Dog Bite Law In JACKSON, MS

The law governing dog bites can be found in state laws, county and city ordinances, and rules developed from actual cases. Dog bites can fall under both civil (personal injury) and criminal law.

The End of the "One Bite Rule" and Owner Responsibility

One of the most interesting rules is an old English law called the “one bite rule.” This ancient law protected a dog owner from criminal or civil liability/responsibility until the owner had a certain degree of knowledge that his dog is dangerous. Most states have ended the “one bite rule” and now dog owners can be held liable if their dog bites a person and the victim was not trespassing or provoking the dog.

Dog Bite Statistics and Who is Most at Risk

Dog bites occur every day and can vary greatly in severity. The statistics on dog bites as reported by the American Humane Association give a good look at the number of dog bites as well as who is at most risk.

Key Facts and Figures on Dog Bites

• The AHA estimates that 4.7 million dog bites occur every year
• Of those, nearly 800,000 require medical attention
• Approximately 92% of fatal dog attacks involved male dogs
• Approximately 11% of dog bites occur to the extremities (arms, hands, legs, feet)
• The insurance industry pays out more than $1 BILLION in claims related to dog bites each year
• 50% of dog attacks involved children younger than 12 years old, and 82% of bites treated in the emergency room involved children younger than 15 years old
• Unsupervised newborns are 370 times more likely than an adult to be killed by a dog.