When Your Canine Bites Another Dog at the Beach

A dog beach can be a fantastic place to take your dog until your canine bites another dog, causing a number of issues. Then, it can ruin your beach day and bring on a lawsuit.

Scenario 

Gary had his Alaskan Klee Kai, Baku, with him at the dog beach in Southern California. It was the one place on the coastline where dog owners could take their best friends out. Baku was a great dog who usually shied away from human contact. Cassie had a small Maltese named Lucy that enjoyed barking at everything that moved. 

Lucy began to bark and aggressively approached Gary and Baku. At first, Baku shied away, not wanting a confrontation. Gary saw this and instinctively pulled his dog back. However, Lucy did not budge. She repeatedly barked at Baku and moved toward him. At first, Baku evaded her and turned around to look elsewhere. But Lucy persisted, and after barking in his ear, Baku had enough and sniped at her.  

Cassie ran over toward her bitten dog, who had escaped her reach. She began to yell at Gary, claiming that his dog bit her dog. Without a canine liability policy, Gary was left hoping his homeowners’ or renters’ insurance would cover the medical and defense cost. If not, he will have to pay out of pocket. Veterinarian costs can run in the thousands of dollars. 

The Claim

Cassie claimed that since Lucy never physically touched Baku, she held no liability, although her dog instigated the attack. She alleged that Gary should retain responsibility for her dog’s injuries. Alternatively, Gary argued that Baku was defending himself and never harmed anyone. He added that Baku felt threatened and a bit to protect himself in this instance. However, Baku is larger than Lucy, and Animal Control normally finds the larger dog, regardless of the facts, as the dangerous dog.

Possible Solutions

It is never ideal when your dog bites anyone. However, Gary saw the situation unfolding, and there are things he could have done to prevent this. He could have picked Baku up and walked off to another part of the dog beach. Lucy would have likely left him alone if he did this. While most could argue that Baku was defending himself, it would not stop Gary from facing liability when his canine bites another dog.

About Dog Bite Quote

At Dean Insurance Agency, we’ve provided dog owners protection since 2012, with over 10,000 policies issued. Our underwriting criteria and years of experience providing this coverage enables us to offer competitive and fair policy premiums. Our policies are available in every state except Alaska & Kentucky. The quote is free and there is NO obligation to purchase!