Attorney discusses dog bite laws after dog attack in Greensboro

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — When dog attacks hurt others, the pet owner could be held liable in some cases.

Dogbite statutes differ from state to state. In North Carolina, we have laws with particular conditions and rules around dog owner liability.

Greensboro Attorney Phillip Oliver is no stranger to dog attack cases.

“I was just in court this morning on a settlement being heard related to a dog bite,” Oliver said.

Guilford County Animal Services euthanized a dog on Friday for attacking a Greensboro woman last week.

According to Oliver, a pet can be deemed a “dangerous dog” by municipal animal services if it has a history of being aggressive or attacking others.

And the owner can be held strictly liable for damages from a dog bite. It all falls under NC General Statute 67.

“Which means that they don’t have to prove anything beyond the dog is dangerous, it bit them and it made a recovery. There are negligent standards where if the dog is not previously deemed dangerous, you can pursue a recovery against the owner of the dog for having … failed to live up to reasonable dog owner who knows or should’ve known their animal was dangerous by restraining them or muzzling them or things like that,” Oliver said.

Oliver says there is a one-bite policy in North Carolina.

Under that rule, a dog owner is not automatically liable for injuries caused by their dog unless they had prior knowledge that their dog could bite.