My sister's 4 month old puppy gets attacked by pitbull. Is it right to go to court?

[ArchCenturion]

My old dog ran across the street and totally owned this tiny little French dog. She ripped it open then ran back home.

We ended up covering their vet bills, and my mom decided we needed to put her down. I believe that Home Owners Insurance may have covered the vet bill. We had to put her down though or else our insurance price might have gone up.

 

[JonTheBaller]

Originally posted by: makoto00
This is why they eat dogs in Korea. Saves all the tears.

Anyways. Ask the owner first and thank Buddha your sister didn't get mauled.

I would have a family lawyer talk to the dog owner before taking anything to court. Settling out of court is probably the best solution, because the outcome might not outweight the cost of the battle.

I would also recommend retaining a pet therapist to interview the dog.

 

[John P]

Vet bills should be covered, police report filed, and the dog should be put down.

Whether or not the dog will be required to be put down will be up to the local city ordinances, was the first time it happened, etc.... Just be sure a report is filed with the police/animal control.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: John P.
Vet bills should be covered, police report filed, and the dog should be put down.

 

[NatePo717]

Originally posted by: krunchykrome
Hell yes you shuold pursue the owner to cover the costs. And if they dont comply, sue their a$$es.

 

[AMDZen]

Originally posted by: notfred
Was the pitbull in the backyard of a large suburban house with a lexus out front, or a run down apartment complex in the ghetto? Your chances of actually collecting any money will be affected by this.

QFT. Because if they're the latter, don't waste your time. Sure, you will win in court and everything but that doesn't mean anything if the people don't have the money to hand over to you. And trust me, with things such as this - they will get very little pressure from the court, and you will never get your money.

 

[AMDZen]

Originally posted by: JonTheBaller

Originally posted by: makoto00
This is why they eat dogs in Korea. Saves all the tears.

Anyways. Ask the owner first and thank Buddha your sister didn't get mauled.

I would have a family lawyer talk to the dog owner before taking anything to court. Settling out of court is probably the best solution, because the outcome might not outweight the cost of the battle.

I would also recommend retaining a pet therapist to interview the dog.

Your not serious right? I hope not

 

[soydios]

Originally posted by: BKLounger
This is a case when the owner of the pitbull should be paying all vet bills, the pitbull should be put down (it has already shown a violent streak)...

Agreed. First, simply contact the owner of the pit bull. If they refuse to pay, then pursue legal action.

Originally posted by: BKLounger
...and the owner should be taken to court for mental suffering and time spent.

This I disagree with. This is why America has too many lawyers.

 

[JonTheBaller]

Originally posted by: AMDZen

Originally posted by: JonTheBaller

Originally posted by: makoto00
This is why they eat dogs in Korea. Saves all the tears.

Anyways. Ask the owner first and thank Buddha your sister didn't get mauled.

I would have a family lawyer talk to the dog owner before taking anything to court. Settling out of court is probably the best solution, because the outcome might not outweight the cost of the battle.

I would also recommend retaining a pet therapist to interview the dog.

Your not serious right? I hope not

I'm quite serious. My uncle is a well renowned pet therapist and he could diagnose the dog's issues with like 30 minutes alone with it.

 

[soydios]

Originally posted by: Linflas
If your dog was leashed then you have every right to ask for the vet bills. As someone earlier said you should ask them for them before taking them to court. If your dog was unleashed then don't bother, pay your vet bills and learn to never walk your dog unleashed.

Why does it matter if the sister's dog was leashed? She was obviously walking it. A leash often just weighs down the victim dog, preventing it from running.

 

[JonTheBaller]

Originally posted by: soydios

Originally posted by: Linflas
If your dog was leashed then you have every right to ask for the vet bills. As someone earlier said you should ask them for them before taking them to court. If your dog was unleashed then don't bother, pay your vet bills and learn to never walk your dog unleashed.

Why does it matter if the sister's dog was leashed? She was obviously walking it. A leash often just weighs down the victim dog, preventing it from running.

So true, a typical leash weighs in excess of 15 lbs

 

[mrchan]

Seems like an important question is do you know who owns the dog?

 

[Gibsons]

Originally posted by: Ryan
Of course the owner of the pit bull should cover the costs.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: JonTheBaller

Originally posted by: AMDZen

Originally posted by: JonTheBaller

Originally posted by: makoto00
This is why they eat dogs in Korea. Saves all the tears.

Anyways. Ask the owner first and thank Buddha your sister didn't get mauled.

I would have a family lawyer talk to the dog owner before taking anything to court. Settling out of court is probably the best solution, because the outcome might not outweight the cost of the battle.

I would also recommend retaining a pet therapist to interview the dog.

Your not serious right? I hope not

I'm quite serious. My uncle is a well renowned pet therapist and he could diagnose the dog's issues with like 30 minutes alone with it.

Is your uncle's name Cesar?

 

[CKent]

Are you kidding? Of course you should seek compensation. They turned a simple dog walk into a horror story and a vet bill by being negligent. I hate frivolous lawsuits as much as the next person (unless the next person is a lawyer), but in this case it's very much justified. Glad to hear the dog's ok :thumbsup:

 

[ShOcKwAvE827]

Originally posted by: JonTheBaller

Originally posted by: soydios

Originally posted by: Linflas
If your dog was leashed then you have every right to ask for the vet bills. As someone earlier said you should ask them for them before taking them to court. If your dog was unleashed then don't bother, pay your vet bills and learn to never walk your dog unleashed.

Why does it matter if the sister's dog was leashed? She was obviously walking it. A leash often just weighs down the victim dog, preventing it from running.

