My Dog Killed another Dog

[Sarabelle]

Originally Posted by Blue Meanie

I have the impression the dogs got out of the HOME. So one has to wonder HOW 4 dogs got out of a house by themselves. Negligence will definitely plat a roll in this...But maybe not willful negligence.

I never said I had 4 dogs I have 2 and they were not inside the house they were inside the fence and Khloe dug a hole and got out.... I am in no way saying that I didn't maintain the dogs in a secure location.... it happens dogs get out all the time.... my whole point in the thread was not to bash Pitbulls it was merely to obtain legal advice.... right? I mean that's what the site is for. Khloe was a rescue puppy she was found on the side of a busy highway I did not raise her to attack. I am not trying to make excuses, I know this was wrong. I am just here to find out what these people can do to me and my family!

[Blue Meanie]

Originally Posted by Sarabelle

I never said I had 4 dogs I have 2 and they were not inside the house they were inside the fence and Khloe dug a hole and got out.... I am in no way saying that I didn't maintain the dogs in a secure location.... it happens dogs get out all the time.... my whole point in the thread was not to bash Pitbulls it was merely to obtain legal advice.... right? I mean that's what the site is for. Khloe was a rescue puppy she was found on the side of a busy highway I did not raise her to attack. I am not trying to make excuses, I know this was wrong. I am just here to find out what these people can do to me and my family!

Sorry about the four dogs thing. You were still negligent in maintaining your animals. And I never bashed pits on this thread.

You got some excellent advice...both legal and insurance. You are extraordinarily lucky that your (non)vicious dogs didn't kill a child.

The other dog should be crated IN THE HOUSE while you are not home and placed on a SECURE LEAD while outside. If you are working you can hire a sitter to come and walk the dog so he gets some exercise.

[HomeGuru]

Originally Posted by Sarabelle

I never said I had 4 dogs I have 2 and they were not inside the house they were inside the fence and Khloe dug a hole and got out.... I am in no way saying that I didn't maintain the dogs in a secure location.... it happens dogs get out all the time.... my whole point in the thread was not to bash Pitbulls it was merely to obtain legal advice.... right? I mean that's what the site is for. Khloe was a rescue puppy she was found on the side of a busy highway I did not raise her to attack. I am not trying to make excuses, I know this was wrong. I am just here to find out what these people can do to me and my family!

**A: yes they can sue but since you have and are taking steps to mitigate damages, what would they be suing for?

[Country Living]

Sarah, I applaud you for taking this situation seriously and not trying to make excuses. We have so many people come to this board who refuse to take responsibility for their situation.

You have already offered to pay the vet bills and you turned your dog over to animal control (I know it was hard). How are you going to get the vet costs and how were you going to pay it? Were you going to pay the vet directly?

Your neighbors are hurting and angry. That’s to be expected. They saw the attack and they saw the puppy's injuries.

Mitigation is the key here. I don't know if the relationship with the neighbor will ever be repaired.

[Sarabelle]

Thank you to everyone who gave advice. I really appreciate it. One more question though.... What kind of Lawyer would I look for... I don't mean to be ignorant however I have never had to go to court.

[Zigner]

Originally Posted by Sarabelle

Thank you to everyone who gave advice. I really appreciate it. One more question though.... What kind of Lawyer would I look for... I don't mean to be ignorant however I have never had to go to court.

Do you expect to need a lawyer? Why? You acknowledge that your dog did the damage and you acknowledge that you are liable for it. You should be at their front door asking for copies of the bills so that you can pay them for them.

[Gail in Georgia]

These type of lawsuits (if it comes to this) are typically filed in Magistrates court (Georgia's version of Small Claims) as this state allows claims up to $15,000 to be heard in this court...and one does not need an attorney.

You can avoid all this lawsuit business by making the first move to pay for the vet bills and the cost of a new puppy.

[ecmst12]

She isn't liable for the cost of a new puppy, only for the value of the one that was killed. Depending on how old the puppy was, it might not be much difference, but it's an important distinction none the less.

[wyett717]

Please remember, no dog is born Vicious. Viciousness is an improper 'Person' taught behavior.

I know this isn't the purpose of this thread, but your statement is incorrect and judgmental. Certain bloodlines - regardless of breed - tend to be more aggressive than others. We have gotten two Golden Retrievers from the same breeder; the dogs have the same parents, but were from two different litters. Both dogs have aggressive tendencies; our 8-year old Retriever attacked our neighbor's dog last summer.

We are NOT angry, violent, or vicious people. Nor would we ever have expected this behavior from a Golden. The point is that ALL dogs are unpredictable, and should never be left unsupervised unless they are crated or on a secure leash. Doggone it.

[CJane]

Originally Posted by wyett717

I know this isn't the purpose of this thread, but your statement is incorrect and judgmental. Certain bloodlines - regardless of breed - tend to be more aggressive than others. We have gotten two Golden Retrievers from the same breeder; the dogs have the same parents, but were from two different litters. Both dogs have aggressive tendencies; our 8-year old Retriever attacked our neighbor's dog last summer.

We are NOT angry, violent, or vicious people. Nor would we ever have expected this behavior from a Golden. The point is that ALL dogs are unpredictable, and should never be left unsupervised unless they are crated or on a secure leash. Doggone it.

Saying that an aggressive-breed dog is ONLY aggressive if taught to be is like saying that a thoroughbred will only run fast if taught to. They will ALL do it. But ... just like you can (sometimes) train a thoroughbred to only 'run really fast' when they're 'supposed to', you can (sometimes) train an aggressive-breed dog to contain their aggression when inappropriate. But too many people believe that they can 'raise their dog right' and they WILLFULLY ignore the tendencies of the breed.

It's like thinking that if you raise your Australian Shepard 'right' they won't try to herd everything that moves. That's what they're SUPPOSED to do.

[wyett717]

But too many people believe that they can 'raise their dog right' and they WILLFULLY ignore the tendencies of the breed.

Agreed. We've known a couple of people with Pit Bulls; the dogs were trained and very well-behaved. But I would still NEVER allow them to be unleased around my kids. And, I don't allow my own dog (who's supposed to be a "good" breed) to be unsupervised around children or other animals, because one never knows...

[athenaspike]

The same situation happened to me as well. I let my dogs outside before retiring to bed in my fenced in yard. As always, I checked to make sure the gate was closed and it was. The night became windy and blew the gate open and my two dogs got out of the yard. When I opened the door for them to come inside, about 3 minutes after I let them out, the gate was open. My dogs had run out of the yard, one of the dogs, a pit bull had attacked and killed a neighbors dog. It was horrible to say the least. Both my daughter and husband was attacked by neighbors with bats when they attempted to retrieve my dog. The very next day, BOTH dogs were put down, at the insistance of the local animal warden. Immediately after leaving my vet, I visited my neighbor and apologized (as well as cried at what happened.) I paid her vet bills within 1 hour after receiving them and paid for her family to get another dog. I was then summoned to court for animals running at large and paid the fine. This unfortunate situation cost me over $2,000. It was later discovered that UPS had put a package in my yard, something they had NEVER done before, and did not secure the gate properly.
I did get another pit bull puppy. I am now receiving letters and internet information in my mail about how vicious pit bulls are and "how could you even think about bringing another monster around here again?"BTW, both my dogs were highly socialized, people friendly and obedience trained. This whole situation was very unfortunate for all parties involved, but I am continuing to pay the price and being held back from moving on.

[Country Living]

Did you even bother to look at the date on thread?????