Rated 5 stars by 300+ Clients
Serving Philadelphia & Surrounding PA Counties
Rated 5 stars by 300+ Clients
Serving Philadelphia & Surrounding PA Counties
The Pennsylvania dog bite laws enable a dog bite victim to seek full compensation in cases where owners are found negligent or otherwise fail to comply with state-wide legal guidelines. The laws under the Section 459-502(b) of Pennsylvania Statutes explain owners are liable for all damages when an attack causes severe injuries or disfigurements that may require cosmetic surgery.
You’re here because you or someone you love has been the victim of a dog attack. You can work with a skilled, experienced dog bite lawyer to enforce your legal rights under the Pennsylvania dog bite laws.
Jeffrey Harlan Penneys, Esq. is a Pennsylvania dog attack lawyer with over 25 years of experience helping injury victims. He will help you understand the state’s dog bite statutes and your rights under them — and help you settle your case and get the compensation you deserve.
Serving Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Montgomery, Delaware, and all other counties in the Commonwealth.
When you are a dog owner in Pennsylvania and your dog has been found to be a “dangerous dog” under state law, then you as the owner are in for some serious hoop-jumping. In other words, there are many restrictions and requirements that you must adhere to once you are found to be “harboring a dangerous animal” – which is actually a crime in our state. So the requirements listed below cannot be taken lightly.
But what makes a dog a dangerous animal in the eyes of the law? The statute states that the following elements must be proven to a magistrate beyond a reasonable doubt in order to classify an animal as “dangerous”.
One must show that the dog has done any of the following:
Additionally, it must be shown that the dog has one or all of the following:
A clear walkthrough of what to expect, from the initial report to your final settlement.
When settlement isn’t enough — how Jeffrey takes a dog bite case to court and wins.
Below, we’ve compiled a simplified list of PA dog bite laws:
Owners must control their dogs at all times.
A dog should be confined, leashed, or under the reasonable control of a person — with exceptions for lawful hunting, exhibition, or field training.
You may kill a dog actively endangering others.
Anyone attacked, or whose pet is attacked, may file a complaint to have the dog registered as “dangerous.”
Dangerous dogs must be insured and contained.
Owners must post a $50,000 surety bond, properly enclose and microchip the dog, spay or neuter it, and post clear warning signs.
A landlord may be liable for an attack.
If a landlord knows a tenant harbors a dangerous dog and has the right to remove it, they can be held liable for injuries it causes on the property.
Attacks can be a misdemeanor — or worse.
A dangerous dog that attacks may lead to a second-degree misdemeanor; severe injury or death can escalate to a first-degree misdemeanor, with the dog seized, quarantined, and potentially euthanized.
Owners are liable for damage caused by their negligence.
In most cases the owner must pay all medical bills, future medical costs, and lost wages. Sometimes the dog’s “keeper” may also be held liable.
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