| Jan 12 |
Dog bite attacks spur dog bite lawsuits
In Chicago, Houston and many other cities, leash laws require dog owners to keep their dogs confined, either in a house, in a fenced yard or on a leash. No dog is supposed to be running loose at any time or anywhere. Yet many people routinely allow their dogs out the front door, figuring they can control them for the brief time they’re romping in the front yard. |
Many dogs are friendly — even law-abiding. But many other dogs are aggressive – some of them so much so that they can kill. On Sunday in Chicago, three dogs — including two Rottweiler canines — attacked and killed a 4-year-old boy. Days earlier, a Rottweiler attacked and injured two small girls in nearby Joliet, Ill.
| Oct 16 |
First Texas prison sentence given to owners of attacking dogs
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. |
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.| Sep 18 |
Dog attacks can send owners to prison
The woman had a horse farm on her property, about 45 miles west of Detroit, but the fence surrounding it was inadequate to keep her 10 dogs from leaving the property. Four of the dogs attacked and killed a 91-year-old man who was standing in his driveway and also killed a 56-year-old woman who was jogging nearby. The woman also must pay restitution, and she will serve at least 43 months in prison. Her 10 dogs have been euthanized by authorities. |
For anyone who thinks they aren’t responsible for their pet dog’s behavior, think again. A woman in Michigan has been sentenced to spend up to | Jul 28 |
Boy loses his arm after pit bull attack
The latest tragic case involved a 10-year-old boy in Michigan who was left home alone while his parents were out of town and his older brother neglected him. When the brother returned home, his younger sibling was being attacked by the family’s pit bull — attacked so badly that his right arm had to be amputated and he was in a hospital in serious condition. (more…) |
It’s often said that “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist” to understand certain things. In Houston, we fully embrace that concept, given the fact that our city does, in fact, have rocket scientists. But people in Houston or anywhere can appreciate a no-brainer, and one is that pit bull dogs — while not always dangerous — do, in fact, cause great harm to many people.| Jul 08 |
Pit bull dog bites are no laughing matter
Take comedian Andy Dick – please. He reportedly tried to check in at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas last weekend while accompanied by his pit bull – which then bit a guest. Dick was not admitted to the facility. I can just see a dictionary’s entry for the term “no-brainer,” to wit: no-brain-er (noun) refusing Andy Dick and his pit bull admittance to your facility. Dick is a gleefully offensive performer who’s known for pushing envelopes of witless vulgarity and mindless tawdriness while making a complete nuisance of himself. So he probably thought bringing a belligerent pit bull to a hotel where guests were trying to relax and enjoy themselves would be most amusing. |
| Jun 30 |
Loose dogs can cause a tight squeeze from a dog bite lawyer
Though many cities, including Houston, have laws requiring that dogs be confined or leashed, many people routinely disregard them. They figure they’re special and the law doesn’t apply to them. “Let everyone else toe the line, but my dog likes to run out the front door, too, so he can romp and explore while I’m getting the paper or moving the sprinkler. Now, where did he go?” That’s just the problem. When a dog is loose, he can – and may — go anywhere. If he’s a big dog, he can dart across the street and playfully jump on someone – and that someone could be a small child, an elderly person or anyone nursing a neck or back injury – a person who could be severely harmed if your dog topples them over, even in play. |
When a dog is your dog, you’ve got to love it. Those eyes. That face. That slobber. But when it’s someone else’s dog, you might wind up being a dog-hater — and for good reason: dog bites.