Any dog owners??

[jason-23]

I had a problem tonight watching the ravens kill the pats, maybe kill is a bad term to use for this. Anyways, I've had a shelter dog for about 6 months now so I have been learning about him and his behavior. He is pretty good with people and kids but doesnt care for other animals of anykind, he tries to attack them or hunt small animals like squirrels, ducks and lizards. So I let him out tonight in my back yard which is fenced and about 5 minutes later I here another dog yipping. I run out and see my dog,which by the way is 65lbs and looks like a ridgeback lab mix about 3 years old, running back and forth along the fence and then i see another very small dog next to the fence in my yard. Its the neighbors tiny dog of maybe 5lbs, dirty, wet in places and shaking. I run to him and pick him up and the neighbor is on the other side of the fence. I took him over to her and apologized and said I dont know what happen. She said he must have got through the fence at that hole on the fence. There is a broken board on her fence that separates our two back yards. Am I liable for this dog if its in my back yard? Her fence, her dog in my back yard and she knows I have a larger dog...I so dont need a law suit or crazy vet bills right now. Another reason I want out of this freaking HOA neighborhood!     

[ericheartsu]

I'm sure someone with much more expertise will chime in, but i had friends in Tampa, who had this same type of situation. I think they worked it out with their neighbor, from what he told me, in Tampa, they would have been liable.

[Frog]

The prey drive is completely normal, just greater in some dogs than others. The territorial thing makes it even stronger.

Help your neighbor fix the fence, and be rid of the problem.
btw, we just today played rescue wagon on the way back from Long Beach picking up a supposed Ridgeback mix pulled from a SoCal shelter and going to NorCal RRRescue

[Nick Bane]

yeah, im no lawyer for sure, but have several big rescued dogs myself.  my personal opinion is yes you would more than likely end up being liable.  its your dog, your house, your yard, and your responsibility to make sure the dog is safe and under control and not killing small animals that come thru your yard.  that is not to say i agree with that in your situation, but in the eyes of the law, i would imagine its on you.  like i said, i dont think its right and someone with a 5lb dog that lets it get into another yard to get chewed on deserves to suffer the same ordeal.  all that said i hope it doesnt come to that and you and your neighbor are able to work it out and none of that ever happens again.  hope all your pups are doing well. 8)

[jason-23]

I've been praying for a dog to not die for like an hour. I'm worried sick about it. I have never seen my dog get a hold of another animal yet but I have seen him with his duck fur toy and he shakes the crap out of that thing when he things its play time, I only hope he didnt do that to that dog. If so I didn't think it will make it. You know the death shake dogs do to stuff...

[Nick Bane]

didnt realize it was that serious.  i really hope this all works out for everyone. :-\

[brandon]

Sorry to hear about this. We rescued our black lab Patty a few years back and she is one of the best aspects of my life. Whether it is a few days hike/camp or a beer at local bar down the street she is right beside me. Sad to think she is going on 11 this year. I hope this all works out for you!!! Dogs really are man's best friend

[mk162]

doesn't really matter if you are liable or not, people will still try and sue you.

I recommend an umbrella policy.  They are pretty cheap and cover anything like this, or what your normal insurance caps off at financially.  For example, if medical on our auto is 250,000, and we put somebody in the hospital and their bill is $700,000, the umbrella policy kicks in and covers us against other lawsuits.

[Frog]

A sad fact also is that in most states, our four legged family members are considered nothing but property, and from a strictly liabilty viewpoint, an injured dog can rack up thousands of dollars of bills, while a dead dog is only valued at replacement cost.

[3Deep]

Jason I,m no lawyer here and don't know your state laws, but if your dog was in your fence on your property and the neighbors dog got in your fence from a hole from there fence in yard then you my friend have nothing to worry about at all.  I would not tell my neighbor I would help to paid anything at all just tell her your sorry and that's it, anything you offer can be held up in a court of law..SO DON'T OFFER ANYTHING don't help repair her fence that's her problem not your's.  I love animals and have seen so many of these cases...she may take you to court but you'll win without saying much at all...like I said don't offer anything money, help repairing her fence nothing just I,m sorry.

Darryl

[tpitman]

I would agree. Just as it's your responsibility to keep your dog under control, which you do with a fenced-in yard, it's the neighbor's responsibility to keep her dog under control, which she didn't. Keep mum and wait to see what happens. It's a shame that her dog might have been injured, but it was on your property. Had your dog gotten through the hole into her yard, or jumped the fence, you'd be in deep dog sh!t.

[Gilligan]

A sad fact also is that in most states, our four legged family members are considered nothing but property, and from a strictly liabilty viewpoint, an injured dog can rack up thousands of dollars of bills, while a dead dog is only valued at replacement cost.

Ah, say no more, *wink wink* *nudge nudge*. ;)  j/k but it could be read that way.

[jason-23]

I see.

[mk162]

Doesn't matter if you are in the right or not, people can sue you for just about anything...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1711925/posts

[screenprintguy]

It's true people can sue for anything and see how it goes. Maybe just to cover your bases, even though the fence is hers, find the problem areas and block them off. We have 2 dogs, a 65 pound English bulldog, and a 60 pound Oldde English bulldog, both big babies, but when it comes to other dogs, trying to come into the yard, or anyone for any reason with out one of us near, they will tear some bootay up. We've had to actually fill spots in along the fence with concrete where either the dig or neighbors dogs dig trying to come in or out, and put extra wood in certain parts of the privacy fencing just to prevent an issue. We used to have a next door neighbor with a shitzu mix and a Kaaren terror mix, they used to try to come in the yard all the time, till my Oldde carried one around the yard by back leg shaking it like a toy. The guy knew but he wouldn't prevent on his side so we took precautions, dogs are bad enough, but if someone's little kid came in and we weren't out with them, who knows, and that would be devastating.