In previous accounts of dog bites that New York residents may have read about on this blog, it could seem like there is not much responsibility on the part of the dog owners. After all, how and why do these terrible dog attacks keep occurring? Shouldn't dog owners be doing more to keep their pets from hurting people?

Prosecutors in San Diego think so. They have brought involuntary manslaughter charges against a mother and daughter who owned the pit bulls that attacked a 75-year-old neighbor. The poor woman had to have an arm and a leg amputate and needed numerous surgeries after that. Even so, doctors could not save her and she died on Christmas Eve day.

What is important to note here is that the dogs had previously attacked people, so the two women should have known their dogs were dangerous. They were initially charged with owning dangerous animals. When the neighbor died, their charges were upgraded to involuntary manslaughter.

Now, manslaughter is a criminal offense, meaning it is being brought by the state. Anyone who is ever hurt by a dog also has the chance to bring a civil suit, meaning a lawsuit instigated by a private citizen. Sometimes, but not always, injured people are successful in these lawsuits and can gain recompense for their pain, lost wages and medical expenses. As we said, those things are never guaranteed, but it's hard to see how it could be a bad idea to discuss your injury with an attorney.

Source: The Los Angeles Times, "Pitbull owners face manslaughter charges in fatal mauling," Tony Perry, Jan. 18, 2012