Archive for September, 2008
Owning a Dog can be Risky Business
Monday, September 29th, 2008Under certain circumstances, dog owners can be liable for injuries caused by their pet. Generally, if the owner knew the dog had a tendency to cause injury; if a state statute makes the owner strictly liable; or if the injury was caused by extreme carelessness on behalf of the owner, the owner will be liable [...]
Landlords can be Held Liable for their Tenants Vicious Dogs in some situations
Thursday, September 25th, 2008There are some circumstances in which a court can hold a landlord responsible for harm caused by a tenant’s dog. Generally, landlord liability rests upon allowing the owner to keep the dog in the rental unit, whereas owner liability is based upon improperly controlling the dog.
Although state laws may differ, when it comes to [...]
Michigan City Considers Tightening the Leash on Pit Bulls and other breeds
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008A woman in Livonia, Michigan has urged the city council to strengthen its dangerous animal laws following an attack by two pit-bulls that left her injured. Livonia is the most recent Metro Detroit city to explore enacting more restrictive laws for ownership of “bully breed” and other dangerous dogs. City governments in Farmington [...]
Michigan Bulldog owner goes to Prison
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008Diane Cockrell of Howell, Michigan plead no contest to two felony counts of keeping dangerous animals causing death as well as to a third lesser charge for the mauling and killing of two Michigan residents last September. Authorities said that four of Ms. Cockrell’s Bulldogs escaped from her farm and attacked and killed a 91 [...]
Fate of Killer Dog to be Decided
Sunday, September 21st, 2008On September 6th, a three week-old New Jersey baby was mortally wounded by the family dog. The forty pound Husky attacked the baby as its mother momentarily left its presence. Foul play is not suspected in this case and experts suggest that dogs who are unfamiliar with new infants in the house may mistake it [...]
New Dog Bite Ordinance in Michigan
Saturday, September 20th, 2008The city of Farmington Hills has created an animal review board to determine whether a pet is dangerous based upon previous attacks. The board consists of the city manager, police chief and fire chief, or their deputies and assistants. Generally, the board will label a dog or other animal as dangerous if it [...]
Seattle Scraps a Proposal to Ban Pit Bulls
Friday, September 19th, 2008Advocates working to ban the ownership of dangerous dogs in Seattle have abandoned their initiative after receiving threatening e-mails from pit-bull enthusiasts. The proposal to ban dangerous dogs from Seattle came after several high-profile attacks throughout the nation. To date, more than a dozen cities nationwide have banned or restricted pit-bull ownership, as pit-bulls account [...]