One solution to the pit bull problem lies in discouraging people from adopting and breeding these dogs. Many well-meaning individuals adopt pit bulls without understanding the risks. They often don’t know that pit bull owners and their families are the most frequent victims of attacks by these dogs. (See “Pit Bulls: Facts & Figures.“) To […]
Use the Dog Bite Law Assistant by Attorney Kenneth M. Phillips, powered by ChatGPT! Here’s what to expect: It summarizes information about dog bite law, and gives you links to learn more. If it names a page without a link, copy the name and paste it into the search box to get the information. If […]
In the ongoing murder trial of Karen Read, a key debate is whether Dr. Marie Russell, a physician who studied bite wounds from police dogs, should testify about injuries found on the body of Read’s deceased boyfriend. Prosecutors accuse Read of killing him, while her defense claims he was beaten by someone else and then […]
Few dog bite victims can sue a public animal shelter for getting bitten by one of their dogs. Yet the former director of the shelters in Los Angeles, New York, and Maricopa County (Arizona) thinks dog bite laws are a threat to shelters. Recently, I debated public shelter liability with Edward Boks, the former director […]
You may not know what “shelter dogs” are, but you’ve seen a few of the most handsome in television commercials, on the sides of buses, and in print ads. They are the dogs that find themselves in public shelters and private rescues for one reason or another. The vast majority are friendly, healthy, and need […]
The ACLU has just released a report that puts police dogs in the spotlight because of the allegedly unjustified damage to people. Very much worth reading, the report is called Weaponizing Dogs – the Brutal and Outdated Practice of Police Attack Dogs. Police use dogs for different purposes such as locating people, finding illegal drugs, […]
There is no way to see how many bad dogs live in a neighborhood (without encountering them, unpleasantly, yourself). There are no online “crime blotters” or maps showing the locations of dog bite incidents and irresponsible dog owners. The time has come to make this information available to the public. That’s why some cities are […]
An appellate court in New Jersey issued an important opinion a few months ago, holding that a homeowners insurance policy on a house in one city provides coverage for a second house in another city that was underinsured. Significantly, the umbrella policy covering the first house applied to the medical payment limit, thereby increasing medical […]
The number of Californians going to emergency rooms with serious dog bites is 70% higher than it was 20 years ago. Dog bite fatalities in the state rose 70% in the same period, and hospitalizations for dog attacks doubled. An article in the Sacramento Bee presents a thorough analysis of California’s skyrocketing dog bite problem: […]
Today’s headlines about pit bulls: People Magazine: “Iowa Woman Loses Legs and Needs Facial Reconstruction Surgery After Being Mauled by 3 Pit Bulls.” City Watch Los Angeles: “Pit Bull Attacks: Is the Breed, the Owner, or a Lack of Law-Enforcement to Blame?” Atlanta City Press: “Atlantic City man beat pit bull with pipe, police say.” […]