Pit bull and other dog bite attacks are the pits
Throughout America, the story’s the same: Innocent people are mauled, injured and even killed due to dog bite attacks, and often these involve pit bulls. That was the case last weekend for a Nebraska woman who was critically injured by a pit bull.
Now, there’s no need for pit bull fans to overreact and rant, “You’ll only take my pit bull from my cold dead fingers.” No one is saying that all pit bulls are vicious killers. And no one is saying that only pit bulls, among all dog breeds, attack humans. And no one is saying that a person should not be allowed to own a pit bull. That is their right, after all, under the law.
But facts are facts, and here’s one: Pit bulls, unlike many breeds, do have the ability to inflict severe damage on humans. Also, whether their fans like it or not, pit bulls are consistently involved in serious and even fatal attacks on humans, including small children who don’t have a chance of defending themselves against a fully grown pit bull. Zero tolerance would avoid this, but zero tolerance is not being exercised.
Instead, pit bulls and other dogs too often are allowed to assail innocent people, and often this involves the owner breaking the law. That’s because such attacks often stem from an owner neglecting to pen or fence in a dog properly.
Some owners even blithely allow their dogs to roam freely, and that’s never a good idea, even for what’s expected to be only a minute in the front yard. Such dog owners make the mistaken assumption that letting a dog out the front door for one minute while they’re present poses no real problem.
Actually, it does — and in many locales, it’s illegal. Many states and municipalities have “leash laws,” meaning all dogs must be confined at all times by their owners, either by keeping the dog inside a home or a fenced yard or by walking the dog on a leash.
Many people feel such laws don’t apply to them, or that it’s up to them whether or not to obey, as if all laws are discretionary. They’re not. Laws are laws. And as long as such people are taking chances by disregarding leash laws, they might want to know about some other laws, too.
These laws make dog owners legally liable when their dog gets loose and attacks and kills another human being. That means the dog owner can be tried, convicted and sentenced to prison for such an offense. In both Texas and Michigan, recent convictions have led to 7- and 15-year sentences for owners of dogs who killed people.
In other words, if you let your pit bull or other dog loose, and that dog suddenly attacks someone, you could wind up in prison. Maybe those leash laws aren’t such a bad idea, right?
On the other hand, if you or a loved one has been a victim of a dog bite attack, you may need a personal injury lawyer to fight for your rights. Such a dog bite lawyer or attorney can work to gain full and fair financial compensation for your dog bite injury, including medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.
Alert an experienced dog bite lawyer today by submitting the free case evaluation form on this page. Then, with your dog bite attorney, you can take a bite out of dog owners’ negligence and indifference to human safety.