There’s no question about it – dogs enrich our lives and are often important members of the family. Unfortunately they can also inflict harm, and serious injuries from dog bites are all too common in the United States.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimate that nearly 4.5 million people in this country are bitten by dogs each year, and half of these victims are children. In 2012, more than 27,000 people required reconstructive surgery due to dog bite injuries.

California dog owners must be especially vigilant in preventing their dogs from biting or attacking others. The state’s strict dog bite statute makes dog owners responsible for any injuries inflicted on another person while that person is on public property or legally on private property. The statute eliminates the “one-free bite” rule and holds the dog’s owner liable even though the dog has never bitten or attacked anyone before nor has shown a tendency to do so. See Limiting Liability of Dog Ownership.

Dog owners who fail to keep dogs under control or take the proper precautions to help prevent attacks – letting their dogs run loose in the neighborhood, for example – can be held liable for damages to persons or property. A keeper or someone other than the dog’s owner may be held negligent but not liable if the dog in their care attacks a person, unless he or she had prior knowledge of the dog’s tendency for viciousness.