Do laws aimed at preventing dog bites help?
Laws are only as good as they are enforced. With tight city budgets, animal control is often the first to receive budget cuts. The key with Washington state dog bite laws is that the owner of the dog is responsible. Identifying the owner often becomes an issue. Sometimes people run from responsibility and claim they do not own the dog. Homeowners policies will often cover a dog bite event. Some homeowners insurance policies explicitly exclude dog bites. Insurance coverage rarely exists when the dog’s owner rents, and landlords are rarely found liable for their tenants dogs that bite. The best defense is awareness, and when you are out and about, keep an eye out for dogs, particularly when children accompany you. Dogs can act quickly, so stay aware. The law is not generally a preventative device, but instead, provides a remedy after the fact. The law generally operates to penalize the offending dog owner and/or dog (or both) in terms of fines and/or civil judgements. In extreme circumst
