A Teaneck township woman was forced to put down her 5-pound Bichon Frise-Poodle-mix after a pit bull got loose from its leash and attacked the small dog on the street. The pit bull went for Melo’s neck, swung it back and forth and didn’t let go until the dog attacker saw blood.
Two township officers rushed the severely injured and profusely bleeding dog to the Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus. Melo suffered lacerations to jugular veins and required surgery and blood transfusion.
The cost of the injured dog’s treatment, including recovery medications, would cost from $6,100 to $11,000 which the owner could not afford. She didn’t even have the money to pay for the deposit to keep the dog at the hospital overnight so she decided to have her pet put down.
The owner of the pit bull that attacked the Bichon Frise has failed to register the dog and even allowed the dangerous dog to roam around.
The victim’s owner is requesting the town officials to require muzzling of certain breeds of dogs after the dog attack. She hopes that officials will impose muzzling requirements for both Rottweilers and pit bulls to prevent dog attacks.
Many communities across the U.S. have already implemented “breed legislation” that restricts or bans certain dog breeds like pit bulls. Such type of legislation is not prevalent in the state of New Jersey but some communities like Millville and Englewood have been placing some restrictions on dog owners.
A dangerous dog is the one that exhibits aggressive behavior toward other domestic pets and humans and should be kept by owners in their homes or in any secure enclosure to prevent any injury to its would-be victim.
Homeowner’s insurance companies in most states legally charge high premiums based on the breed of dog owned by a homeowner. Although there’s no standard listing of high risk dogs among insurance carriers, the mostly targeted breeds are Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Huskies, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, Saint Bernards, Chow Chows, Malamutes and Great Danes. Of all dog attacks in the country, pit bulls and Rottweilers account for 50% of the attacks.
Some insurers will not automatically ban the dog from being insured based on its breed and will consider dogs on a case to case basis. If an unprovoked dog attacked or bit anyone in the past, some insurers won’t offer insurance coverage. There are insurers that will offer liability insurance coverage but as expected, they will require higher insurance premium if the homeowner owns a high-risk dog, regardless of how sweet the dog appears to be. In case of a dog bite or dog attack in New Jersey, contact an experienced NJ personal injury lawyer immediately.