Get jail time for what your dog does in Texas Options

[impala454]

Looks like this bill will pass unless Perry vetoes it.

http://www.ktrh.com/cc-common/news/section...article=2160875

Under this bill, dog owners whose pets attack people could be fined up to $10,000 and face two to ten years if their unprovoked dog attacks and seriously injures someone. If that person dies, then the prison time can be up to 20 years.

Current state law calls for dog bite punishments ranging from a $500 fine to one year in jail, but dog owners can't be charged with a crime unless their dog was already classified as dangerous due to a previous incident.

IMHO people should know if their dogs are dangerous and should be held responsible. I think 10 years would be a little too steep on a serious injury case though. I'd imagine if one was seriously injured they could sue the pants off the person in civil court.

It's a strange case... could go lots of directions... you could have a completely innocent dog kill someone and send their owner to jail. On the other hand, with the current law, if you trained your dog properly, you could have the dog kill someone and the worst you get is $500 fine to one year.

[James]

Sounds like a fair law to me, but I think provoked needs to be defined as entering the owner's property without permission among other things. Dog owners should be held accountable for the actions of their pets, but I hope this law isn't abused.