Personal Injury
Dog Bites
Liability for dog bite injuries
Dog bite victims – typically children – are often left with extreme scarring and fear. It is important to retain a lawyer who knows the mandatory court approval process for all settlements when a minor child is involved.
Municipal Codes that address dog bites
The Spokane Municipal Code is relevant to dog bite injuries that occur in Spokane County.
The code provision states:
The following dog control regulations are police regulations designed to protect public health and safety. The owner or keeper of a dog is strictly liable to control his or her dog.
This means that the penalty for violation of these regulations is imposed without regard to any wrongful intention of the violator. It is unlawful for the owner or keeper of a dog or dogs to violate any of the following regulations.
- Running at large in Spokane County, whether licensed or not.
- This can be anyone that knowingly or unknowingly allows their dog to run at large out of control or without the supervision of the owner.
- Entering any place where food is stored, prepared, served, or sold to the public or any public building or hall.
- Being accessible to other animals, while in heat, for purposes other than controlled or planned breeding.
- Chasing, running after, or jumping at vehicles using public streets and alleys.
- Snapping, growling, snarling, barking in a threatening manner, jumping upon, chasing, or otherwise threatening persons or animals.
- Exhibiting vicious propensities.
- Howling, yelling, whining or barking, or making other oral noises in such a manner as to disturb any person or groups of persons to an unreasonable degree.
- Being kept, harbored, or maintained and known to have a contagious disease unless under the treatment of a licensed veterinarian and appropriately isolated to protect the public and other animals.
- Running in packs; provided, for the purpose of this section “packs” means dogs in groups of three or more.
- Running at large when the dog has not been neutered or spayed, and the dog is six months of age or older.
- A dog declared potentially dangerous shall not be running at large or off the owner or keeper’s property, unless it is on a leash and under physical restraint of a responsible person.
- A dog declared a dangerous dog shall not be running at large or outside a proper enclosure.
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