Legal Question in Personal Injury in Ohio
Dog bites pet groomer at pet store
Our dog may have bit his groomer at a popular pet store chain. We had asked that the dog be muzzled and it appears he was not. My understanding is that the dog jumped up and bit the groomer on the face. He is a small dog although the groomer may have required stitches according to what little the store would tell us. The store has been extremely vague in our dealings with them (basically a bunch of store managers being clueless). The dog is very small and clearly didn't cause any major damamge, although there was still injury. We're trying to assess what risk we now have of lawsuit and to what extent we could realistically be sued (hundreds, thousands, millions, etc). Obviously our first concern was the employee's well being, but with the store being so vague, we cannot address that issue or offer anything.
Any advice is appreciated... such as if we should retain someone now 'just in case', or if we should wait until we hear something.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Dog bites pet groomer at pet store
It is always wise to be concerned and look at the worst case scenario so that you can be prepared if there is a claim made against you. I do not think you need to retain an attorney at this point. You may, however, want to report the incident to your homeowners insurance. You may very well be covered for this type of incident.
From what you described there probably is no liability on your part anyway. If the dog has a propensity for biting and you alerted the groomer, suggested a muzzle and they disregarded you request, then there is assumption of the risk.
I would notify your homeowners and then wait it out.
Good Luck!
DHD
Re: Dog bites pet groomer at pet store
Provided that you requested that the dog be muzzled, if the groomer did not follow your request, there may be no liability on you. Furthermore, due to the nature of the job, it is likely that there is an assumption of risk on the part of the groomer, A job hazzard so to speak. I don't think you will have anything to worry about.
Don't even do anything unless you are contacted by someone regarding a claim.
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