Waco, TX — Earlier this week, a small child in Waco was attacked by a pit bull dog in a Waco neighborhood. Police said that it happened on Wednesday afternoon, January 14, at about 4:00 p.m.
It’s not exactly clear what took place, but it appears that the child was at her home when the dog attacked her — though it was unclear whether the child was inside or outside.
The dog’s owners were able to catch the pit bull in the home’s garage, where it was turned over to Animal Control. The girl was taken to a hospital to have her arm (which was bitten) treated. The owners of the dog claimed that the dog had never gotten out before.
One of the news reports quoted the owner as saying that she would have the dog euthanized ASAP and would be paying for the young girl’s medical bills.
Map of Comal Street
Commentary:
In Texas, we have something called the “one-bite rule,” which refers to domestic animal attacks. Essentially, if an owner of a dog has no history of violence with their pet or any prior instances of aggression/attacks, then they’re not liable for a first-time attack or bite. However, if the animal does have a history of known attacks, the owner can be held liable for the damage the pet does. I’m not suggesting that any claims be filed here or anything like that, but everyone always jokes about post office workers suing animals for attacks. The truth is that it can be a very grave issue when a violent animal attacks someone helpless.
— Grossman Law Offices
