There are a few ideas behind dog bite signs, the first of which is to keep people off of a property by alerting them to the fact that the dog is guarding that home. The second, of course, is actually to prevent injuries and keep people safe. It’s a warning sign in the same way that a “wet floor” sign protects people in a commercial property.
In fact, many property owners think that the sign is only going to help them if someone gets bitten by their dog. If that person had a warning, doesn’t that take the liability away from the property owner? Does it mean that anything else that happens after that point is actually the dog bite victim’s fault?
Not quite. Dog owners still have a legal liability to keep people physically safe. For instance, they cannot let a dog outside without a fence or a tether, hang up a sign and then claim they were not at fault if the dog chases and bites a jogger passing the house. Clearly, their actions still put that person in danger.
Moreover, if you are the victim, you may be able to claim that the dog had vicious propensities, and the owner knew it. They knew that the odds were high it would attack someone, and that’s why they really hung up the sign. They cannot claim ignorance after the attack.
This is just one thing to consider if you get attacked by a dog. Make sure you are well aware of your legal rights and all of the steps that you need to take to seek compensation.