a quarantine can mean that they hold you responsible for keeping the dog indoors or in your yard fenced in and unable to reach anyone else.

This action is taken in the vast majority of dog biting incidences. Truthfully, there is not enough room in animal shelters across the country to house every dog accused of biting someone. This is why they allow the owner to keep their dog as long as they understand that the animal needs to be kept indoors, in a cage, or in an area that does not allow it to get off of your property.

The duration of the quarantine is usually dependent on how long it takes for them to conduct an investigation. This can last anywhere from a couple of weeks up to six months during which you are required to ensure that the dog remains in quarantine.

Can a Dog That Bites Be Rehabilitated? Dog Biting Can Usually Be Improved

The good news is that relatively few dogs are beyond help. If you make a commitment to helping your dog feel more comfortable with the world, there’s a good chance you will succeed. You will understand why he has bitten in the past, and be able to avoid his stressors while you work to convince him that what are now stressors for him are actually good things.

Like my own encounter with my Scottie’s capable canines, you will realize that the bite wasn’t personal, but simply the end result of a chain of events that were beyond your dog’s control. What a proud day for you both, when you can take him out in public with confidence, knowing that he is as safe as any dog can be in the face of the unknown elements of the real world.

Caring for Your Dog After He’s Bitten Someone

In addition to dealing with the person who was bitten, you should take time to evaluate your dog’s behavior during and after the event.

Having an idea of why your dog crossed his threshold and bit someone is important. Try to remember how your dog’s body language looked right before the bite. 

• Was he cowering low to the ground with his tail tucked and ears back? 
• Was he trying to guard a resource like a toy, food, or even his water bowl?
• Was he giving warning signals like growling or snarling?
• Was he acting completely normally?

These are questions that a trainer will ask you when evaluating your dog for behavior modification, so knowing how to answer ahead of time is helpful.

Preventing Future Bites: The Magic of Dog Muzzles

A fantastic and humane tool to help prevent future bites is a muzzle.

Many owners worry that a muzzle will decrease their dog’s quality of life, but when a dog is properly muzzle trained he can be just as happy with a muzzle on as he is when he’s not wearing it.

Before you start looking for the best dog muzzles (or heck, even making your own muzzle), it’s important to know that you can’t just slap a muzzle on your pooch and consider the job complete and your dog safe.

Instead, you must also start muzzle training your canine, which includes desensitizing him to the actual muzzle and getting him used to wearing it.  

Find a Trainer That Specializes in Behavior Modification

If your dog gets off with a warning, you’ll want to get him into training right away. Socializing an aggressive or reactive adult dog is no easy feat, and it requires a lot of time and dedication. 

Your best bet is to find a certified dog behavior consultant for aggressive and reactive dogs (not just a dog trainer – you need a certified behaviorist). This isn’t a problem you should deal with on your own, especially if there’s a risk that your dog could bite again.

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Has your dog nipped or bitten someone? Have you ever had to negotiate the legal process following a bite? Do you use a muzzle to keep your dog safe while in public?

Let us know all about your experiences in the comments below!

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