Earlier this month police were called to the scene of a pit bull attack at a Serra Mesa apartment complex. A pregnant woman was attacked and bit on the hand when two unleashed pit bulls knocked the woman over, causing her to panic and yell until help could arrive. The woman was not horribly injured, but was taken to the hospital for treatment for injuries sustained from the dog bites.
Dog bites are a serious problem in the San Diego area and across the U.S. as well. Some statistics estimate that as many as 16,000 people are treated in emergency rooms for dog bites every day, which translates to a dog bite every 75 seconds in the U.S.
In an attempt to curb the menace of dog bites, at least one California city has approved laws which require pet owners to take preventative actions to stop a potentially dangerous pet from attacking a person or other animal. San Luis Obisbo municipal law also holds a landlord who fails to keep a tenant’s dangerous animal from inflicting harm liable for any damages resulting from a personal injury the dangerous animal may cause.
Responsible pet ownership is of incredible importance in the fight against preventable animal attacks, and hopefully laws that increase liability for these attacks will make owners take more caution when it comes to potentially dangerous pets.
Nobody should have to live in fear of injury or even death caused by a neighborhood animal, and those who have suffered such injuries have rights that should be enforced against the animal’s owner or caretaker. People injured by a dog attack should contact an experienced personal injury attorney, and may be able to collect damages including pain and suffering.
Source: Opposing Views.com, “Pit bull in San Diego apt. complex bites pregnant woman as courts debate landlord liability,” Denise Justin, Aug. 3, 2012
