First Texas prison sentence given to owners of attacking dogs
Last month, a Michigan woman was sentenced to 15 years in prison when four of her bulldogs got loose from her property and, without provocation, attacked and killed two people. This week, such justice was applied for the first time in Texas.
A couple who live near Breckenridge in North Central Texas has been convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison after their pit bull dogs killed a 7-year-old neighbor.
This is Texas’ first conviction under a new law which holds dog owners responsible when their animals are unsecured and wind up injuring or killing someone in an unprovoked attack off their property. Such a tragedy would not occur if dog owners were not negligent of their duty to protect others.
The District Attorney in the Texas case said he likened the crime to “leaving a gun out in front of children.” The responsible persons may not actually have committed a violent act, but through their negligence it was allowed to happen.
Of course, not everyone owns a pit bull or a large dog which clearly is capable of such life-threatening pit bull attacks. Yet a wide variety of dogs are quite capable of vicious violence. Even small dogs, when allowed to roam freely, can cause significant injuries if they attack and bite innocent people.
All this should be kept in mind if you own a dog and, as many people do, routinely let the animal out your front door when you’re in the front yard. “He’s never attacked anyone before,” goes the thinking, “so why worry?”
How about a prison sentence? Is that a good enough reason? If your dog attacks someone, you will be held liable under the new Texas law which punishes dog owners for their animals’ actions.
Allowing your dog to run freely also is against municipal law in Houston, where dog owners are required to keep their animals confined (inside the house, within a securely fenced yard) or leashed. Given dogs’ unpredictability and the potentially dire consequences, this “leash law” is for everyone’s protection.
Conversely, if you are the victim of a dog bite attack, then you are entitled to just and fair compensation. Contact a dog bite lawyer with Jim S. Adler & Associates for a free case review and perhaps you can take a financial “bite” out of those whose disregard of the law led to your needless injury.
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[...] by dogs. It’s gotten so bad that some states, including Texas, have made new laws by which dog owners can go to prison when their dog kills a human [...]