• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Dog owner responsibility

Should a dog owner be punished?


  • Total voters
    44

spud_meister

Veni, vidi, dormivi!
DP Veteran
Joined
Nov 6, 2009
Messages
36,877
Reaction score
22,202
Location
Didjabringabeeralong
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Communist
Over here we've had a recent incident where a dog escaped its yard, broke into the neighbours house and killed a 4 year old. Under current laws all the dog owner receives is a fine, and there's a debate over whether the owner should receive jail time or not. So what do you think, should there be a charge of negligent homicide or something like that for owners who allow their dogs to escape and cause death?
 
Yes. In my town, there are charges brought when an animal injures or kills, human beings or other animals. I forget the actual charge, but it is something along the lines of what you are asking. The animal, will more than likely be put down as well.

People are responsible to keep control of their animals. Accidents happen, but obviously, if a dog kills or severely injures, they are a danger to the community.
 
That's a tough call. There should be some punishment, how severe probably depends on the situation. I mean if the dog owner took reasonable actions to keep the dog contained I don't know that jail time would be correct. Then again, man, that was a tragedy. Sounds as if the dog was wild and out of control.
 
Over here we've had a recent incident where a dog escaped its yard, broke into the neighbours house and killed a 4 year old. Under current laws all the dog owner receives is a fine, and there's a debate over whether the owner should receive jail time or not. So what do you think, should there be a charge of negligent homicide or something like that for owners who allow their dogs to escape and cause death?

The dog managed to escape it's own yard and break into a house? I don't know how any dog owner could ever reasonably be expected to foresee something like this. I'd like to know more about the animal and whether the owners had reason to believe this dog capable of such horrific things.
 
just awful, poor little girl. it was very distressing to see the scene when the story broke. without all the details of whether the owner took reasonable precautions regarding the dog, i'm not sure how to reply Spud.

little Ayen. RIP.

376170-ayen-chol-pit-bull-attack-st-albans.jpg
 
Over here we've had a recent incident where a dog escaped its yard, broke into the neighbours house and killed a 4 year old. Under current laws all the dog owner receives is a fine, and there's a debate over whether the owner should receive jail time or not. So what do you think, should there be a charge of negligent homicide or something like that for owners who allow their dogs to escape and cause death?

Negligence requires the incident to be forseeable. I would ask whether or not the dog owners were training the pitbull to be vicious against humans or other animals - I would guess yes, given that the breed does not have a predisposition for aggression towards people. If they were training it to attack people, and it got out and mauled someone, then it needs to be a negligence-based crime. If not, then it cannot be criminal negligence, although, of course, they need to be civilly liable.
 
I voted that he should get jail time because I assumed that the owner was negligent. Now I'm not so sure that he deserves jail time without knowing the details of the case. So you can just pretend there is one less jail time vote for now.
 
Over here we've had a recent incident where a dog escaped its yard, broke into the neighbours house and killed a 4 year old. Under current laws all the dog owner receives is a fine, and there's a debate over whether the owner should receive jail time or not. So what do you think, should there be a charge of negligent homicide or something like that for owners who allow their dogs to escape and cause death?

Not unless it can be shown that they were negligent, or raised the dog to be vicious, or should have known better than to leave it unattended. They should be subjected to civil penalties from the victim's family and possibly a lesser criminal charge. But negligent homicide is a bit extreme unless there are aggravating circumstances.
 
I voted for jail time. I'm no fan of the pit bull, and IMO, if people insist on owning one, they need to be strictly liable for keeping it under control.

That poor family; they had just lost their home a month before in a fire, or none of them would have been there.
 
Animals, especially dogs of larger and/or more aggressive breeds are weapons folks. This is doubly so when the animal has been specifically trained for protection or attack. Just as I am responsible for everything that happens with one of my firearms (yes, even if it has been stolen), these people should be responsible for whatever acts their dog commits.
 
Here it would depend on circumstances.

Example 1: I have a chain link fence and no warning signs posted about my dog. Kid sticks their hand through the fence, dog bites them. I'm held responsible for the child's injuries and my dog is quarantined for 7 days to check for rabies.

Example 2: I have a chain link fence and a warning sign posted about my dog. Kid sticks their hand through fence, dog bites them. I am not responsible for the chid's injuries but my dog is still quarantined.

Example 3: I have a 10 ft wood fence around my yard. My dog is placed on a runner chain in the back yard. He slips the chain, digs under the fence, attacks a man on the street. I am not held responsible but my dog is quarantined.

Example 4: I have a 4.5 ft wood fence around my yard. My dog is let loose in the back yard and jumps the fence, biting a man on the street. I'm am held responsible and my dog is quarantined.

Example 5: Somebody comes into my home (invited or not) and is bit by my dog. I am not responsible, but the dog is quarantined.

After three quarantines the dog is deemed aggressive and a mandatory termination order is issued.
 
IMO, if you own a dog whose breed is known to/capable of human deaths, then you should be STRICTLY liable for its control at all times.
 
IMO, if you own a dog whose breed is known to/capable of human deaths, then you should be STRICTLY liable for its control at all times.

EXACTLY. Here in Massachusetts, I am liable for my firearms at all times. Until the moment I report a firearm STOLEN, I am liable for all of its use. Even if it was stolen out of a locked safe or other secure environment, I am personally liable for its use. Why would/should it be any different with a potentially dangerous DOG?
 
