An amendment to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 means that dog owners (or any person in charge of the dog at the time) will be guilty of a criminal offence if the dog injures a person, an assistance dog or is out of control in any place (public or not) across England and Wales.
The original Act only found a dog owner, or a person in control of a dog, guilty of a criminal offence if the attack took place in a public place. This change means that you will now be found guilty not only if a dog in your control attacks someone in public, but also on your own property (e.g. a visitor to your home) or there is a reasonable belief that it will attack someone.
However, this amendment does have an exception. Although you will be guilty of a criminal offence if your dog attacks somebody in your home, you won’t be found guilty if your dog attacks a trespasser or somebody you believe to be a trespasser in your home. From what we know of this revision so far, this exception does not seem to include the land surrounding your property. Therefore, if your dog attacks and injures somebody in your garden or on land that is part of your home, you could still be guilty of an offence.
What does this mean for dog owners?
The amendments to the original Act have been put in place to protect innocent dog attack victims. The home and dog owner is responsible for ensuring vulnerable people or those most likely to be attacked e.g. couriers and delivery people, are not put at risk by dangerous dogs.
If you are a dog owner, it is vital that you control your dog not only when you are out in public, but also when people visit your home. This also counts for lively dogs, who have the potential to knock over and injure a visitor, as you can still be found guilty.
Have you been attacked by a dangerous dog?
Nelsons Solicitors have a great deal of experience in handling claims for victims of dog attacks, and have successfully attained compensation for those who have been injured from dog bites.
If you have been attacked by a dog, and left with physical scars, a fear of dogs or even being unable to work for a period of time following the attack, you may be able to bring a personal injury compensation claim against the owner of the dog.
Dog attack compensation claims
Our team of expert solicitors have obtained compensation for a number of dog attack victims recently:
- We managed to secure £15,000 of compensation for Miss H, who was attacked by a dog whilst she was playing with a friend. The dog bite left the girl with scars on her leg, as well as an inherent fear of dogs.
- Laura Holmes was pregnant when she was bitten by a dog whilst at a friend’s house. She suffered severe injuries to her face, legs and arms – you can read more about her case here.
- Miss Y received £3,000 in compensation when she was bitten by a dog as she walked down a street. The dog in question had run away from a nearby house before it bit in to her leg. Following the attack, the extent of her injuries meant that she was unable to go to work for a number of weeks. The attack left her with significant scars on her legs in addition to a fear of dogs.
How Nelsons Can Help
Nelsons will be happy to provide free advice for you if you have been injured in a dog attack. Please don’t hesitate to contact us via our online form or call 0800 024 1976 to see if our Personal Injury solicitors can assist you in pursuing a claim for compensation.