Know Your Responsibilities as a Dog Owner: Dog Bites & Strict Liability
Finally, after months of ridiculously cold weather, the first signs of the end of the winter season are here! Grass has started to peak out of the mounds of snow. The roads have shed their ice layer. Minnesotans have started to awaken from their winter slumber, which means spring and summer will soon be upon us.
From biking to hiking there is something for everyone to do in Minnesota, especially during the warm season. There is no surprise then, that last year Minneapolis was rated the Best City for Parks in the United States by the Trust of Public Land. Often, members of the community engage in these outdoor activities and utilize these parks with their pets that, like us, also had to endure the long winter trapped inside. However, as personal injuryattorneys based in Minneapolis, this is also the time when we begin to see an increase of individuals needing representation for a specific type of injury—dog bites.
Laws Regulating Dog Owners
Dog owners should make sure to always comply with all state laws and city ordinances when walking or allowing their dogs to run loose on public or private property. For example, Minneapolis City Ordinance 65.40 requires that a dog owner leash their dog at all times when the dog is in an unfenced area, street, alley, public park, public place, or in private land if the dog is not effectively restrained from moving beyond the unfenced area. Even in areas designated as “off-leash” by the City of Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, dog owners are first required to obtain a permit before allowing their furry friends to run loose.
Stricter laws are in place for individuals who own dogs categorized as “dangerous” or “potentially dangerous” animals. As laws tend to vary by each city and township, dog owners should make sure they understand the ordinances applicable to them in all aspects.
Liability for Harm Caused by a Dog
Even when abiding by local and state laws, dog owners are held accountable if their animal injures another. Minnesota law imposes strict liability on dog owners if their dog attacks or injures any person who did not provoke the dog and the person injured was in a place where they could lawfully be. Minn. Stat. §347.22 (2012). What this means is that even if the owner acted with due care or even if the animal had never shown signs of viciousness, the owner will be held accountable for any damages and injuries caused to another individual. The liability of a dog owner under section § 347.22, therefore, is absolute and not based on the negligence of the dog owner or person harboring the animal. As a result, dog owners should always take every extra precaution to properly supervise and contain their dogs.
Minneapolis Personal Injury Attorneys Ready to Help
Even though Minnesota Statue 347.22 imposes strict liability on dog owners, dog owners do have defenses they may argue to avoid a judgment against them. Dog bite incidents, therefore, are not always a simple open-and-shut case. Having an experienced personal injury attorney handle the matter from the beginning can help avoid headaches and assure that the injured party is properly compensated. Learn more by calling us at 612-874-6109 or by contacting our Minneapolis firm online.
Photo credit: Some Rights Reserved by Mr.TinDC
