Houston Dog Bite Attorney

Texas has no statewide “leash law,” but Houston and several other cities have local laws that require dog owners to leash, muzzle or otherwise restrain their dogs at all times when they are in public areas. Under the Houston Municipal Code, a dog owner “or any other person with the right of possession” of the dog must ensure that the animal does not “run at large.” The Code defines “running at large” as allowing the animal to be on public or private property without the owner or handler having “direct physical control” of the animal. This is a strict liability law. In other words, a person can be found guilty of violating it “without regard to whether the person was acting with a culpable mental state.”

Lillian’s law is a law that was enacted to stiffen the criminal penalties (i.e. more jail time) for persons found criminally negligent when their dog attacks someone resulting in serious injury or death. Lillian’s law is named after Lillian Stiles, a 76-year-old woman who was mauled to death by a pack of pitbull/rottweiler mixes that escaped from a 3-foot high fence in her neighbor down the street’s yard came onto her property and attacked her while she was mowing the yard.

If you have suffered a dog bite you may be entitled to receive compensation for medical treatment you received and may continue to need, lost wages, and mental anguish. Many victims of dog bites suffer psychological damage and develop anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder following a vicious attack.