Dog Bit

Aren't there enough frivolous lawsuits in this country??? If you need money, I would suggest you get a job.

What would you sue for exactly? Does she need medical treatment? If not, then you have nothing to sue for.

Goodness gracious!! What in the world would you sue for?? I think this is a ridiculous idea and I sincerely hope you do not take this path. If there are other issues you aren't mentioning, couldn't you try talking to the parents about a possible solution before you just go and sue them?

What exactly would you be suing for? Hospital bills, reconstructive surgery, therapy?

If none of the above, I don't think you should sue. If you feel very strongly that the dog is a danger to people, you could call the Humane Society (and even then, you would want to be cautious and very careful about jumping to conclusions and reporting the dog). But otherwise, why would you think you had grounds to sue? Imagine a playmate of your daughter's came over and fell in your house, got a bruise on her knee, and the family sued. That kind of thing can be financially devastating to families, even to the point where they lose their home. Besides the fact that your daughter would lose her friend over it. Accidents happen. Unless the family sicced the dog on your daughter for sport, it was just an accident. Suing is not an appropriate response.

Why is that always everyones first reaction? Why does everyone try to get money out of every little thing possible? If she's not seriously injured don't be ridiculous.

Why would you sue? Did the parents purposely expose her to a dog they new was a danger? Did she need to see a doctor? Do you know why the dog bit her, was she being mean to the dog? If you are really concerned simply do not let her go to that house anymore, but I would also make sure to give her lessons on how to be around animals and be kind and safe, unless you know for sure the bit was truly unprovoked.

By "bit" do you mean puncture wounds or maiming or fractured bone ... that were then treated in an emergency room... with possible follow up surgeries/ hospitalization/ etc? That can run into the tens of thousands of dollars... and if your insurance isn't covering it, their homeowners insurance should. And the best avenue to get medical tx paid for would be via homeowners insurance.

Or do you mean they were rough housing and the dog nipped at her (not breaking the skin)? Possibly leaving a scratch or a bruise? (All dogs, unless toothless, can tear through fabric and into muscle and bone as easy as a knife through butter. - As my right arm will attest - ) If a scratch or a bruise, the dog didn't actually bite. A bite will ALWAYS break the skin -and usually goes down to the bone, and leaves marks of the bone itself... while a dog playing too roughly, or startled will frequently nip. Gentle enough not to break the skin, hard enough to be felt. If this is the case, absolutely NOT. 1) The dog is not a danger... any dog that is reported to have bitten a child is put down as a dangerous animal 2) There's no actual damage. Like suing for a skinned knee.

If you casually go around suing people, be prepared to be sue'd yourself.
What you reap, you sow.

A.---Please don't think that a lawsuit is the answer. Find out what happened. The most that should happen is for their homeowners insurance to pay for any NEEDED medical care. Most times these are just accidents and to burn that bridge with your daughter's friend will just cause everyone pain in the end.

Take care of your baby. Keep the wound clean if the skin was broken, ice it to minimize swellling, be sure she gets a tetanus shot if needed and be sure that the dog's shots are up to date.

Don't jump to anger. Just think of the 'shoe was on the other food' and it was your dog that bit someone. I wish you good luck. D.

I would not sue especially if it is on a mark. It would be different if if there were hospital bills and things like that. I would make sure that the dog is updated on all vaccines and if not, I would call my doctor to get a tetnus shot for her.

Just my opinion

The dog's owner should pay for your daughter's medical bills. If you can work that out without going to court, that is the best arrangement. Beside, I don't see what you are suing for. The medical costs are really the only expense associated with this. If the dog's owner is unwilling to pay, that is a different situation.

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Did the bite break the skin or do any lasting damage? Was your daughter just sitting down minding her own business and the dog ran over out of the blue?

There is a whole lot more to this then just "my daughter has a mark on her leg and I want some money".

