You might have seen a “beware of dog” sign in front of many houses. A dog owner will put this sign on their gates for warning the visitors about the presence of a vicious dog. It is mandatory to put this sign if there is a chance for the dog to attack visitors. However, if you put “beware of dog” sign in front of your gate, and yet someone was bitten by your dog when entering your gates, will this put you off the liability for the accident? Will you have to give compensation for the victim if the dog attack was caused because of their ignorance?
The answer is “it depends”. A beware of dog sign might be a trump card for the dog owners in certain cases, on the other hand, it will not have any impact on some other cases. Hence, through this article, we analyze when a “beware of dog” sign will be favorable for the dog owner and when not?
When A Beware Of Dog Sign Can Affect The Dog Bite Claim
Usually, dog owners will try to deny the liability of a dog attack happening on their property if they have exhibited the “beware of dog” sign. However, this is not possible in most circumstances in California. California is a strict liability state, i.e., when considering a dog bite case, the court will not take into account that if the dog owner was aware of the vicious nature of the dog prior to the accident. The owner will be responsible for the dog bite from the first bite itself.
But the dog owner may use the “beware of dog” sign to their benefit if you were trespassing their property or provoked the dog. In these circumstances, you are partially responsible for the dog attack, hence, you might be denied of the right to make a claim for recovering the damages caused by a dog attack. You can consult a dog attack attorney for knowing more about the impact of beware of dog signs if the victim was partially at fault for the accident.
Does The Beware Of Dog Bite Sign Have Any Impact On The Dog Attack Case?
In California, a “beware of dog” sign has no great impact on a dog attack case, unless the victim was illegally on your property or provoked the dog. Otherwise, this sign will not put you out of the liability. You will be responsible for the attack regardless of the fact that whether you exhibited a sign or not.
In California, a dog owner has the responsibility to prevent a dog attack irrespective of his knowledge about the vicious nature of the dog. Hence, the sign will not help you when your dog attacks a person who was legally on your property. It is better to seek the help of a dog bite injury lawyer for finding out how the sign can impact your liability in a dog attack case.
