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Another Dog Attack - 9 month-old Baby Severely Maimed

By Christopher Davis

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Published: 13Sep2009
Word count: 453
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Another dog attack on a child was reported by KOMO 4 News. The baby, just 9 months old, was apparently left exposed to her grandmother’s dog. The child received vicious injuries which were considered life-threatening according to reports by Children’s Hospital (where the baby was flown for emergency treatment).

The dog’s owner is the baby’s grandmother. Now sheriff’s are pursuing criminal charges against the grandmother. Why? Well, the dog had attacked the baby just 24 hours earlier. The baby’s ear was nearly torn off and had to be re-attached.

Once a dog owner is aware of the animal’s vicious propensities, that owner has a duty to destroy or quarantine the animal so that it is impossible for it to hurt another human being again. If the dog causes serious injury to a human, then that dog may be classified as a “dangerous dog” which requires the owner to cage or fence the animal. Another requirement is that the owner purchase insurance on the animal of no less than $250,000.

It’s shocking that the child’s own grandmother would allow the child to be in the same room with an animal that nearly tore the child’s ear off just a day earlier. Apparently, that earlier incident was never reported to animal control (like it should have been).

Criminal dangerous dog prosecutions are rare because it is hard to prove that the dog owner had prior knowledge of the dog’s viciousness, or that the dog has inflicted serious injury on a prior occasion (there is no central reporting bank that keeps track of all dog bite attacks in Washington state).

But here, the prosecution may have a decent chance of convicting grandma based entirely on the earlier attack on the child. I should also think that most jurors would be outraged that the grandmother allowed a second dog attack to occur on this poor child.

In any event, the child also has a civil claim for damages against her grandmother. Hopefully, grandma has homeowner’s insurance which would cover such a tragic incident. My heart goes out to this poor child and I hope she makes a full recovery. The dog should definitely be put down.

To learn more about dog bite law in Washington state, go to www.WashingtonDogBiteBook.com.

Read When The Dog Bites to:

• Learn if you actually have a legal claim for injuries sustained from a dog bite.
• Find out who can be declared negligent in a dog bite case.
• Understand the statute of limitations for animal attack cases in Washington state.
• Gain valuable insight into how insurance companies deal with dog bite claims.
• Learn the common considerations for dog bite and animal attack claims.

Chris Davis is a Seattle dog bite attorney who is regarded as one of the top animal attack lawyers in Washington state. You can learn more about Mr. Davis and his law firm by visiting http://www.DavisLawGroupSeattle.com.

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