California is a state that considers dog attack cases very seriously. It will hold the owner of a dog liable for the attack even if the owner is oblivious to the aggressive nature of his/her dog. It advises many regulations for dog owners to follow for preventing dog attack injuries. In some cases, the dog owners can even carry criminal liability for the damages caused by their dog.
According to the laws of California, there are some strict regulations for dog owners to abide, if their dog is found to exhibit aggressive behavior. A dog will be considered vicious or aggressive if any one of the following conditions becomes true.
- If the dog has forced another person to protect themselves on two different cases in the last three years, by acting aggressively while off the premises of the owner’s property.
- If the dog was known to be bitten another person before, without any provocation.
- If other domestic animals are injured, bitten, or killed by the dog, while off the owner’s property, twice in the last three years.
- If the owner of the dog was declared guilty for a dog-biting offense.
- If the dog has caused serious injuries or fatalities
- If a specific dog breed was declared dangerous and the owner failed to comply with the rules and regulations that are specified by the state for keeping dangerous dogs.
When Will a Dog Owner Be Charged with Criminal Assault?
Generally, a dog owner will have to face assault charges for the following cases:
- If the dog bite attack was intentionally caused by the owner.
- If the dog owner was previously aware of the aggressive nature of their dog, but didn’t do anything to prevent the dog from attacking others.
- If the dog was already declared as dangerous and vicious, then the owner should ensure that the other people are safe. If he fails to reasonably restrain the dog to prevent attack, then he will be liable for the dog bite injury.
The dog owner will be charged with manslaughter or murder if the dog that is unsupervised or unrestrained causes another person’s death. If the dog owner is aware that his dog is vicious and exhibit negligence in preventing his dog from attacking others, then the owner has violated the law by neglecting the duty of care. Hence, the dog owner can be sent to jail or can be charged with other punishments or penalties based on the seriousness of the dog attack.
What to Do if you are Attacked by a Dog?
Dog attacks can be a traumatic experience. If you get involved in such an accident, it will be a relief for you to know that you can claim money for the damages caused by the dog attack. Consult a dog attack attorney for filing the lawsuit for claiming money. If the attack is caused by the negligence of the dog owner you can sue the owner for criminal charges. An animal attack attorney will help you with the procedure to file a lawsuit against the owner for causing the dog attack intentionally.