So true, a typical leash weighs in excess of 15 lbs

LOL

 

[PokerGuy]

First, I'd approach the owner (and not in a confrontational way) and say that you'd like him/her to cover the medical bills related to the attack. If the owner refuses, simply take it to small claims court. No lawyers needed, no majors costs, and it should be a simple open and shut win. Just about all states/cities/towns etc have leash laws. The responsibilities of the owner depend on where the incident took place, but I'm fairly certain a failure to maintain control of his animal makes the owner liable for any damage. If he's nice about it, you sue for the vet bills. If he/she is an ass about it, you start adding things for pain and suffering, negligence etc. (in some states you can include pain and suffering for pets while in others they are treated strictly as property so you can't sue for their pain and suffering --- though you can sue for yours).

 

[Anghang]

Originally posted by: dalearyous
my sister who is 14 was walking her 4 month old peekapoo (very small fluffy dog) around the block when a pitbull got away, ran across the street and literally bit down on my sisters dog around the head and picked it up. my sister began punching the pitbull in the face until it dropped it. she ran home crying as the dog is bleeding all over the place and they rushed the dog to the vet. the dog came out ok, but has few broken bones in the face. my dad and sister filed a police report and the dog is going to be put down. here is my question...

we are not the type of people who sue other people at any possible moment. i feel like that has gotten way out of hand in this country. but anyway, is it right to pursue the owner of the pitbull to cover the costs of the vet? i won't know how much the bill will be until tomorrow but i feel like that is just. any thoughts?

at a minimum...YES!...

 

[essasin]

True Story:

A few years ago a friend of mine was inside the house and his Mother was outside with her leashed miniature boston terrier and a lose pitbull was in the neighborhood ( he got away somehow) attacked the terrier. My buddy ran out and started punching and kicking but the pit had his jaw locked and wouldn't let go. My buddies garage was open and he has lots of tools and hardware among which included a huge chopping axe. Needless to stay axe > dogs neck. The police came and arrested my buddy on two charges but where dropped in court when the judge found out exactly what happend.

He then went after compensation for the vet bills and the rest is history.

 

[Codewiz]

Open and shut case. The owner is to blame. Every dog should be on a leash when out in public. Pitbull or poodle.

The owner of the pitbull is one of the reasons we are seeing so much BSL. It is really sad that the dumbest people own these dogs.

 

[Anghang]

Originally posted by: essasin
True Story:

A few years ago a friend of mine was inside the house and his Mother was outside with her leashed miniature boston terrier and a lose pitbull was in the neighborhood ( he got away somehow) attacked the terrier. My buddy ran out and started punching and kicking but the pit had his jaw locked and wouldn't let go. My buddies garage was open and he has lots of tools and hardware among which included a huge chopping axe. Needless to stay axe > dogs neck. The police came and arrested my buddy on two charges but where dropped in court when the judge found out exactly what happend.

He then went after compensation for the vet bills and the rest is history.

:thumbsup:

what sucks is that although the charges were dropped, he now still has a record in the system...

 

[Codewiz]

"pit had his jaw locked"

Not true based on that fact. Pitbulls are no different than any other dog. Their jaws DO NOT LOCK. The difference is that pitbulls have a HUGE drive and will withstand all sorts of pain to attain a goal. This is the same type of drive that makes them such awesome dogs. The problem is that 95% of pitbull owners don't have a fvcking clue how to raise the dog.

I am not experienced enough with bull breeds to handle a pitbull. The sad part is that too many dog owners just go out and buy a pitbull without having a damn clue what they are getting. Pitbulls require lots of exercise and work.

I have an american bulldog/boston terrier mix and I have an american bulldog/english bulldog mix. Both of my dogs would never start a fight but I guarantee if a dog started a fight with them, my dogs would finish it.

That is why my dogs are always leashed and under my control. My dogs are also the sweetest things you could ever meet. Their undying dedication and love for my wife and I is unmatched.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: krunchykrome

Originally posted by: Baked
Lies! Pitbulls are the sweetest dogs ever! And I don't believe your 14 year old sister punched a pitbull in the face and ran home crying. This is all shens to make the pitbull look bad.

I have some doubts as well. It seems like a stretch to say that she punched the pitbull in the face and it didnt attack her, which apparently it didnt. If the pitbull attacked her dog, it was probably trained that way or neglected which means that it would have not only attacked the little dog, but it should have attacked her as well if she in fact did punch it.

just last week here, a man and his pet dog (not sure of breed maybe lab) were attacked by 2 pitbulls in his backyard. They literally tore a fence down and attacked them. He attacked one of the pitbulls to stop the attack on his dog. The police were forced to shoot both pitbulls. The victim's dog almost died. The owner was seriously injured defending his dog. His dog will never walk again. He has massive scaring all over his upper body. The owner of the dogs is refusing to accept responsibly. Vet bills are $3,000+. Police finally charge the owner after 4 days, even though our Provincial pitbull law makes this a manditory charge and puts full liability on the pitbull owner.

The sooner these dogs are removed from the gene pool the better.

 

[maziwanka]

i dont get something.

if the pitbull attacked another dog, why is the pitbull being put down? my dog loves people but does not get along with other dogs. many dogs/breeds are similar and putting the dog down as a result of fighting with another dog seems really excessive.

if your sister punched the pitbull in the face and the pitbull did nothing, the pitbull shouldn't be put down.

on the other hand, i do think the pitbull's owner should pay for your vet bills.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Originally posted by: maziwanka
if the pitbull attacked another dog, why is the pitbull being put down?

The pitbull almost killed the dog and without a doubt would do it again. Why wouldn't you put it down?