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Strict Liability Reaches Owners and Keepers
Connecticut handles dog attacks differently from ordinary negligence claims. A victim doesn’t have to prove the owner was careless, because the state’s dog statute places responsibility on whoever owns or keeps the animal. That rule, and the few defenses attached to it, shape how these claims are evaluated.
The Statute Places Responsibility on the Owner or Keeper
Under Connecticut General Statutes 22-357, if a dog damages a person’s body or property, the owner, keeper, or both are liable for the amount of the damage. Nothing in the liability provision asks whether the animal had bitten anyone before, so a first incident can still support a claim.
For that reason, a Hartford dog bite injury lawyer starts by identifying everyone who owned or controlled the animal instead of trying to prove carelessness. The answer determines who can be sued and which insurance policies may apply.
Keepers Are Not Always the Owners
The statute doesn’t define keeper, so courts consider who actually controlled the animal. People who may answer for an attack include:
- The person who owns the dog
- A keeper who had care or control of the dog, even without owning it
- A parent or guardian, when the owner or keeper is a minor
A 2024 amendment changed the wording from owner or keeper to owner, keeper, or both. Connecticut courts have treated the owner of the property where a dog was kept as a keeper, while a party that only set limits on where a dog could stay was found not to be one. Someone hurt on another person’s land may also have a related premises liability claim to evaluate.
Two Defenses Can Defeat a Claim
The statute removes liability when the injured person was committing a trespass or another tort, or was teasing, tormenting, or abusing the dog. Decisions read both defenses narrowly. Merely entering a yard isn’t enough, because the injured person must have been committing or intending an injurious act. Friendly play and petting don’t count as teasing, and a trial court has held that assumption of risk has no place under this statute.
A person on a public sidewalk isn’t trespassing, so a loose dog in public raises different questions than one in a fenced yard. Those injuries may overlap with what a Hartford pedestrian accident lawyer handles.
A successful defense ends the case, so how the encounter began matters. Witness accounts and photographs of the scene answer those arguments directly.
Young Children Get a Presumption
If the injured person is a minor under seven, the statute presumes the child wasn’t trespassing, teasing, tormenting, or abusing the dog. The defendant must prove otherwise. That shifts the burden in the cases where it matters most, since a very young child may not be able to explain what happened.
Parents of a bitten child face medical decisions and legal deadlines at the same time. The issues that arise when dogs bite children reach well past the first visit to the emergency room.
Three Years Is the Filing Deadline
Section 52-577 provides that no action founded upon a tort may be brought more than three years after the date of the act or omission complained of. Decisions collected with that section apply the limit to claims under the dog statute. The clock runs from the date of the attack, not from the date the injury proves serious.
People who want to understand their legal rights after a dog bite should plan well before that date arrives. Waiting leaves less time to gather proof and to negotiate.
Early Records Protect a Claim
Wounds heal, and visible evidence fades quickly. Useful records include:
- Photographs of the injuries taken over several days
- Medical records and bills from every provider
- The owner’s name, address, and any information about the dog’s vaccinations
- Names of people who saw the attack
- Any report made to the town or to animal control
A complete file helps in settlement talks, because the value of a claim depends on documented costs and lasting effects. Knowing what to expect in a personal injury settlement lets injured people weigh an offer against their records.
At Brown Paindiris & Scott, LLP, partner Bruce Newman has practiced law for more than 30 years and concentrates on personal injury and wrongful death claims. He was named a Connecticut Super Lawyer in 2017 and is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
Dog attack claims turn on early facts and a firm deadline. People in Hartford who have been bitten can reach out to us, and we’ll go over who may be responsible, which defenses may come up, and how much time remains.