Over here we've had a recent incident where a dog escaped its yard, broke into the neighbours house and killed a 4 year old. Under current laws all the dog owner receives is a fine, and there's a debate over whether the owner should receive jail time or not. So what do you think, should there be a charge of negligent homicide or something like that for owners who allow their dogs to escape and cause death?

too few details really.

how did the dog escape the yard? did it jump a fence? did it break a chain? how was the dog contained? the story/article doesn't tell

how did the dog "break into" the house? did it kick the door down or break out a window? according to the article, the dog ran into the house. did they have their doors propped open?

the dog was back on the owner's property when the cops arrived. did the dog escape, run into the neighbor's house, chew the hell out of these kids and then run home? seems odd behavior even for a pit.
 
I misread the portion regarding the police using pepper spray on a dog the previous saturday to mean that the dog that got sprayed was this dog before I voted and reread it correctly after my vote was cast.

If the dog had a violent history at all, it should not have been outside unsupervised, IMO, and the owners should be charged with negligent homicide or something similar.

But if the dog just snapped for some reason, that would be a different story.

Usually, there is a history prior to these kinds of things. Usually, but not always.
 
too few details really.

how did the dog escape the yard? did it jump a fence? did it break a chain? how was the dog contained? the story/article doesn't tell

how did the dog "break into" the house? did it kick the door down or break out a window? according to the article, the dog ran into the house. did they have their doors propped open?

the dog was back on the owner's property when the cops arrived. did the dog escape, run into the neighbor's house, chew the hell out of these kids and then run home? seems odd behavior even for a pit.

There's a picture at the link of the fence around the property. It's not very high.

And some breeds, while not particularly aggressive towards humans (and pit bulls are generally very freindly to humans) are known to have a high prey drive (ie hunting instinct). When allowed to roam free, they can become over-excited and end up attacking humans. My dog is half Chow-Chow and they're known to have a strong prey drive. She is never off-leash except in a well-secured area

No dog should be allowed to roam free or left unattended in a place where they can escape.

PS - chain link fences aren't good enough. Some dogs can actually climb up a chain link fence. I once saw a Cocker Spaniel climb 5 feet up a tree.
 
Last edited:
There should definitely be charges against the owner, as well as jail time. It doesn't matter to me if he did take "reasonable precautions" or not. A little girl is dead. My little girl is four, and it sickens me to think that she could die as a result of someone else's actions, (or carelessness). If that happened, who knows what I would do to who ever I believed to be responsible.

Terribly tragic.
 
My little girl is four, and it sickens me to think that she could die as a result of someone else's actions, (or carelessness).

such as leaving your door open?


not, in any way, trying to absolve the dog owner of responsibility. just sayin....if the house had been secure, the dog would not have been able to just "run in" and attack anyone. I live in the boonies and always make sure the doors and windows are secure, don't want any stray critters getting in.
 
As others have said, it all depends on the circumstances involved in the incident.

And, yes, I have children. Dogs aren't actually allowed in my neighborhood, but living on the very end of housing, there are houses just on the other side of the street that are not part of the military housing that could have animals. I would not leave my doors/windows open normally. We have a wood privacy fence (at least 6 ft) surrounding our back yard. If a pet of someone's were to come over that fence and hurt one of my children, I'd be wondering what made that person's animal go to such trouble to get at my children. I would insist that everything be looked into, including how the dog/animal was treated by the owner and what the dog's/animal's history of attacks (if any) is.

I am a big believer in finding out the reasoning and all circumstances of a situation before insisting that someone be charged with a crime.
 
My neighbor's dog is allowed to run free all over the neighborhood. While trying to shoo it from our yard once it started getting aggressive and motioned toward attacking me. If that thing even scratched me I'd call the police demanding it be taken away from their owners.

Whether or not the dog is allowed to wander freely or if it happens to escape, the owner needs to be held responsible for any damage the animal causes. It depends on how negligent this owner was in this case... if there is clear negligence in securing their dog, they should be jailed. It the escape was of no fault of the owners, then at the most they should be fined for not training their animal properly.

Either way, the dog should be put down.
 
Over here we've had a recent incident where a dog escaped its yard, broke into the neighbours house and killed a 4 year old. Under current laws all the dog owner receives is a fine, and there's a debate over whether the owner should receive jail time or not. So what do you think, should there be a charge of negligent homicide or something like that for owners who allow their dogs to escape and cause death?

If a dog owner willfully allows their dog to escape such as letting it run the neighborhood, not adequately making sure the dog is secured like a fence that that is too short or knows the dog digs but does not put the dog on a leash, or knows it has a escape but does nothing to retrieve the dog then the owner should serve time in prison for negligent homicide. Its no different than purposely leaving a bag of poisoned candy,bomb or a loaded machine gun on a playground. That said not all dogs are vicious animals or are capable of killing someone,this behavior depends on owner and how the owner raised and treated the dog. Because out of the 78.2 million owned dogs in the United States and the millions of stray dogs in the country there are only around 20-30 dog fatalities a year in the US.
 
such as leaving your door open?


not, in any way, trying to absolve the dog owner of responsibility. just sayin....if the house had been secure, the dog would not have been able to just "run in" and attack anyone. I live in the boonies and always make sure the doors and windows are secure, don't want any stray critters getting in.

Seriously? It's their fault that their child died because they left a door open on THEIR property? god damn.
 
Back
Top Bottom