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Should owners of potentially dangerous animals be charged with a felony for not maintaining strict control of their animal?
We all know the serious harm a large dog can do to a child and even an adult. Life altering harm. We often hear dog owners say there are no bad dogs only bad owners. Should the owner be criminally charged for not preventing their dog from rushing and threatening someone on the street or sidewalk? And should those charges be even more severe if the dog bites or attacks? In other words should the owners be held responsible?
I think the current state in the Us wherein a dog owner faces potentially unlimited settlements against them in civil court the second time their dog bites someone is fair enough.
A cow or pig could kill most people fairly easily if it took it in its mind to do so, but we wouldn't consider punishing their owners. Should dogs be different because they look scarier?
Yes...the owner should be criminally charged.
cows don't kill...ever....pigs maybe, if they're cornered and have no way out....a rotten dog will attack anyone, man women or child...for no reason.
If you wanna own a dangerous dog, then you should be responsible for any harm it does to another.
Yes...the owner should be criminally charged.
cows don't kill...ever....pigs maybe, if they're cornered and have no way out....a rotten dog will attack anyone, man women or child...for no reason.
If you wanna own a dangerous dog, then you should be responsible for any harm it does to another.
An animal is only considered “dangerous” if it is vicious or prone to hurting people willfully. All wild animals are considered dangerous, but a domesticated animal is only dangerous if its individual behavior is vicious.
Here are current rules by state: Dangerous or Vicious Animals* By State | Landlord.com
Some states impose strict liability upon animal owners whose animals bite or attack others.
If you have animals in your care, you should take reasonable care to prevent reasonably foreseeable harm to someone else. You fail to use ordinary care when you do something a reasonably careful person would not have done in the same situation. If you fail to control domestic animals in your care, you knew the animal was dangerous, and you behaved unreasonably in the way you restrained the animal - you might be liable for the damages. Again, see the laws above.
Most people are not aware that animals are still considered property. Although many cities have adopted legislation redefining the owner of an animal as a “guardian,” the federal government and the states still recognize animals as property. The statement opens a completely new can of worms, often protected by Fourth Amendment.
People caring for animals, especially those considered dangerous, should get accustomed with the rules and regulations, and their rights as the owners.
Those are California laws, so check the laws for your state: Animal Custody Cases
Owners of dangerous animals including certain dog breeds should be required to have insurance.
Other types of insurance are required by law like vehicle insurance, health insurance and forced payments (from income) into Social Security insurance.
An animal is only considered “dangerous” if it is vicious or prone to hurting people willfully. All wild animals are considered dangerous, but a domesticated animal is only dangerous if its individual behavior is vicious.
But the question is should those laws be updated. Why shouldn't criminal action be taken against the owner the first time they don't control their animal and it bites or charges and threatens people? Its no different from other criminally negligent activities where there is a likelihood of serious injuries. Wanton endangerment, failure to protect a child, etc. According to the CDC there are ~4.5 million dog bites annually in the US. And occasionally a child gets their face chewed off by the neighbor's dog. I understand all dogs are not equal and some are more capable of doing severe damage than others. But holding owners more responsible seems a good step forward.
I have a lady behind me who has two dogs(Rottweilers) that literally fight each other and they are viscous. They growl and bite each other until she separates them. This goes on every day. I hope and pray if the dogs ever turn on anyone it is her. She has told me to mind my own business when I asked her why she was allowing them to fight like that. I contacted animal control and they said until the dogs attack someone there is nothing they can do. Thankfully we both have fences so the dogs can't get into my yard but they are a ticking time bomb. If they attack someone she should definitely be charged with a felony.
I have a lady behind me who has two dogs(Rottweilers) that literally fight each other and they are viscous. They growl and bite each other until she separates them. This goes on every day. I hope and pray if the dogs ever turn on anyone it is her. She has told me to mind my own business when I asked her why she was allowing them to fight like that. I contacted animal control and they said until the dogs attack someone there is nothing they can do. Thankfully we both have fences so the dogs can't get into my yard but they are a ticking time bomb. If they attack someone she should definitely be charged with a felony.
Bingo.
It amazes me the people who INSIST on owning Rottweilers or pit bulls as if there aren't other dogs like golden retrievers, labs, hound dogs, toy poodles, boxers etc. They INSIST that their dog HAS, HAS to be (usually) a pit bull. Anyone who does that, if their dog harms someone, it should be an automatic criminal charge. Period.
I think the current state in the Us wherein a dog owner faces potentially unlimited settlements against them in civil court the second time their dog bites someone is fair enough.
A cow or pig could kill most people fairly easily if it took it in its mind to do so, but we wouldn't consider punishing their owners. Should dogs be different because they look scarier?
There's are reasons that people aren't allowed to keep cows and pigs in residential areas - safety is one of those reasons (and, yes, there are criminal penalties for doing so).
And no one is advocating penalties based on appearances. Certain animals are demonstrably more dangerous than others. Do we really need to get into a debate about whether or not a pet chimpanzee is more likely than a pet hamster to rip off someone's nose, lips and eyelids? The same is true for breeds of dogs. All the "But it's the owner, not the breed!" protests in the world won't change the reality that bad owner + bichon frise results in a lot fewer dead people each year than bad owner + pit bull.
Certain types of animals should not be permitted as pets (happily, this is the case). And certain types of animals which are permitted as pets should not be allowed in residential areas. If some fool out in the country just has to have a 'pet' cobra, so be it. But not in the local residential subdivision. And I'm not all that happy about it in the country, either. Why do people insist on caging up undomesticated animals and pretending they're pets? Sorry, woman in Florida - that alligator is not your 'pet'. Sorry, guy in Phoenix with 38 tattoos - those seven rattlesnakes are not your 'pets'.
If someone genuinely cares about animals then they will let wild animals be wild animals.
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