Connecticut Dog Bite Law

A dog bite victim in Connecticut can recover compensation under a special statute and the doctrines of negligence, negligence per se, scienter, and intentional tort. The statute applies to non-bite injuries too. 

• Overview
• Dog bite statute
• Negligence
• Negligence per se
• Landlord liability
• Litigation forms and other materials for attorneys
• If your case involves injury to a dog, see What To Do If Your Dog Is Injured or Killed

Overview

Connecticut has a statute that imposes strict liability upon the owner or keeper of a dog that injures property or inflicts bodily injuries on a person. The statute also covers non-bite injuries. It contains a provision that established a legal presumption that a child under the age of 7 did not trespass or provoke the dog that attacked him. In addition to the dog bite statute, the doctrines of negligence, negligence per se, scienter, and intentional tort can be grounds for recovery of damages in this state.

Dog bite statute

The language of the Connecticut dog bite statute is as follows:

Sec. 22-357. Damage to person or property.

If any dog does any damage to either the body or property of any person, the owner or keeper, or, if the owner or keeper is a minor, the parent or guardian of such minor, shall be liable for such damage, except when such damage has been occasioned to the body or property of a person who, at the time such damage was sustained, was committing a trespass or other tort, or was teasing, tormenting or abusing such dog. If a minor, on whose behalf an action under this section is brought, was under seven years of age at the time the damage was done, it shall be presumed that such minor was not committing a trespass or other tort, or teasing, tormenting or abusing such dog, and the burden of proof thereof shall be upon the defendant in such action. (1949 Rev., S. 3404; 1953, S. 1842d; 1969, P.A. 439, S. 1.) 

If the victim was not a trespasser, not committing a tort, and not provoking the dog, there is no defense. The Connecticut courts have clarified that merely entering another person's property does not constitute trespass under this statute. "Trespass or tort" means more than mere entry; the statute bars recovery only where plaintiff is committing or intends to commit an injurious act. (133 C. 509: 140 C. 358.)

"Teasing, tormenting or abusing" a dog means engaging in actions that would naturally annoy or irritate a dog and provoke it to retaliation.  Such actions are those of such a nature as would naturally antagonize the dog and cause it to attack and which are improper in the sense that they are without justification. Kowal v. Archibald , 148 Conn. 125, 128-30 (1961).  Playing with the dog in a friendly manner does not fall within the definition of "teasing, tormenting, or abusing" the dog. Weingartner v. Bielak , 142 Conn. 516, 520 (1955).

To be liable, however, the defendant must be the owner, harborer or keeper of the dog. Under General Statutes § 22-327(6), a keeper is defined as ‘‘any person, other than the owner, harboring or having in his ppossession any dog. . . .’’ A non-owner of a dog cannot be held strictly liable for damage done by the dog to another in the absence of evidence that the nonowner was responsible for maintaining and controlling the dog at the time the damage was done. Falby v. Zarembski, 221 Conn. 14. Such proof generally will consist of evidence that the nonowner was feeding, giving water to, exercising, sheltering or otherwise caring forthe dog when the incident occurred. See Falby v. Zarembski, supra, 221 Conn. at p. 19. ‘‘To harbor a dog is to afford lodging, shelter or refuge to it.’’ Falby v. Zarembski, ibid. ‘‘[P]ossession [of a dog] cannot be fairly construed as anything short of the exercise of dominion and control similar to and in substitution for that which ordinarily would be exerted by the owner in ppossession.’’ Hancock v. Finch, 126 Conn. 121, 123, 9 A.2d 811 (1939). ‘‘One who treats a dog as living at his house and undertakes to control his actions is [a] . . . keeper. . . .’’ McCarthy v. Daunis, 117 Conn. 307, 309, 167A. 918 (1933); see also Buturla v. St. Onge, 9 Conn.App. 495, 497–98, 519 A.2d 1235, cert. denied, 203 Conn.803, 522 A.2d 293 (1987).

See the Civil Jury Instruction for dog bite cases in Connecticut. 

Negligence

The state also holds any person responsible for injuries by dogs caused by that person's negligence, provided that the victim proves that the defendant had knowledge of the dog's dangerous propensities. ‘‘Under the common law of this state, it has been held that liability for injuries committed by a vicious animal is grounded in negligence. See Ford v. Squatrito, 86 Conn. 710, 86 A. 579 (1913). It is the duty of the owner of such an animal, having knowledge of its vicious propensities, to give notice of the propensities or to restrain the animal, and that failure to do so is negligence that makes the owner liable for its consequences.’’ Stokes v. Lyddy, supra, 75 Conn. App. 265–66. ‘‘[T]he plaintiff must prove that the dog had vicious propensities and that the owner or keeper had knowledge, or the means of knowledge, of them.’’ Basney v. Klema, 2 Conn. Cir. Ct. 538, 544, 203 A.2d 95 (1964). A vicious propensity is any propensity on the part of a dog that is likely to cause injury under the circumstances. See 3B C.J.S. 410, supra, § 331.

Negligence per se

Negligence can arise from a violation of a statute that creates a duty by declaring that certain requirements must be followed or that certain acts must not be done. Considine v. Waterbury, 279 Conn. 830, 860-61 n.16 (2006); Staudinger v. Barrett, 208 Conn. 94, 101 (1988); Pickering v. Aspen Dental Management, Inc., 100 Conn. App. 793, 802 (2007). The violation of an animal control statute pertaining to dogs being at large, trespassing, or being off leash therefore can be used to establish liability under the doctrine of negligence per se. See also the Civil Jury Instruction on negligence per se. 

Landlord liability

A landlord can be held liable for an injury caused by a tenant's dog, provided that the landlord knew or should have known that the dog had the vicious or dangerous propensity to cause such an injury, and provided further that the injury happens on the premises owned or controlled by the landlord. Stokes v. Lyddy (2003) 75 Conn. App. 252, 267, 815 A.2d 263. 

See below for specialized forms for dog bite cases, and the "tips and tricks" video by Attorney Kenneth M. Phillips. For online research, see the Connecticut Judicial Branch links.