Was the bite unprovoked? Some dog breeds are reserved towards those not in their "flock", their family. Dogs are flock animals. And that instinct will kick in at the most unexpected times. Same thing happened with me years ago. My dog had been used to seeing the neighbor girls in my house playing with my kids. One day, bingo! the dog up and nipped her. We weren't sued, but our house insurance cancelled us. You have to ask yourself if the situation were reversed, how you'd feel. A lawsuit might make things very difficult for this family, financially.
Suing might create animosity between her best friend and her and their respective family's. Is that what you want? I'd think long and hard about it because showing compassion goes a long way. What I would do is not sue, but let them know that although this incident won't lead to a lawsuit, they should keep the dog separate when your daughter comes over. And keep a better eye on it so that it doesn't do the same to anyone else. Next time they might not be so fortunate. And relief over not being sued this time might get them to be a little more responsible.

Don't waste your time. My tenant's dog bit a neighbor and the neighbor then turned around and sued us for $1,000,000 (a million!!) bucks. In the end after 2 years of wrangling with the insurance company her lawyer received a check for exactly $1000. I'm guessing she received $200 or so after fees, if anything.

You are entitled to medical bills and it should be reported so the dog can be put on a dangerous dogs list.

Please keep your child away from this dog!!! I love animals but there are warning signs before dogs attack and maul children - this is one of those signs!

I think it depends on if she is crippled or deformed by the bite. People sue for all kinds of crazy reasons that sometimes are not valid. The lawsuits cost alot and sometimes don't do anything but cause bad feelings. You didn't say how old your daughter is. Is the dog dangerous? Have you spoken with the parents? Do they have insurance that could pay for plastic surgery to fix the "mark". Small scars tend to fade over time. Lawsuits are very often not worth the time, money or effort. The lawyers get most of the money.

Most lawyers will give you a free consultation over the phone and while I'm not a lawyer, I would guess that you have to demonstrate pain and suffering at the least in order to sue. I do think that you need to make sure you keep a watchful eye on your daughter when she is around the pets of others, because even if someone claims their dog is safe around your child, that is just their estimation and it does not release you from the necessary attention you as a mother must pay to your instincts.

I don`t think you should sue. But you need to get proof of shots for the dog IF it broke her skin. The dr. will need the proof. Maybe ask them to pay for her treatment, since it was their dog. But don`t sue...unless you want to destroy a good friendship-or the dog has done some serious damage.

ONLY if this dog has a habit of biting people and the owners refuse to do anything about it.

Think about your question and then get all the facts straight. Was the dog provoked? What was happening at the time? Were there medical bills, or is it just an abrasion? What would be your intent to sue? What would you want out of the situaion. Think about the repercussions if you were to sue. Is it really worth it?

Absolutely not! Suing should be for only very rare instances and not against friends. This will get you more trouble than you can imagine. Sorry about your daughter's leg but you will move on from this.

Why would you sue if it is your daughters best friend? Dogs bite, it's a fact of life. Unless the dog is truly vicious and a danger to other people and SERIOUSLY bit your daughter and she has tons of medical bills why would you sue? I was bit once and the thing I would recommend is if it broke the skin she should have went to the ER to get it cleaned out (dogs mouths are full of bacteria) and also get a tetnis shot. Depending on the bite, they might give her antibiotics just in case of infection.

Unless she is suffering medical problems, please do not sue. If she is suffering medical issues, I suggest suing simply to cover medical costs (you may want to even try to talk to the dog's owners since your daughter is friends with their son - they may be agreeable to helping pay for medical costs without involving lawyers which could hurt the friendship).

If the dog is a problem, also report it.

I am not a big fan of suing people. It clogs up the court system and in most cases it's just petty. Report the bite to the authorities in your area, so steps can be taken to protect others (if this is a one time incident there will probably just be a warning).

If they are not responsible pet owners, don't let your child go and play at their house.
Good luck!

Unless there was neglect on the part of the dog owners then no. So many times kids pervoke dogs to bit them. Althought they don't know what they did wrong it isn't the dog's fault. Unless there was neglet from the owners and not the fault of your daughter and unless she is seriously hurt then no.