Pennsauken Dog Bite Lawyer
If you or your child find yourselves the victim of a dog attack in Pennsauken, New Jersey, consulting with an experienced lawyer with working knowledge of New Jersey’s dog bite laws is a smart choice to make. I, Joseph Monaco, have extensive experience handling dog bite cases, which puts me in position to help my clients achieve justice after being bitten by a dog. If you require a Pennsauken Dog Bite Lawyer, call me to go over your options. I have over 25 years of experience as a Trial Lawyer helping injury victims.
Dog Bite Injuries in Pennsauken New Jersey
Dog bites are not just a local problem. Nationwide nearly six out of ten households have a pet. While dogs are often a man’s best friend, they can; however, bring stress to others, especially when someone is viciously attacked by a dog. It is estimated that approximately 600,000 people are bitten by a dog each year with 20% of the attacks requiring serious medical attention including surgery. New Jersey, like many other states, has strict liability laws that hold the dog’s owner responsible without having to prove negligence.
N.J.S.A.. 4:19-16 states:
“The owner of any dog which shall bite a person while such person is on or in a public place, or lawfully on or in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, shall be liable for such damages as may be suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of such dog or the owner’s knowledge of such viciousness. For the purpose of this section, a person is lawfully upon the private property of such owner when he is on the property in the performance of any duty imposed upon him by the laws of this state or the laws or postal regulations of the United States, or when he is on such property upon the invitation, express or implied, of the owner thereof.”
Pennsauken Dog Ordinances
Article 1, Section Section 101-10 – Limit on number of animals per residential premises; running at large; tethering of dogs.
A. No person (which shall be defined to include a family unit, corporation or association) shall keep, harbor or have possession or custody of more than four animals on any one residential premises within the Township. This restriction shall not include temporary keeping of newborn animals which have been born to a female animal kept on the same premises prior to the time of birth of said animals. This section shall not apply to duly licensed kennels and pet shops as set forth in this article.
B. Those persons, as defined in Subsection A of this section, who at the effective date of this chapter shall have in their possession animals exceeding the number of animals permitted in Subsection A shall, for the lifetime of said animal, be permitted to keep same. However, said persons, as the number of animals in their possession decreases due to death or for whatever reason, shall not be permitted to replace said animals. It is the intent of this section to bring those persons who, on the effective date of this chapter, have more than the permitted number of animals into compliance with this section without requiring said persons to, on the effective date of this chapter, immediately dispose of their animals to meet the requirements of this section.
C. It shall be unlawful for any person, association or corporation owning, keeping, harboring or having custody or possession of any dog, whether registered or not, to permit such dog to be in or upon any public street, avenue or highway, or in any public or quasi-public place, or upon property owned by a person other than the dog’s owner, in the Township of Pennsauken, unless such dog shall be led by a chain, cord, thong or other leash in the hands of a person capable of leading and controlling such dog, or unless such dog shall be securely confined in an automobile or other vehicle.
D. A female dog in heat must be confined to the house or pen. When she is being exercised or walked she must be on lead with a responsible adult. During this period in heat, said dog shall not be chained in an open yard or area at any time.
E. It shall be unlawful for any person or corporation owning, keeping, harboring or having custody or possession of a vicious dog, as defined, whether registered or not, to permit such dog to be in or upon any public street, avenue, road or highway, or in or upon any public or quasi-public place, or upon property owned by a person other than the dog’s owner, unless at such time such dog shall be led by a chain, cord, thong or other leash in the hands of a person capable of leading and controlling such dog.
F. Tethering of dogs.
(1) It is unlawful to chain or tether unaltered animals (dogs or cats that are unspayed or unneutered) in any manner and/or at any time within the Township.
(2) Altered animals (dogs or cats that have been spayed or neutered) may be tethered (which, for the purposes of this subsection, shall include chains as well as any other tether material) only under the following conditions:
(a) Tethers must allow the animal access to shelter, food and water and can be used only in an area where it will not be tangled around objects.
(b) Tethers must be at least 15 feet long, have a swivel on both ends, weigh no more than 1/8th of the dog’s weight and be attached to a properly fitting collar or harness.
(c) Tethers cannot inhibit the animal’s movement or cause injury, entanglement or strangulation.
(d) The tether must restrain the animal on the owner’s own property.
(e) Animals may be chained or tethered for no more than four consecutive hours, or six hours total hours in any twenty-four-hour period of time and never between sunset and sunrise.
Article 1, Section Section 101-15 – Dogs creating a nuisance.
A. No person shall keep, harbor or own any dog which, by habitual barking, yelping or howling or by the creation of obnoxious odors or by constant threat of biting, shall cause clear annoyance to people passing to and fro upon the public streets or to people on neighboring properties.
B. No person shall be cruel or inhumane to a dog, said cruelty and inhumanity consisting of biting, torturing, mutilating, cruelly killing or clear failure to provide food, drink or shelter for a dog or abandoning an old, sick or disabled dog.
C. No person owning, keeping, harboring or having custody of a dog shall permit it to cause a traffic hazard or to do or cause any injury to other domestic animals which are not at fault or to do damage to any lawn, shrubbery, flowers or garden grounds or to commit any nuisance on any other property of others. The said person may either be liable for the injury or damage or for compensation of the absorbed cost. However, any damages which may be recoverable for any injury shall be pursued by civil remedies.
D. Further, no person owning, harboring, keeping, walking or in charge of any dog shall cause, suffer, permit or allow such dog to soil, defile, defecate on or commit any nuisance on any common thoroughfare, street, sidewalk, passageway, road bypass, play area, park or any place where people congregate or walk or upon any public property whatsoever or upon any private property without the permission of the owner of the private property in the last instance. If any such person shall permit such dog to soil, defile, defecate on or commit any nuisance on the areas aforesaid, he or she shall immediately remove and dispose of all feces and droppings deposited by such dog, which removal shall be in a sanitary manner by a shovel, container, disposal bag, etc. In a multidwelling complex, the tenant dog owner shall take the dog to the only designated walking area for dogs or other animals which shall be provided and maintained in a sanitary manner by the management of the complex. On the dog owner’s own property, the the property shall be maintained in a sanitary manner in order to prevent any noxious odors, attraction of vermin breeding or any other public health nuisance to neighbors.
Pennsauken Dog Bite Insurance
Dog bite cases fall under the category of premises liability law, which means a homeowner policy of insurance for the dog’s owner will likely cover the claim by paying compensation to the dog bite victim. Other types of insurance policies may also cover a dog bite claim including a business’s general liability policy or a person or business’s umbrella policy. Unfortunately, you likely have little recourse if a stray dog bites you or your child; however, there could be situations where a property owner’s general liability policy pays the claim. For example, the property owner may have known that stray fogs frequently entered their property but the owner failed to take any measures to prevent it. In this type of situation, and others, the general liability policy would cover the claim. Needles to say, insurance coverage issues can be very complex. That’s why it is important to hire a Pennsauken Dog Bite Lawyer with experience.
Call our Pennsauken Dog Bite Lawyers Today
If you or your child have been bitten in Pennsauken, New Jersey by a dog, call or text me at 609-277-3166 for a Free Consultation. You can also fill out the contact form on this page to reach me.
