When a Virginia Beach woman adopted a 1-year-old pit bull from a local animal shelter, she had no idea that the dog would go on to attack and kill her 91-year-old mother. The incident is one of the most horrific in a series of horrifying dog attacks. As more and more Virginians find themselves victims of violent dogs, lawmakers are questioning how to best prevent such attacks in the future.
It isn’t an easy problem to solve. Many shelters do not keep a record of their dogs’ histories, even if they behaved violently in the past. Take, for instance, the shelter that adopted out Blue, the pit bull who would go on to fatally attack the senior Virginia Beach woman. Forever Home centers on troubled dogs but did not share Blue’s violent past with the woman who adopted him.
Investigators recently discovered that Blue was originally sent to a New York shelter in December 2016 when he attacked a child. An animal rescue organization adopted him and sent him to live with in a foster home in Maryland Though the foster owner reported that while the dog had bad manners and little self-control, he was not violent. She went on to surrender the dog to Forever Home that spring.
Lawmakers want to focus on better tracking the history of violent dogs. As of now, it is incredibly difficult to know a dog’s history after it crosses state lines. Without increased regulations surrounding the surrendering of dogs, more and more attacks are bound to happen. A new law proposes that animal shelters and other agencies share animal histories before adopting out dogs. Though accidents can happen with any pet, adopting families deserve to know what they are getting themselves into before taking a dog home. We can only hope this common sense piece of legislation will pass and become law.
Regardless, our team of Virginia dog bite lawyers will continue to champion the rights of victims everywhere and fight for justice from irresponsible dog owners. If you or someone you love has been attacked by a dog, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact us today for a risk-free, confidential consultation.
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If the owner of the dog was careless, and their negligence led to your injury, you may be able to make a claim against the dog owner. If they knew of their pet’s propensity for violence and did nothing to prevent the animal from attacking, they can be held liable for the incident. If you’ve been attacked, you should contact an experienced Virginia dog bite lawyer to discuss your situation. We offer free consultations and our no fee promise means that you don’t owe us any legal fees unless we win.
