Dog Bite Laws

One of the defenses a dog owner can use in a dog bite case in Arizona is proof of provocation on the part of the victim. On August 4, 2011, police responded to a report of an argument taking place in an alley. During the fight, the dog bite victim swung a curtain rod at his girlfriend and her dog. He also threatened the woman.

According to the man, who was later arrested on several charges, the dog often growls and snaps at him when he approaches his girlfriend. He stated that the dog bit him when he entered the house that morning, which prompted him to punch the dog with a closed fist. The man denies yelling at his girlfriend, but she reported that he expressed anger toward her, causing the dog to behave aggressively. Charges against the man include threatening and intimidating, aggravated assault, cruelty to animals, disorderly conduct and possession of a weapon by a prohibited possessor.

In some cases, dog bite victims provoke attacks by taunting, hitting, kicking or intimidating defenseless dogs. However, other dog bites are the result of poor training or lack of supervision by the owner. In these cases, the owner could be liable for medical expenses, pain and suffering. Who is liable depends on where the attack happened, who owned the dog and whether the victim was trespassing or was invited into the property.

The Phoenix dog bite injury attorneys at The Breyer Law Offices P.C. have the experience needed to help dog bite victims get the compensation they need. If you or a loved one suffered injuries resulting from a dog attack, contact us at 602-457-6222. We will thoroughly review your case at no cost to you.

Not all dog bite accidents can be prevented, but there are a number of steps that dog owners can take to help prevent a dog attack in Arizona. It is in the best interest of dog owners to remain attentive and careful because under Arizona law they can be held liable for the damages their pets cause.

Even the most calm and well-trained dogs should remain on a leash whenever taken on a walk. You never know when your dog will feel startled, scared or threatened. Having the animal close by and tethered will allow the owner to better control the situation.

If you are aware that your dog may be dangerous or that your female dog is in heat, you are required by law to keep your animal leashed. Arizona Statute 11-1012 also requires dogs in public parks and school properties to be physically restrained at all times.

Dog owners should not allow visitors near their pet while it is eating, nursing or sleeping. Pet owners should not encourage biting by playing biting games or tug-of-war type activities. Dogs should not be left chained outside for long periods of times or neglected. Dogs that are hungry or unloved have a greater chance of lashing out at strangers. Neglected and/or abused animals are also likely to become violent.

Under Arizona Statute 11-1025, dog owners may be held liable for the damages their pet causes. Injured dog bite victims can seek compensation for all medical expenses, lost wages, cost of surgeries and treatments. If you or a loved one has been injured in an Arizona dog attack, please contact the reputed Peoria dog bite attorneys of The Breyer Law Offices P.C. Call us today at 602-457-6222 to explore your legal rights and options.

If a dog has injured you or a loved one in Arizona, you would be well advised to research Arizona leash laws and to contact an experienced personal injury attorney. A knowledgeable dog bite attorney in Arizona can walk you through the laws pertinent to your case to help you determine whether to pursue damages against the dog’s owner.

Under Arizona Revised Statute 11-1020: “Injury to any person or damage to any property by a dog while at large shall be the full responsibility of the dog owner or person or persons responsible for the dog when such damages were inflicted.” The phrase “at large” refers to a dog being allowed off property without a leash. Arizona dog owners have a legal obligation to protect others from the actions of their pets.

ARS 11-1012 specifically makes it illegal for a dog owner to allow a known vicious dog or a female dog in heat to be allowed off leash. “Any dog over the age of three months running at large shall wear a collar or harness to which is attached a valid license tag.” The law also states that “no person in charge of any dog shall permit such dog in a public park or upon any public school property unless the dog is physically restrained by a leash.”

Victims of dog bite incidents in Arizona may pursue financial compensation for damages such as medical bills, surgery, pain and suffering and lost wages. The experienced personal injury attorneys at The Breyer Law Offices P.C. help hold dog owners responsible for the injuries suffered in Arizona dog attacks. If you or a loved one has been injured in an Arizona dog attack, call us at 602-457-6222 to get help right away.

Under Arizona Revised Statute 11-1025, dog owners may be held liable for the damages their pets cause to people. According to a news report in The Arizona Republic, Governor Jan Brewer has signed House Bill 2137. The new law, which goes into effect after a 90-day period, states that dog owners may now be held liable for the damages their dog causes to other household pets.

