Florida Animal Legal Questions

If you have had possession of the dog for four years and have been paying for its care for all this time, it is extremely unlikely law enforcement will even investigate sister's claim (presuming this is not simply a bluff).  Have copies of your pet's paperwork such as rabies certificate and vet bills to hand in the unlikely event you get a knock on the door.  In almost every case, law enforcement considers interfamily disputes as to pet ownership to be a civil matter.... Read More

You should retain counsel to investigate all possible sources of recovery. Was this person on the job? Did someone else own the vehicle that he was driving? Additionally, you have 14 days to seek medical attention or else you will waive your PIP benefits, so even if you are not injured now you should at least get checked out... Read More

Hi Karl. Sorry to hear about this fiasco. You have a claim against the dog owner for negligence and strict liability, and if the property is rented, then you have a possible claim against the landlord where the dog owner lives. While this website prohibits attorneys from soliciting customers cases, you can always review backgrounds of attorneys on this website and reach out to one of us for possible contingency fee representation, which means you don't pay anything unless you win.... Read More

First, King is not "your boy", King appears to be an animal. Second, there is obviously some other issue you have failed to disclose as to (a) why you call the breeder the owner (b) why the breeder had your animal after you got "custody" of it and (c) why they never brought it back or you seem not to have an idea as why?... Read More

Sorry - its NOT your ESA, its your daughters dog. If she wants it up in NJ then she is free to do so and can raise ESA issues as she chooses. Bear in mind, that what you describe is a pet not an ESA as an ESA on ZOOM is not an ESA and if its an undesireable rental breed like a pitbull, its twice as obvious its a sham. You need to be aware that Florida just passed a new law criminalizing false claims of ESA/SA status so tread lightly. Bottom line is you need to send the dog back to her, kennel it, or risk being fined and losing a lot of money or your home to foreclosure. ... Read More

Sure. You just need to contact one and see what they say. Dog bite cases on the street are tough as you have to be able to ID the owner of the dog, but you will need to get a lawyer on board to guide you on that for sure. The key is not just holding the owner liable its finding the means to actually collect for damages. ... Read More

You mean the uncollared, unlicensed and unchipped dog, that your nieghbor allowed to escape? That you want to sue a vet that graciously took your pet in, because one of the staff took it home, and it somehow escaped again? You DO realize that while this is a crappy situation, the Vet is not responsible for the loss of your dog, as the negligence that cause that to occur happened long before. In fact you were lucky animal control did not catch your dog as being untagged and not chipped, it would have gone to kill shelter an likely destroyed since they would not be able to contact the owner. Hopefully you find your dog, but you won't get far trying to sue the vet over this. ... Read More

Unfortunately, absent your willingness to spend a lot of money on legal fees to make a point, these cases dont go anywhere from a civil angle. Under Florida law  - pets are merely property and carry no real value in damages. You can make a complaint to the Vet board and see if they will sanction the vet. ... Read More