Do You Have Control of Your Pet?

We all love our pets and want the best for them but sometimes we don’t realise just how disobedient our treasured pets can be, especially when it comes to being around other people. Did you know that pet owners have a legal responsibility to make sure that their animals don’t cause injuries to anyone else? If they do, a victim of an animal attack has the right to claim compensation, as well as any other fees that the court feels you should pay.

Learn the Facts about Pet Owner Laws

Per recent statistics, one in six animal injuries involves a child under the age of 10. You don’t want to be faced with any type of animal attack charge, especially not one that caused harm to a small child. Therefore, it is important that you keep your pet under control.

Owning a Good Guard Dog Isn’t Necessarily a Bad Thing

If your dog is particularly hostile toward strangers, it can sometimes be a good thing when you want to keep thieves away. The good news is that if your dog attacks an intruder in your own home, the law will provide you a defence for that, which can be very reassuring for dog owners. However, when you take your uncontrollable pet on a walk, that is when he or she becomes a danger to innocent people.

The Statistics for Animal Injuries Are Surprising

Injury lawyers have represented thousands of clients due to animal attacks. There were 6,120 admissions to hospital between May 2010 and April 2011 due to dog-related injuries. That is up from 5,810 in the previous year. Hospital admission for injuries caused by dogs have gone up 76% in the UK over the past decade. The highest rate of hospital admissions due to dog bites or attacks in Merseyside was 27 per 100,000 people.

Dogs are not the only animals that can cause harm to others. Between 2009 and 2010, there were more than 2,500 attacks from other animals that were so severe that the injured had to be admitted to the hospital. The animals included cows, horses, and even pigs.

Animals have bacteria in their mouths that can be harmful to humans if they are bitten. The bacteria has been known to cause infections; therefore, it is important that anyone who is bitten by a dog is seen by a doctor even if the wound is small.

Consider the Consequences of Owning a Disobedient Pet

The current maximum sentence in England and Wales under the Dangerous Dog Act has increased from two years to 14 years if a dog owner were to allow his or her pet to fatally attack another person. If you have a dog that misbehaves and you fear that he or she may be a danger to others, you should consider enrolling him or her in obedience classes to help him or her learn basic commands so that he or she will be much easier to control when around other people. This will help to save you from paying out expensive fines and may even keep you out of jail.