If you have been bitten by a rehomed dog you could be entitled to claim compensation from the organisation that rehomed it
James McNally, The Dog Bite Solicitor, has told iNews that rescue centres could be legally liable to compensate someone who has bitten by a rehomed dog.
The report in i comes in the wake of the Government’s planned XL Bully ban and the Dog’s Trust confirming that it would no longer rehome the breed. However, the newspaper says that other organisations such as Battersea, the RSPCA and Blue Cross, are still continuing to rehome XL Bullies.
James, who recently gave evidence to the Parliamentary Committee examining XL bully dogs and the proposed ban, has successfully sued rescue centres in a number of cases where someone has been bitten by a rehomed dog.
He told i that both rescue centres and potential owners should “think carefully” before rehoming an XL Bully.
“As with any dog,” he said, “you need to learn as much as you can about its history and think carefully whether you’re capable of looking after it,”
“With an XL Bully you also need to be ready for the extra responsibilities that come with owning a ‘banned’ dog. Most importantly you need to be aware that no matter what assurances you were given about a dog’s temperament, if it were to attack someone, while some blame might rest with the rescue centre, you could be held ultimately liable.”
One of James’s cases was given as an example of how a rescue centre could be held legally liable. It involved a Dogue de Bordeaux which had been rehomed by a rescue centre. It went on to attack our client, causing serious physical and psychological injuries.
There had been no background checks on the dog, and none of its history was conveyed to the owner. This resulted in the rehoming organisation being drawn into the legal claim.
James said that he is concerned about smaller-scale animal rescue centres, particularly those being run by volunteers as, they may lack the capacity to carry out the required risk assessments before dogs are rehomed.
It is also a problem for the larger organisations. “The RSPCA are in a difficult position,” he said,”because their mission statement is to look after the welfare of all animals, even if they are potentially dangerous.” However James hopes that the bigger charities will have the proper checks in place and be able to carry out adequate risk assessments.
If you have been bitten by a rehomed dog then contact the experts for guidance on claiming compensation on a No Win, No Fee basis.