Other areas of negligence with a dog bite can be associated with a negligent landlord who is not the dog owner, but rents the home or apartment to a tenant owner of dog that bites someone else. In this case, a different standard of review applies under California Dog Bite law.

THE FOLLOWING VIDEO IS MADE TO QUICKY EXPLAIN CALIFORNIA DOG BITE LAW:

Hi, this is California Personal Injury Attorney Mark Blane, and I would like to talk to you briefly about Dog Bite injuries, and the law. Here in the State of California, if you are bitten by a dog then the owner of the dog is “strictly liable” for your injuries. This means you do not have to prove the owner was negligent in controlling his or her dog, you only have to show that the dog bite occurred and thereby caused you injury.

Unfortunately, dog bite injuries seem to be on the rise due to more and more dog owners failing to take appropriate steps to control their dogs while in public, and statistically children tend to be the majority of victims. Also, some dogs are considered inherently dangerous like Rottweilers and Pit Bulls due to the strength of their jaws.

The damages you are entitled to are any past and future medical bills, including any damages for future or past cosmetic surgery, loss wages, and of course general damages known as pain and suffering. We also have animal experts that will come in and testify as to dog behavior if needed, to express expert opinion on dog characteristics.

If you think you have a dangerous dog in the neighborhood, I tell my clients to do three things: 1. Talk to the kids in neighborhood; 2. Talk to your adult neighbors; and, 3. Talk to your postman, as he or she will be the best person to know which dogs are about to bite people.

At the Law Offices of Mark Blane, we have been handling dog bite injuries since 1999 and we do so on a contingency fee basis which means: if we take your case, work on your case, and we do not recover for you, then there is no fee for our legal services. If you enjoyed this video and would like to see others, simply visit my website at www.blanelaw.com, and click on the video center to see other legal videos that may help you with other types of injuries. OR YOU CAN CLICK following link to see a free video on what I do in my San Diego Injury Law Practice:  San Diego Dog Bite Law Firm: Discusses injuries and accidents they see in their San Diego Injury law practice

1.  Never run past a dog. This will trigger the dog’s natural instincts to give chase, run, and catch things with their mouth.  Do not give them any incentives in triggering this natural response;

2.  Do not move if a dog comes to you to sniff you. Dogs usually are gathering information on you and determining if there is even a threat; sudden movements do not help with this;

3.  Remain very calm if a dog is becoming aggressive toward you. Try to remain as still as possible and avoid eye contact;  do not raise your voice or turn to run; you should slowly move back until the dog is away from you, or better yet, out of view;

4.  If you are tackled by dog to the ground, then: immediately curly our entire body into a ball with your arms and hands over your face and protecting your neck with your elbows and the back of your neck.  You can even lie face down on the ground.  Protect as best you can your upper extremities;

5.  Never approach a dog that is eating, sleeping, or caring for its young. This may trigger a protection response in the dog that may attack you;

6.  If you jog in an area that is secluded, it is a good idea to: Keep a small bear spray bottle with you in case a dog, coyote, or other potential dangerous animal approaches you in an aggressive fashion;

I hope these tips will make you better aware of what to do around dogs and vicious animals.  Remember, if you are bitten, an experienced animal or dog bite attorney will need to be consulted to go over your legal rights.

1.  Parents or caregivers must never leave an infant or small child alone with a dog no matter if the dog is a “family dog;”

2.  Children should be instructed on always asking permission from a dog owner before petting a dog, or  for that matter, getting close to a dog;

3.  According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, young children, and this includes infants, should be taught early to be extremely careful around dogs and pets in general; they should be taught to never approach strange dogs.

4.  Children should be taught to remain calm around dogs; and again, remind them to always ask permission from a dog owner before petting.  This cannot be over emphasized, as I have represented injured children with dog bites, and I ask them if they asked permission from the dog owner before they were bit.  Not that this has anything to do with liability in the case itself, but I am curious to find that generally the answer is often “no.”  I cannot help to wonder if this was taught to the child early on, then maybe the bite would never have occurred.

I hope the above 4 tips to prevent a child from being attacked or bitten by a dog helps!  I will periodically update this as I encounter more useful information with children and dog bites.