Atlanta Injury Lawyers BlogDog Bites Focus at Georgia Veterinarian Meeting
Over the weekend, about 9,000 veterinarians from all over the country and world will assemble at the Georgia World Congress Center for the annual convention of the American Veterinarian Medical Association. The event kicked off on July 31st, and is expected to run through August 3rd. Atlanta will play host to thousands of animal experts from around the world, who will discuss animal welfare issues, including food safety, behavior modification, and advances in veterinary medicine. They’re also expected to focus on dog bite prevention.
Earlier this month, an Atlanta woman suffered serious injuries in a dog bite attack involving pit bulls. She was merely walking down the street when the dogs jumped at her. The owner of the dogs has been cited for about 20 violations, including improper restraint, canine on public property, canine on private property, failure to display rabies and vaccination tags, and failure to provide adequate water and shelter. The owner of the dog had been out-of-town, and a friend had been caring for the animals. Under current Georgia law, many of these violations will be sufficient to hold the dog owner (and possibly the person who was caring for the dogs while the owner was away) liable for the injuries caused by the dog attacks. It is important that the legal process be allowed to play out and that the dog owner’s have a hearing in court to determine whether they are guilty of the leash laws and other statute violations fo which they have been cited.
With some of the best animal and dog experts around the country gathering in Atlanta over the next couple of days, as a Georgia dog bite lawyer, I would like these vets to bring more attention to the problem of dog bites in Georgia. There’s definitely a need for greater awareness, especially when it comes to the care of certain breeds, such as pit bulls, german shepherds, chow chows and Doberman Pinschers, to name a few. I notice that too many people jump at the chance to rear these animals. However, very few possess the resources and the skills necessary to train these dogs.
Any pit bull owner or Atlanta personal injury lawyer will tell you that these animals require a lot of place to run about in, plenty of exercise and the right training. If you’re not willing to invest the resources necessary for all this, avoid buying these breeds. America’s vets must play a bigger part in the ongoing discussion about dog safety.
Robert J. Fleming has been handling wrongful death cases, dental malpractice, bus accidents, car accident cases and premises injury cases for individuals and families who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of the carelessness or negligence of another for more than 20 years. He practices in and around the Atlanta area including handling lawsuits in Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Gwinnett, Cobb and other counties and nearby cities including Alpharetta, Austell, Avondale Estates, Chamblee, College Park, Conyers, Duluth, Decatur, Doraville, Hapeville, Johns Creek, Jonesboro, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Peachtree City, Riverdale, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Stone Mountain, and Smyrna. If you have been seriously injured in an Atlanta dog bite incident and would like to discuss you case in confidence, contact Robert J. Fleming directly on (404) 525-5150 or contact us online.
