Is a Dog Owner Responsible for My Bite Injury?

You may know a dog and their owner fondly if they reside in your neighborhood or are otherwise a close friend or family member to you. Meaning, you may have interacted with and been around this seemingly good-mannered dog countless times before. So you may be completely blindsided when the dog unexpectedly shifts behaviors and begins attacking you. You may get seriously hurt, but still feel uncomfortable suing the dog owner, especially if you know them well. In this case, please continue reading to learn whether a dog owner should be held responsible for an attack or bite that led to your injury, and how an experienced Miami-Dade County injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Gonzalo Funes, PA, can assess the credibility of your case.

Should I hold a dog owner responsible for my bite injury?

Per Florida law, dog owners must be held strictly responsible for injuries or property damage caused by their dog’s biting or attacking. This rule applies regardless of whether or not their dog has a known history of violence. That said, you most certainly file a dog bite injury claim against an owner if your incident took place on public property.

However, the validity of your potential legal claim may be less guaranteed if the dog attack occurred on the owner’s private property. With this, you may have to make extra efforts to prove that the dog owner’s negligence directly led to the incident and your subsequent injuries and damages. This may be easily cleared up if their dog indeed has a history of violence and aggression. Or, if you can acquire security camera footage or even eyewitness testimonies of the dog owner failing to monitor or maintain control over the dog in the moments leading up to the attack.

What are the potential arguments a dog owner might make against me?

A dog owner will not want to pay the financial and legal consequences of being found at fault in a dog bite injury claim. So they will do everything to fight against your argument and claim that they were not negligent. For one, the dog owner may accuse you of having trespassed on their private property before the dog attack happened. And so, they may not have even known about your presence, and therefore, they may not have equipped their dog with a leash or orders for them to obey.

Or, they may blame you for teasing or provoking the dog; actions which would trigger an attack. Examples of such behavior may include pulling on their tail and ears, kicking or hitting their body, cornering them and standing in an intimidating posture, disturbing them while they are eating their food, or caring for their litter, etc. Again, this argument may have a good chance at standing if the dog never previously acted with such aggression.

We understand just how overwhelming all of this can be for you. So, if you have any remaining questions, please consult with a skilled Miami-Dade County injury lawyer. The team at the Law Offices of Gonzalo Funes, PA, is willing and able to provide you with legal assistance in any capacity.