One of the most compelling things about having your own pet, be it dog, cat, or rabbit, is that they each have their own fascinating personalities and characteristics.
Devout pet lovers will agree that one of the best reasons for getting a pet is witnessing their growth and how they change and develop overtime; and whilst this is an exciting prospect, we cannot help but be weary of the fact that we can never fully understand the minds of our animal companions.
It’s our duty to ensure that at all times we protect both ourselves and others from any potential dangers which our pets may cause!
To ensure this responsibility is carried out from the legal perspective, The Animals Act was introduced to ensure that individuals who, through their own negligence in their failure to adequately monitor and discipline their pets, are accountable for any injuries they cause to another innocent person.
The Act itself is rather broad to take into account the responsibilities owners of particular animals have.
A good example of this is that farmers are under a legal obligation under the Act to ensure that their livestock, covering anything from cows, horses or pigs, are kept safe and constrained from causing danger to the general public; i.e. they must make sure their animals do not escape and end up causing an accident by running in to the road, or kicking out at an innocent pedestrian.
The Act also covers animals which are considered to be ‘dangerous’ to the public as well.
If you end up being bitten or hurt from an animal attack because the owner or person in charge of the animal failed to retrain or contain it, you could make a claim for compensation from the owner.
The downside is that it can be difficult to make a claim because the owner may not have any insurance to cover them.
The first point of call for you is to report the incident to the Police, get the details of the owner responsible, and find out if they have any insurance in place.
If you have been unfortunate to suffer an injury from an animal as a result of the owner’s negligence, speak with The Injury Lawyers first as we can tell you whether there are any reasonable grounds for making a claim for compensation.