Will You Get Into Trouble If Your Dog Bites Someone in Michigan?

Dogs have always been known as 'man's best friend', but for some they're also man's best protector. Obviously, some dog breeds are a little better at defending your space than others, but that doesn't stop people from having them guard their stuff. However, you may want to be careful with how you train them to protect your home in Michigan or you could end up in some serious legal trouble.

Recently, a woman in Hudsonville found herself on the wrong side of the law when she commanded her dog to attack a man during an argument they were having. She ended up behind bars and being charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon.

Will you get in trouble if you let your dog attack another person in Michigan?

There are several laws that safeguard people from animal bites in Michigan, whether the bite is intended or not.

One law in Michigan covers the 'liability of the owner". The law states:

If a dog bites a person, without provocation while the person is on public property, or lawfully on private property, including the property of the owner of the dog, the owner of the dog shall be liable for any damages suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner's knowledge of such viciousness.

The law then goes on to say however, if someone is illegally on your property or "uninvited", that you aren't liable for any bites they recieve. Stranger danger doesn't count unless it's someone like your mail person or another worker who is required to be there.

Read More: Michigan State Police Officer And Dog Team Up To Save Man

There are also laws that require you to report any bites to animal control, even if everyone is okay and cool with the situation. And if they aren't cool with it, they can still press charges against you if they feel you were at fault in anyway according to another law.

So while it may seem appealing to have a "guard dog", that sign on your fence doesn't get you out of trouble if they actually attack / defend your stuff. So, maybe you should work on teaching your dog "stay" instead of "sick!"