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My neighbor allows her dog to run loose. While walking my own dog, theneighbor’s bit me. What recourse do I have under the law?

Homepage > Articles > My neighbor allows her dog to run loose. While walking my own dog, theneighbor’s bit me. What recourse do I have under the law?
My neighbor allows her dog to run loose. While walking my own dog, theneighbor’s bit me. What recourse do I have under the law?

An aggressive dog is a menace to the neighborhood, and potentially a source of great legal trouble for the owner. In Massachusetts, a dog and its owner are not granted any leniency in terms of civil liability even if this is the first occasion on which the dog has bitten someone. Additionally, since Massachusetts is a “strict liability” state, even if a dog is restrained or an owner otherwise takes “reasonable precautions,” the owner is still at fault.

If you plan on filing charges, or a lawsuit, be sure to take pictures of your injuries and bring documentation from your doctor. If you’ve previously taken pictures of the dog running loose, this would also be helpful.
There may be additional, local ordinances against unleashed dogs that come into play. An experienced personal injury attorney, such as one of our partners, will be able to assess the individual circumstances of a dog attack.
All this assumes, however, that neither you nor your own dog did anything to provoke the neighbor’s animal. The law waves liability for the owner of a dog if the victim of the bite was trespassing or in any way harassing or tormenting the dog.

Call our office today to discuss your options for compensation following a dog bite or another injury.

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    (978) 374-1131

    (978) 372-3086

    25 Kenoza Avenue
    Haverhill, MA 01830

    Phillips, Gerstein & Channen, LLP is a law firm in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Our firm represents clients from Massachusetts cities throughout Merrimack Valley including Andover, North Andover, Boston, Methuen, Newburyport, Lawrence, Gloucester, Merrimac, Amesbury, Lowell, Groveland, West Newbury, Georgetown, and Rowley, and New Hampshire cities including Salem and Plaistow. We represent clients in Essex County, Middlesex County, and Suffolk County in Massachusetts and Rockingham County and Hillsborough County in New Hampshire.

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