Under the new law, it will be a Class 3 felony to knowingly cause a dog to injure a person. Dog owners who allow their aggressive dog to escape may be charged with a Class 3 misdemeanor. The new law also makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to fail to control and prevent a dangerous dog from attacking a human or domestic animal.

According to The Maricopa County Animal Care and Control Department, in the year 2010 there were approximately 900 dog-on-dog attacks. The new bill may reduce the number of serious injury dog attacks to people because animals that are prone to vicious attacks on animals may be more likely to attack people as well.

Anyone who has been injured in an Arizona dog attack would be well advised to immediately seek medical attention and to discuss his or her legal options with a skilled dog bite attorney. Compensation may be available for losses including medical expenses and time away from work.

The knowledgeable Arizona dog bite lawyers at The Breyer Law Offices P.C. help injured victims get the compensation they need to recover from a vicious dog attack. To discuss your rights and the compensation that may be available to you, please call our offices at 602-457-6222 right away.

There is no “one free bite” rule that applies to Phoenix dog owners in regards to their liability. Even in cases where a dog has not previously attacked a person, the Arizona legal system allows those injured in a dog attack to file a personal injury claim. The dog owner is responsible legally, even if his or her dog has not bitten anyone before.

These Arizona dog attack laws were made to protect victims of dog attacks and to encourage all Arizona dog owners to keep their dogs leashed or otherwise restrained so that they cannot bite or otherwise attack an innocent party. Those attacked by a dog in Phoenix, Arizona have the right to know about the statutes that apply for their protections. Yet if a victim fails to file a lawsuit in time, Arizona law also states that victims of dog bites in Phoenix will lose their rights to claim completely.

It is for this reason that we urge those who have been attacked or bitten by a dog in Phoenix or elsewhere in Arizona to contact an experienced Phoenix injury attorney to answer their questions so that they can determine how best to proceed in their particular claim. We are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding dog attacks in Arizona or other queries about personal injury claims.

Arizona personal injury attorneys who help those injured because of a dog attack or dog bite often see people lose their rights to claim because they do not act quickly enough. Too often people do not realize that there is a statute of limitations that will eliminate their rights to claim by a certain deadline if a settlement is not reached or a lawsuit is not filed in time. It is imperative to ensure that all questions about a Tucson dog attack are answered as soon after the incident takes place as possible.

There are a number of reasons this is important. Getting the investigation under way as soon as possible and ensuring that a Tucson dog bite victim’s questions are answered fully will allow the victim to determine the best way to go forward. A game plan in any Arizona dog attack incident is vital, and that is why it is usually best to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney that will make a dog bite victim aware of his or her rights, and how much time the victim has to ensure that rights are not lost in their case.

There are, in fact, two different statutes of limitations in dog attack cases in Arizona. There is a two year statute of limitations during which a lawsuit may be brought for any Tucson dog attack injury. There is another, more limiting statute that has a one year deadline for filing a personal injury claim. Bringing an Arizona dog bite claim within a year will offer more rights to the victim than if a claim is brought before two years, but after the one year statute has expired.

Further complicating the issue, a child bitten by a dog has a different legal deadline than adults in Tucson dog attack injury claims.

For any questions about whether you may have a valid dog bite claim, or if you just want answers to determine how to proceed after a serious dog attack injury, we welcome your calls. We will listen to your situation, discuss the merits of your claim, and give you the best information about how long you have to pursue your claim. Knowing the deadline by which you must file a claim related to a dog attack in Tucson, Phoenix, or elsewhere in Arizona will help you from accidentally losing your rights to pursue a valid injury claim.

Arizona does not allow “one free bite” before a dog owner is responsible. In other words, if a claim is timely brought in the court system – a lawsuit is filed – Arizona will not allow the owner of a dog to avoid liability simply by proving that their dog had never bit anybody in the past. If a dog bites somebody in Arizona, the owner of that dog is legally responsible even if that dog had never bitten anybody in the past.

These dog bite laws in Arizona were created for the protection of innocent victims and to encourage dog owners to keep their dogs on a leash and keep them in a safe place so that they do not bite or attach innocent victims. For those who have been attacked, they have a right to know that Arizona has favorable laws for their protection. However, if they fail to timely file a lawsuit, this law that is made for the benefit of those who are attacked or bitten by dogs is completely lost and they will have no more rights under the system.

Therefore, if you have somebody that you know who has been attacked or bitten by a dog and has questions about whether they should proceed with a lawsuit or injury claim, have them contact a top Mesa personal injury lawyer to answer their questions. If you have any questions whatsoever, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to provide you the guidance that you may seek.

