Minnesota Statutes §347.22 provides:
"If a dog, without
provocation, attacks or injures any person who is acting peaceably in
any place where the person may lawfully be, the owner of the dog is
liable in damages to the person so attacked or injured to the full
amount of the injury sustained."
This statute imposes strict
liability on the owner of a dog that attacks an innocent person. The
dog owner does not have to do anything wrong to be responsible.
The statute defines "owner" to include "any person harboring or keeping a dog".
The
dog does not have to come in physical contact with the injured person
in order for the dog's owner to be liable. For example, if a person is
injured falling off a bicycle because he or she is chased by a dog, the
dog's owner might be responsible for the bicyclist's injuries.
The dog owner's homeowner's insurance might be available to pay for injuries caused by a dog attack.
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