Dog Attack Laws in Virginia | Personal Injury Lawyers With Answers

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If you’ve been bitten by a dog in Manassas, Fairfax, Arlington, Reston, or Virginia Beach, you may – naturally -- be very interested in Virginia’s dog attack laws.

Continue reading if you or somebody you love has been attacked by a dog and you want to learn more about dog bite claims and injury liability.

Virginia’s “One-Bite” Law

Virginia is just one of only 19 states that follow the so-called “one-bite” rule, which gives dogs in this state “one free bite.” That is, a dog’s handler or owner isn’t held liable in civil court if the person’s dog bites, attacks, mauls or even kills another person.

You read that correctly: if a dog harms you and it’s the first time ever that the dog has harmed someone, you most likely have no recourse against the dog’s owner.

There are two cases when this rule doesn’t apply:

1. You can still sue for dog bite claims and win in Virginia if you can show that the animal’s owner/handler was negligent in handling the animal and did not adhere to the “standard of ordinary care.”
2. You also can sue for liability in Virginia if your city has a leash law. That is, if a pet owner lives in a town that has a leash law, that owner is likely to be considered negligent if he or she doesn’t keep the pet on a leash and the animal bites you.

    

You’re Not Off the Hook in a Dog Bite Claim

Virginia also has another law, this one called “contributory negligence.” This means that if you’re found to have been somewhat at fault (even if it’s only one percent your fault), then you have no right to recover damages.

Put another way, the dog attack laws in Virginia say that if it’s found that you even ever-so-slightly contributed to the attack (you paused to look at an unleashed dog in an unfenced yard, called hello to it and the dog lunged at and bit you, for example), you may not have a personal injury case in Virginia against the dog’s owner.

Again, this is especially true if this was the first time the dog bit someone, even if the city in which you were bitten has a leash law.

Combat Dog Attack Laws with Irving & Irving

If you or a loved one has been hurt when an animal attacks, contact an experienced personal injury attorney at Irving & Irving. We will study the circumstances of your case to ascertain what liability you may hold (according to the contributory negligence rule) and, more importantly, we’ll work hard and tirelessly on your behalf.

Call us at (703) 468-1885 to speak with a dog attack lawyer. Or, if you prefer to e-mail us information, please send it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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