Liability of dog walking service | Legal aid centre

Questioner

Our (small) dog has been regularly walking with the dog walking service in our village for quite some time now. Now the dog walking service called me at work yesterday to say that there had been a conflict between my dog ​​and another dog. This conflict took place in the van of the dog walking service. Our dog had several bite wounds, bruises and is in a lot of pain. She will probably also have to use the dog physiotherapy in the short term because she has difficulty walking. We had to spend quite a bit of money at the vet. The other dog, as far as we understand, did not suffer any injuries (it was also a medium-sized dog). We wonder who is responsible for the costs and suffering of our dog. The van was equipped with crates and the dog walker put the dogs loose in the van and did not use the crates. We would like to get in touch with the owner of the other dog, but the dog walker is hardly cooperating. Who is liable now?

Lawyer

The owner or possessor of the biting dog is liable unless his liability would not exist because the fault really lay with the walking service and not with the behavior of the animal. You can choose to hold the animal walking center liable, in which case the name and address of the owner will surface fairly quickly. The walking service probably did not fulfill its duties of care based on the custody agreement.

Questioner

Thank you very much for your response! In the meantime, the case has become a lot more complicated. At first, the dog walker claimed that it was a medium-sized dog that had attacked our dog and that they had never had any problems together before. When I asked if I could get the phone number and address of the other dog owner, she failed to do so. Later, she claimed that she had no idea which dog had attacked ours. I confronted her about twisting the facts, but she is now completely unresponsive and unreachable. I am now up against the wall and do not know what else to do with such a contradictory story. According to a dog behavior therapist, the attack on my dog ​​was a targeted (death) attack because the teeth marks cover her entire body and this dog will always continue to attack other dogs once they have done this. What else can we do without knowing who is liable?

Lawyer

As I said: speak to the exhaust service, or demand that they open their books and address file for you, if necessary under legal duress. I can help you with this matter. Otherwise, would you please contact me directly?