New Jersey Dog Bites

The Northern New Jersey District of the U.S. Postal Service reported a higher rate of dog bites to mail carriers over the past few years than it had during previous decades. The District, which includes zip codes beginning with 070 through 076, reported some 49 dog bites of postal carriers during the fiscal year 2001. Many of the culprit dogs were owned by New Jersey residents who told the mail carriers that their dogs wouldn’t bite them.

One New Jersey dog bite personal injury case netted $1.4 million to a victim of a vicious attack. The case involved a Rottweiler that was too vicious to work with other dogs at a prison, so it was donated to a guard dog company. According to the New Jersey personal injury attorney involved with the case, the prison reportedly told the guard dog company that the animal was a good dog and could do security work on its own. Three weeks later the Rottweiler attacked the owner of the company and nearly tore off his right arm.

New Jersey dog bite cases

New Jersey law requires owners of dogs to be liable for any damages suffered from those who are bitten by a dog in a public place or on private property. It is the inherent responsibility of dog owners in New Jersey to be responsible for damage caused by their pets regardless of whether they have a history of biting. If a dog owner is unsure of his legal responsibilities and rights as a dog owner in the state, he should contact a New Jersey personal injury lawyer.

Responsible dog owners

Dog owners are required by state statute to control their pets. They are 100-percent responsible for the actions of their dogs. Responsible dog owners do the following:

• Keep their dogs inside their homes or on a leash when the mail carrier arrives.
  
  
• Teach their dogs proper obedient behavior and are able to control their animals under any circumstance.
  
  
• Understand that dogs that don’t get enough attention or that are tied up for long periods of time are more likely to bite than dogs that are taken for walks and are allowed to walk freely around their home and property.
  
  
• Spay or neuter theirs dogs, so they’ll be less likely to bite. Information from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development indicates that dogs that are spayed or neutered are much less likely to bite than those that have not been spayed or neutered.
  
  
• Allow mail carriers to place the mail in the proper mailboxes and don’t take the mail directly from the hands of the mail deliverers. Dogs naturally want to protect and are more likely to bite someone who touches you or your children.

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