California updates in category: Property Owner's Liability (Slip & Fall)

Everyone's nightmare came to a South Austin woman's front door on November 11. When she heard a knock on her door, she opened it only to find a stranger who forced his way inside her home and pinned her against a wall. Once he had her pinned against the wall, he put a hunting knife to her throat. " The woman did not know the man, but he made a comment to her about her boyfriend, who had just...

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It has been said that the owner of a pit bull that attacked an innocent family took every precaution to keep the dog on his property. It has also been said that the pit bull found a low spot in the fence. At the risk of sounding harsh, if every precaution had actually been taken, the dog should not have been able to escape through a "low point" in the fence. In fact, there should not have been...

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Dog bites are a serious concern for people, particularly for children. Often dog bites occur because the people interacting with dogs need education regarding that interaction and how to keep it fun and free of danger.England's leading behaviourist Kiran Brice, premotes educational course focusing on interacting with dogs safely. Brice said " We are seeing quite a lot of young dogs having...

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In Livermore, California residents voted 34-19 to adopt an ordinance that will put restrictions on dogs that are declared to be dangerous by the court. The liability insurance required to own what is concidered to be a dangerous dog would be $300,000. The ordinance is stricter than the current state law in several areas. This ordinance is not breed specific, but does include attacks on...

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The City Council of Apple Valley will hear the first reading of the new ordinance pertaining to dog safety in the community and may approve it as early as October 25, 2007. The new ordinance allows for a more detailed description of what is meant by "proper enclosure." It also bans dangerous dogs from all areas of the city except industrial zones. "A truly dangerous dog is not something we want...

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Can you imagine taking your toddler to the beach on Mother's day only to have your baby attacked by a Rottweiler. It really makes you wonder what an adult is thinking to allow a Rottweiler to run free in public.The incident took place in Hawaii on Mother's day of 2005. The little boy, Keeton Manguso, was just 30 months old o weighed only 24 pounds at the time of the incident. He was bitten on...

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Robert Yusem slipped on ice in a parking lot in a Pennsylvania industrial park in 2000, and suffered serious injuries, including fractures of his elbow, arm and ankle. It's taken seven years, but a jury recently awarded Yusems and his wife $390,000 in damages based on a claim of premises liabilty. In his "slip and fall" lawsuit, Yusems argued that the defendant parking-lot owner carelessly...

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The mother of a 2-year-old little boy was sleeping on the couch in her home while her toddler was left on the floor with a pit bull dog!!! According to a witness, the child tripped over a shirt, which must have startled the dog. The dog attacked, biting the child's face.The wound started in the middle of the child's forehead and went between his eyes and down his face, according to the police. ...

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You just can't be too safe. A few days ago our website had a story about a previously non-aggressive labrador that bit a toddler in the face. A labrador! Who knew that would happen. This scienaro, however, is unfortunately all too common: On Saturday night a woman was visiting a friend in Austin, Texas. She was in the backyard of her friends home when a normally non-aggressive 3 year-old pit...

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Nassau County Animal Care and Control will contract for an independent review of operations at their operation. This independent review is due to the fact that the failings of Animal Control have been all over the paper for some time now. The paper has run stories of all kinds of disasters involving Animal Control. The question seems to be "Does Animal Control arbitrarily pick up some pets while...

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Valdovinos got her 7 year old Australian shepherd named Breeze when she was just a puppy. This past August, she said, Breeze broke free of her chain (personally, I am wondering why she has her dog chained to begin with. Not much of a life for the poor animal). When Breeze broke free of her chain she ran toward a man walking his dog. Not surprisingly, the man felt he and his dog were about to be...

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A pit bull is being held in quarantine at, Solano Animal Control, after killing another dog and biting a child at a Vallejo Park, on Wednesday.Two groups of children were playing at the park when the dog attacks occurred, according to Vallejo Animal Control and witnesses. One minute they are playing and the next they were screaming. The pit bull grabbed a smaller dog from the arms of a young...

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A man and his dog were attacked in Mount Baker, just outside of Seattle, by two pit bulls. They were out for a walk when the dogs attacked them. Both of the pit bulls were found and are at the Seattle Animal Shelter. No decision has been made on whether the dogs will be euthanized. The dogs' owner, a woman, could face up to a $1,000 fine and criminal charges in connection with the attack,...

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Officials are investigating the shooting death of a dog following a dog attack of an 80-year-old man.The man was walking in front of his home when a mixed breed, reportedly bolted out of the house and attacked him. One of the neighbors heard the chaos and ran outside armed with his pistol. While the dog was still attacking the man he fired one gunshot, according to Claremont Police. The dog...

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A woman was walking in Iowa City on Saturday morning when she was attacked by a mixed breed dog. The woman suffered a dog bite on her leg. The victim described the dog as being either a German Shepherd or a Collie mix. According to police, a female pedestrian was walking in the 900 block of North Dodge Street when she passed an unidentified white woman who was walking two dogs around 9:20...

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