During a vicious attack by a pit bull that was not on a leash, our client lost partial use of his right hand. Our client sued the dog’s owner, the person who fostered the dog and, ultimately, the county for improperly allowing the dog to be adopted from the county shelter.

Under Arizona law (A.R.S. § 11-1025), dog owners are strictly liable for dog bites, which means that the owner is liable for the dog’s actions, regardless of whether the owner is actually negligent or intended harm. The only defense available to the owner is if the victim provoked the dog (A.R.S. § 11-1027).

To achieve just compensation for a dog-bite injury or many other losses, a lawsuit must be filed within one year of the bite (A.R.S. § 12-541). Claims of any kind against governmental entities have a shorter deadline: only 180 days from the date of the incident (A.R.S. § 12-821.01).

Claims against an animal shelter are rarely successful, but, after a thorough and painstaking investigation, Jason and Richard discovered substantial evidence showing that this particular dog was a known risk, should never have been permitted to leave the shelter, and should have been euthanized.