Knowing Your Rights When Things Go Wrong

The Neighbor's Dog Attacks

Situation: You're out for an evening stroll when you're ambushed by the meanest miniature schnauzer on God's green earth, with a bite every bit as bad as his bark.
 
 What should happen: The owner should apologize and tell you when Otto was last immunized against rabies. He should also give you his name and phone number. (Get the names of any witnesses, too.) If you have obvious injuries―do you see blood anywhere?―the dog's owner should also offer to pay medical expenses. If it's your child who has been bitten, tend to the medical necessities first. Then take a step back before laying blame, suggests Mary Randolph, author of Dog Law (Nolo, $15, amazon.com). Did your kid take the pooch by surprise? Was he pulling its tail? While you'll no doubt be upset, try to be objective, too.
 
 If you're getting the runaround: Report the dog to the local authorities, which in many states follow the one-bite rule: After one reported bite, an owner is responsible for any financial costs to the victim. If there are further reports, the dog can be put down or the owner fined or criminally charged. You may want to report the dog, anyway, especially if you discover that other people in the neighborhood have been bitten.