Chandler personal injury lawyers who help those who have been injured as a result of a dog bite or dog attack see people lose out on all their rights because they do not bring a claim quickly enough. Far too often, people do not recognize that a statute of limitation is a legal deadline that eliminates all of their rights if they have not settled the case or filed a lawsuit in time. In all dog bite cases, it is important to make sure the claim has been investigated and questions have been answered as soon as possible after the event. There are many reasons for this.

Sure, it is very important to get the investigation going as soon as possible. It is also important to make sure your questions are answered so that you can have a game plan in terms of how to proceed. However, the most important reason to at least speak with a lawyer as soon as possible is to make sure your rights to bring a claim are not eliminated because you did not moved quickly enough. In fact, there are two different statutes of limitations that relate to dog bite claims. There is a two-year statute of limitations in Arizona that allows the lawsuit to be brought. However, this two-year statute of limitations is far less valuable to the person who has been attacked than the separate one-year statute of limitation or deadline. If a claim is brought within one year, there are more rights allowed to the injury victim than if the claim is brought after one year but before two.

To further complicate matters, a child who is bitten has a different statute of limitations – or legal deadline – than the adult who has been bitten.

If you have any questions whatsoever about your ability to bring a dog bite claim in Phoenix and you just want answers so that you can make a decision for yourself in terms of how to proceed, simply contact us at Breyer Law Offices, P.C. We will discuss the claim with you, find out your situation, and be able to provide you with the deadline by which you would need to bring a lawsuit so you do not accidentally lose out on your rights to pursue a case.

Phoenix, Arizona dog bite lawyers understand that it is not enough in helping their clients to simply prove that a dog attacked an innocent victim. It is important to be able to get compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, scarring, disfigurement, and all of the legally compensable injuries for the client that calls the lawyer. To do this, it is often important to determine whether or not there is any insurance that will cover all of these losses.

Many people do not realize the incredible losses that occur when a dog bites an innocent victim. The scarring can be permanent. The medical bills can be outrageously high. For many people, especially children, the emotional affects can be significant. In all these cases, it is important to find actual compensation that can help the victim. Simply pointing the finger at the owner of the dog and blaming them is not enough. Knowing who is responsible will not take care of the bill collectors who want payment for medical bills.

Many homeowners’ insurance policies will cover dog bite claims. However, some do not. Still, other times, the owner of the dog refuses to provide their homeowners’ insurance information.

This is why it is so important to find an honest, straightforward dog bite lawyer to provide answers and help find what insurance may be available to help protect the person who is a victim of a dog bite. If you have any questions whatsoever about homeowners’ insurance or the application of insurance to a dog bite injury claim, contact the best dog bite attorneys in Arizona that you can find. Get answers to the questions that you need and make sure you talk to someone who will provide you honest answers and tell you what you need to know so that you can make the decisions you need in terms of how to pursue a claim.

The laws related to dog bites in Arizona are spelled out in Arizona statutes. In other words, the laws that allow a victim to bring a claim are well spelled out by very specific laws. There are also cases – known as case law – that direct somebody in terms of how they can proceed with a dog bite claim.

However, from a practical standpoint it is very often necessary to find a top Phoenix dog bite lawyer in the state of Arizona when pursuing a claim. There are many different parts of dog bite law that can be confusing. Figuring out how to obtain homeowner’s insurance can be confusing determining what to do about children who are injured, figuring out who will pay the medical bills both that have already been incurred and those in the future, along with a variety of other issues can make what appears to be a simple dog bite case quite complicated under the law.

If you are searching for a top Arizona dog bite lawyer, we encourage you to look around for those lawyers that provide actual information. We would also suggest finding a lawyer that is a certified specialist in injury and wrongful death litigation by the State Bar of Arizona as a sign of a lawyer who has experience and understanding helping people after they have suffered injury due to the negligence of another or, in this case, due to the negligent handling or observation of their dog. Moreover, in Arizona, even where an owner of a dog is not negligent in the handling of that dog, the owner may well be liable for the serious personal injuries that are suffered as the result of a dog attack.

If you have questions about how Arizona dog bite law works and personal injury claim that can be made, please do not hesitate to give us a call. We will be happy to answer your questions honestly and to provide you the information you need to make the best decision about whether you want to move forward with making a claim or filing a lawsuit.