You often see on the news that someone gets bit by a dog and seriously wounded. It seems like in many of these situations some liability may exist for the owner of the dog. However, as an owner of a dog myself, it doesn’t seem fair that the owner should automatically be responsible for the dog’s actions. Under what circumstances can the owner of a dog be sued? This is a question perhaps contemplated by many dog owners. The prospect of going on a walk […]
Tag Archives: Animals
In the case of cattle and cars tangling, am I liable?
My family owns some cattle. Adjoining our property is a highway. The cattle have escaped before without incident. If our cattle were to escape and cause a car accident, would we be held responsible? The answer to your question is “maybe” and depends on the surrounding circumstances. The Kansas legislature has adopted a series of statutes that deal with this situation. Most notably, Kansas law imposes a blanket-wide prohibition making it “unlawful for any neat cattle, horses, mules, asses, swine or sheep to run at […]
Is it legal to keep my grandfather’s bald eagle?
My father shot and killed a bald eagle when he was 14 years old. He is now 93, and he has the eagle displayed in his house. Is it illegal for us to keep it? The bald eagle is protected by at least three federal laws: the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, and the Endangered Species Act. Together, these laws create sweeping mandates with respect to the collection of bald eagles. A cursory review of each of these acts, […]
Property owner asks Eagle about trespassing pet
We have a picket fence around our property. Our neighbor lets her dog climb under the fence to do his business. She often has him on a leash and makes no effort to pull him back. Especially since we have the fence, is this trespassing? I doubt there are very many lawn owners that live in town that have never encountered a similar problem with a neighborhood pet. This can translate into quite a smelly and unsightly result on one’s lawn. Whether a fence exists […]