Most of us can agree that in general the dog is man’s best friend. While a dog is loving and caring towards its owner or other people who the dog is familiar with, that same dog may act aggressively or dangerously towards others. In Florida, the law virtually makes the dog owner responsible for any active conduct by a dog that causes injury to others. Biting, jumping, barking, chasing and other forms of rambunctious behavior which are generally normal characteristics of a dog are all actions of the dog which an owner may be responsible for if these actions cause injury to another person. This list is a guide to help protect dog owners and others from damage caused by dogs.

1. Insure Your Home And/Or Business. If you own a dog, it is important to have an insurance policy that covers incidents involving your dog.

2. Check Insurance Policy. If you already have a home owners or commercial liability insurance policy, make sure to check the policy language to make sure that the policy protects you for damage caused by your dog. Many insurance policies have provisions that exclude coverage for incidents involving dogs. Some insurance companies require an additional premium. This is why it is important that you have an insurance policy, and if you already are insured, that you double check the insurance policy to make sure that you are covered for incidents involving your dog.

3. Keep Your Dog Separate from Other People. It is important that you keep your dog away from others who could be on your property. This is especially true if the dog is unfamiliar with them. This means it may be prudent to keep your dog behind a fence so that it cannot run loose. Protect others by making sure the dog cannot come into contact with other people.

4. Take Extra Precautions. Merely keeping your dog behind a fence may not be sufficient to protect others from your dog. The law in Florida is very clear that contact between the dog and the injured person is not required for the owner to be responsible for damage caused by her dog. It may be reasonable for the owner not only to keep her dog behind a fence, but also keep that dog on a leash, chained, or away from the public by some other means.

5. Place Warning Signs. One way to protect yourself and others from the actions of your dog is to warn others of the presence of the dog. You can warn others of the dog’s presence through “Bad Dog” or “Warning: Beware of Dog” signs.

6. Make Sure Warning Signs Are Adequate. In order to “adequately” warn others, it may be necessary to place multiple signs on various parts of your property. You may need to place signs at regular intervals (every 30 feet, for example). It is of no use to put a sign on the back of your property if you are not warning others who may come to the front of your property. Also, depending on the layout of your business or residential property, consider what type, size, and color signs would most effectively gives notice to others regarding the presence of a dog.

7. Do Not Keep a Pet at Your Business. Do not keep a dog at your business during hours of operation. Sometimes the best security, better than any alarm system or security guard, is having a guard dog to protect your property from intruders. If you are keeping a guard dog at your home or business, it is important that you reasonably use the dog to protect your property. This may mean that during hours of operation when business owners and employees are present, the dog is not kept on the property. This may mean keeping the dog chained or on a leash so that it cannot come into contact with patrons and customers. It is important that use of a dog to protect a property is done so reasonably.

8. Aggressive Dog. If you know your dog is aggressive, and may be dangerous, you may need to go above and beyond what would be reasonable for a non-aggressive dog. This may mean that you did not allow the dog to come into contact or close proximity to others in any way. If you have an aggressive dog you may need to keep that dog in a cage while others are on your property. It is important for owners of dogs to take reasonable actions to protect others from their dog. What is reasonable depends on the circumstances.

9. Other Incidents Involving Your Dog. If there have been other incidents involving your dog injuring others, you may need to take extra precautions to protect yourself and others. Because you are aware of other incidents involving your dog, and your dog again injures someone else, you may not only be responsible under Florida’s strict liability laws for dog owners, you may also be responsible for your own actions or failures to take reasonable care in safe guarding others from the dog.

10. Be Reasonable. The common theme here is to do what is reasonable. It is important to do what a reasonable dog owner would do depending on the circumstances and the nature of your dog. Adequately warn others of the presence of your dog. Take the appropriate steps to protect yourself and others from your dog. Go above and beyond to protect yourself and others from injuries caused by your dog.

The Board Certified Civil Trial Attorneys at Wooten, Honeywell, Kimbrough, Gibson, Doherty and Normand, P. A. have the litigation experience and financial resources required to take your case all the way through to trial if necessary. We have working relationships with countless expert witnesses who know how to review the evidence and make informed opinions. For over 40 years we have successfully handled all types of personal injury cases, including auto accidents, medical malpractice, nursing home neglect and abuse, premises liability, tourist injury cases and products liability for clients all over the state of Florida.