Advice For Victims of Dog Bites

Anyone who gets bitten by a dog while residing in or visiting the Canadian province known as Ontario should read and study the Province’s Dog Owner’s Liability Act. It states that the owner of a pet canine must be held liable if the same pet bites someone, or attacks a domestic animal. That rule applies at the time of any biting incident, regardless of the dog’s history.

Who has been categorized as a dog’s owner, under Canadian law?

That would be anyone that has come into possession of the biting canine, even if that particular person is just walking that same domesticated animal.

That would also be anyone or any group that harbors a dog. In other words, someone that has taken in a stray could be held responsible for its dangerous behavior. Too often such a person or group feels that it has performed a wonderful service. If the harbored dog has not been controlled, then that service falls short of what is required by law.

Actions that should be taken by the victim of a biting incident:

• Seek immediate medical attention.
• Report the attack to the police or to an Animal Services. Both the police and Animal Services have been made responsible for investigating any such attack.
• Write down a description of the canine.
• Speak with witnesses; take pictures if possible.
• Record the date, time and location.
• Get the name and contact information of the dog’s owner.
• Consult with a lawyer; see if he or she has handled similar cases.

The lawyer’s role

If the victim provoked the attack in any manner, then that fact should be shared with any Personal Injury Lawyer in St. Catharines. In a courtroom, a judge and jury would decide whether or not a victim had provoked the teeth-baring, yet domesticated animal. The plaintiff must accept their ruling, even if they have read the book with this title: Don’t pet my dog while its pooping.

If the pet’s owner has failed in some fashion to control his or her 4-legged friend, then that fact, too, should be made clear to any injury lawyer.

If the victim happens to be self-employed, and plans to seek compensation for lost salary, a lawyer’s help becomes most useful. In such a situation, some paper evidence becomes essential. Someone that is self-employed needs to have some proof of the money that he or she had been earning during the days prior to the biting incident.

In such a case, an injury lawyer might need to work closely with the victim’s accountant. The two of them would have to dig up papers that could support any claim made by the injury lawyer’s client. Ideally, their findings could be corroborated by an economist.