One of the most common cases that a personal injury lawyer will deal with is a dog bite case, mostly because of the many ways in which he or she can help you protect yourself and your dog. This is vital as you can be subjected to a massive lawsuit or have to put your dog down if he or she has bitten someone and you do not have a proper defense. Listed below are three ways that a lawyer can help you with a dog bite case.

The Individual Was Trespassing

One of the main ways that a lawyer can help you avoid having to put your dog down is by attempting to show that the person who was bitten was actually trespassing on your property. This can apply if the person was jumping over your fence, crossing your property uninvited, or was breaking into your home. The key point to remember here is that this defense only works if trespassing was indeed occurring and that you did not invite the individual onto your property. 

The Individual Was Provoking The Dog

Another defense that a lawyer can use to protect you and your dog is to show that the person who was bitten was tormenting the dog in some way. For example, if an individual was constantly teasing, harming, or annoying your dog, then a court may decide that the dog reacted normally in order to get the torment to stop when he or she lashed out. Other types of provocation can include accidental provocation, such as stepping on the dog while he or she was asleep and startling him or her awake or surprising the dog with a loud noise nearby.

The Individual Ignored Warnings

Finally, one of the most common defenses when your dog has bitten someone is to show that the bitten person ignored multiple warnings to leave the dog alone. This can apply if you were out walking your dog and told an approaching individual not to pet the dog, but he or she approached anyway and got bitten. However, this approach will only work if you had your dog properly leashed. 

Contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after your dog has bitten someone in order to discuss the strength of your case and the options that are available to you. A personal injury lawyer can help by attempting to show that the bitten individual was trespassing, provoking the dog, or ignored warnings to stay away from the dog. Check out a law firm like Hornthal Riley Ellis & Maland LLP to consult with a lawyer.