Name:   MAJ USA RET - Subject:   Liability Date:   7/3/2012 7:06:01 PM

Our golden went straight to submissive (she is not aggressive).  The pit-bull continued to chew on her until its owner arrived (in his own good time).  Twice he tried to pull off his dog. Twice the pit-bull got away and resumed mauling my dog. MEANWHILE, MY WIFE IS KICKING AT THE PIT-BULL!  Fortunately our retriever is very large and the pit-bull was extracted before any life threatening damage was inflicted.  She made two trips to the vet… initial and follow up.

My wife and golden were on public property… quite a distance from the pit-bull’s residence... it wasn't even in sight.  Our golden was not headed for that house... she's afraid of the pit-bull from an earlier encounter.  Our dog is obedience trained (voice and hand signals) and can be controlled… even at a distance.

The StillWaters Resident Homeowners Association ruling was – since our dog was not on a leash, we are jointly liable for the attack.  

Question – had our dog been on a leash, would she have been attacked by the pit-bull?

Question – what if my wife… or I… was attacked? 

StillWaters RHOA has not banned the pit-bull from StillWaters.  This would seem to make them jointly liable for future mauling… or God forbid… a death, caused by this vicious animal should the owner elect to bring it back.