I was surprised to read recently that there have been an increase in the number of reported attacks by illegal pit bull terriers over the last year causing in or around a dozen owners to be reported under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Amongst those numbers were reported attacks by four pit bull terriers which are banned in terms of the above Act, however, Staffordshire bull terriers were involved in seven cases, albeit, quite surprisingly, not banned under the aforementioned Act. In total, 57 cases were reported to the Scottish SPCA occurring in Lothian & Borders over the last year. However, it is estimated that at least 45 of those 57 cases are due to irresponsible owners not keeping their dog under control.

In Scotland, under the Animals (Scotland) Act 1987, if you are bitten by a dog and suffer from a personal injury then its owner is strictly liable for your injuries. If the owner is a ‘man of straw’ then there may be a claim to be advanced under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority but it would be up to you to prove that the dog was known to be vicious towards humans and the owner was reckless in its control of a dog that was known to be vicious.

It’s at times like these I quite enjoy the fact I’m made from plasticine.
 

The terrible injuries an urban fox inflicted on twin babies in London recently turned the spotlight on a far more common danger – that of being bitten by a dog.

It is estimated that there are around 200,000 dog bites in the UK each year while one expert compared the fox attack to 1,500 cases of serious injuries caused by domestic dogs over the last 10 years.

So what are your rights if you are attacked and bitten by a dog, and what should you do if you are unfortunate enough to suffer in this way?

The Dangerous Dogs act of 1991, banned breeds like pit bull terriers, and amendments in 1997 made the legislation even tougher. The remainder of the law covering attacks from dogs is laid out in the Animals (Scotland) Act 1987.

If you are bitten by a dog then you have a right to compensation.  The law imposes strict liability (meaning the person in charge of the dog is liable without the victim having to prove fault) on dog owners even where the dog has never displayed violent tendencies before.

My friends at Thompsons Solicitors regularly deal with compensation claims ranging from a couple of thousand pounds for the pain and suffering resultant from a small bite or scratch to, significant sums for persons with serious injuries and mental anguish resulting from such attacks.

If you are unfortunate enough to be bitten by a dog it is important to get the details of the owner or person in possession of the dog so that you can intimate a claim.

In most cases, the owner will have household insurance to cover any compensation claim.

My friends at Thompsons are specialist Accident Claims Solicitors who always strive to deliver our clients compensation with minimum stress and hassle and always sticking to their policy of No Win No Fee for all accident claims. More information on dog attacks can be found on the main Thompsons website : - Dog bite compensation claims.