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What are the Leash Laws in Carrollton, Texas?
Like many cities, the city of Carrollton has a number of regulations in their municipal code about animals. The city doesn’t just regulate dogs. In fact, all kinds of animals than can be domesticated, even rodents, are regulated for the care of animals.
Where do I find information about animal regulations in Carrollton?
Chapter 91 of the municipal code is where you’ll find the animal regulations. The purpose of the chapter on animals is to protect health and safety, prevent disease and injury to humans, prevent injury to animals, and to ensure animals are treated in accordance with state law. Other important things you will find in this chapter are permit and registration standards and processes for all dogs, cats, chickens, and potbelly pigs. Chapter 91 establishes the “penalties and remedies necessary to achieve the public health and safety purposes set forth herein.” This is just fancy legal talk for saying penalties and other things the city can do to someone for breaking the animal laws.
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What’s important in the municipal code about dog attacks in Carrollton?
Animals are not allowed to “run at large.” This means that dogs in Carrollton must be on a leash, behind a fence, or enclosed somewhere. Dogs are permitted to run at large within a designated dog park.
It is illegal in Carrollton for a dog to interfere with a person or passing vehicle; attack another animal causing injury resulting in death or more than $500.00 in veterinary care costs; trespass on school grounds; be at large; damage private or public property; and bite or scratch a person while at large. Most important of these is that a dog that bites or scratches a person while at large is illegal in Carrolton. Now, of course, a dog is not punished for violating this rule – the owner or person in control of the dog can get a ticket.
If a dog bites or scratches someone causing an injury that breaks the skin, the dog is “suspected of having rabies” and must be quarantined for 10 days. This is true even if the dog is current on its vaccinations.
City ordinances, like Carrolton’s, are important for dog bite cases. Although to have a successful claim for injuries from a dog attack we don’t always need to prove that the dog has attacked before, proving that a carless dog owners violated a city’s animal law can be very helpful in having a successful claim. This is because a person who allows a dog to run free and attack someone has already violated the law.
If you were attacked by a dog or injured by a dog in Carrollton, call a lawyer to learn about your legal options and determine the best strategy moving forward to ensure that insurance companies and irresponsible dog owners aren’t taking advantage of you.