Many dog bites often include serious injury. For example, an incident in late May resulted in a young girl receiving 25 stitches to her head. In this case, the owner voluntarily had the dog euthanized prior to the hearing to review the attack.
The officer also reports that dog-on-dog attacks and dog-on-raccoon attacks are also a common occurrence. If a dog is involved, the officer must determine if the animal has been vaccinated against rabies. If a raccoon is involved, the animal is taken into custody. Ultimately, the officer stated that the owners of any animal that injures someone or becomes injured due to negligence is responsible.
When calls are made to the animal control officer, public safety is always the priority followed by animal safety and public nuisance calls. Animal safety calls often include instances of animal abuse. If the officer cannot respond to them, he asks for the aid of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or one of the other organizations that fight animal abuse.
Victims of dog bites may suffer from disfiguring scars as well as emotional trauma. They may be entitled to compensation for any medical bills, pain and suffering, disfigurement or lost wages. An experienced Massachusetts attorney may be able to help their clients obtain this compensation by helping them file a personal injury lawsuit against the owner of the animal that caused the injury.
Source: The Daily Item, “Lynn animal control calls on the rise“, Thor Jourgensen, June 21, 2013