Dog Attack Attorneys in Salt Lake City, UT

So a dog attacked your dog, and now you're wondering what to do about it. If you're like most people, your dog is your family, and witnessing them injured probably caused both you and the animal a great deal of stress and pain. In some cases, owners such as yourself are themselves injured while trying to break up an attack between your dog and another aggressive dog.

If your animal has been injured in dog attack, you don't have to bear the stress alone. Talk to a Salt Lake City dog attack attorney about how to proceed so you can get the responsible owner to pay for your vet bills and any other costs incurred as a result of the injury. Knowing your legal rights is crucial, and will help you move past this disaster quickly.

Insurance Coverage

If your dog has been bitten by another and you're wondering what might cover your bills, the answer is not always clear. While homeowner's insurance by default covers dog bites that occur on the property, there are two problems with this. One, many dog-on-dog attacks happen in neutral territory, such as a sidewalk or park. Two, many homeowner's insurance policies are now excluding dangerous breeds such as German shepherds, Akitas, Rottweilers and pit bulls, among others.

If the owner of the dog that bit yours doesn't have appropriate insurance, they may have to pay out of pocket. Naturally they won't want to, which is why it's important to know your rights.

Legal Rights After a Dog Attack

Believe it or not, there are quite a few laws on your side if another dog attacked yours. For one thing, if the dog was a dangerous breed, this may help you prove that your dog was not the aggressor. Especially if your dog is smaller or meeker (think a Dachshund injured by a Rottweiler), that can really help your case.
If the dogs are equal size or both dangerous breeds – or if your dog is a dangerous breed but was still not the aggressor – you can still get help from other laws. Your state's leash laws, for instance, will dictate whether or not the other owner was behaving appropriately. Additionally, the other dog may have a past history of aggression, which can also help your case.

Unfortunately, it's not always easy to prove that you and your dog aren't at fault, which is why it's crucial to properly document your claim.

How to Document Your Claim

If a dog attacked your dog, you should immediately start keeping a record of everything stemming from the attack. This includes taking photographs of the injury from all angles; documenting vet records and bills related to paying for treatment or, heaven forbid, putting your dog down; and getting witness statements from anyone else who was there at the time of the attack.

Next Steps

In future, if you'd like to avoid injuries to your dog, it's best to avoid letting your dog out during crowded or busy times. This can be stressful to dogs and cause them to lash out at one another. It's also important to keep children away from potentially dangerous dogs or dogs that are off-leash. Dog bites can cause serious emotional impairment in the form of mistrust and fear that stay with kids for life.

Bottom Line:If you think you have a dog bit case. Don't sit an wonder, give us a call! 

George Tait Law is a law firm and its lawyers represent injured people and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City. George Tait Law and its attorneys are licensed to practice law only in the State of Utah and maintain offices in Salt Lake City, Utah. No attorney client relationship is established by simply visiting this website.