Can you be sued if your dog scratches your own child by the other parent?

My fiances daughter was here Thursday and our puppy is a very happy and excited puppy and greets everyone by jumping on them (he is a boxer mixed) we have been working with him alot but on this particular day my fiances daughter came over and the dog was playing with her as she plays with him and jumped on her and scratched under her eye like a small dot and a small line then it also caught the inside of her lip which swelled a little the next day. Well now the mother is demanding a copy of the dogs vet records which we have no problem providing but dont want it to be used against us so told her she can see them but she cant have them and she was very irrate and threatening to sue us and have the dog taken away from us. Now I am really confused is this something that can really happen is there anything we can do to prevent her from doing anything.. Please help a very stressed family...she saying she needs them for her dr's and the school. We live in NY.

hopefully yes. A DOG should not be getting close enough to a small child to scratch it.

I would call Ur lawyer if i was u

Yes, you can, especially in a divorce situation. And, with a crazy-sounding mother like that, I wouldn't be surprised if she did. Since you do not have a court order for the records, you PROBABLY don't have to turn them over (check your state laws). I don't know what she hopes to find in the records--unless they show your dog is rabid, it won't prove that the dog is dangerous or safe, and it definitely won't show what kind of dirt was on the foot.However, if it helps, since the father was present (I assume), it probably won't stand up in court. Gotta love that family drama. Good luck, I wish you the best.

yes you can. please make sure the dog had all his/her shots. before it gos to court if it gets that far. good luck.

well any one can sue any 1 4 any thing- they just wont get away with it if it is something dumb. example: I'm suing you for breathing-i could do it, but I'm shure i would loose the case.

The right lawyer can steal from anyone. So prepare fore your wallet to lose wait

Sounds like a over reactive mother to me, no she cannot sue you for a dog jumping up in greeting and leaving a little scratch! What a nut, I could see if the dog attacked and physically harmed the little girl but a dog just jumping up is not a uncommon thing and it did not cause any lasting damage just a little scratch. She can rant and rave all she wants, tell her it's a puppy and he is being trained to stay down but still gets a little over excited, in no way was his jumping up a aggressive act just a playful puppy. She wouldn't stand a chance in court trying to sue you with something so minor.

Are you talking about custody issues? One parent can sue to other for custody over any little thing, it doesn't mean that they'll get what they want. Besides...this is a bit petty. The dog isn't malicious, he's a playful puppy. It's amazing how little things can be blown out of proportion by a jealous ex!

Was there any permanent damage done? If so, then absolutely. The dog is your responsibility. The dog doesn't know the consequences of its actions, and it's up to you to prevent this kind of thing from happening.

What about giving her a photocopy. I dont think she has any grounds to sue it didnt sound like there was any danger to the child. She sounds like she's looking for an excuse.

I don't know about legalities...but I would look into some puppy training classes, so that if she does something crazy you have proof that you are not neglecting your responsibility as a dog owner.Is this mother usually temperamental? or is she just upset over this one incident? You might want to offer to pay the co-pay or doctor bill just to have his daughter looked at by a doctor and then there's record that there is no permanent damage and to prove no intent.Best of luck to you. I hope the mother doesn't lash out for no good reason. Accidents are going to happen, and this does not appear to be serious.

Unfortuneatly this happens a lot in divorce situations! Make sure that you have everything and it is up to date on this puppy. She will most likely call animal control on you, if this is a custody issue, she might file something in court about this as well.

Anybody can sue anybody. Whether she has just cause or can prove harm intent or medical expenses is another storyIf your worring about some authority Like ASPCA taking your dog don't worry about that . It wasn't a dog attack and many accidents like this happen everyday. I recommend you just keep the dog away from other people until its properly trained not to jump.

Well, you really do not have to give her anything. You should reassure her that the dog has been kept up on its shots and such. Small injuries do happen in life to kids. She needs to be aware of that. Let her sue you. Anyone can sue anybody for anything. Make sure that you take care of the boo boos when they happen and you have the child with you. I bet a judge would see this as a frivolty if you took, care of things correctly. Tell her to subpeona the records and you will gladly turn them over to the court. Don't bow to her being an ass.

I'm sure not. I mean, maybe...but I would say no considering the other parent was there. I could understand why she would be upset, but this kind of thing happens with children and dogs or puppies, all the time. I look into it for you, ok?And, plus which state do you live in, cause your laws could differ from mine.

well the dog didnt do any mutilating damage to the little girl so even if she did attempt to sue, a judge would take a look at the little girl, see no life altering damage and dismiss the mother. it's not like the dog is a 5 year old rabies crazed doberman. i wouldnt worry too much about it. just take the little girl to the doctor anyway to ge her checked out and reassure the crazy mother that her daughter is fine.

Where there's a will there's a way. However, if the dog scratched the child you should probably keep it away from the child until you know it's trained. Also, if your fiance is threatening to sue you over that, that just not cool. If I were you I'd offer pay for the medical bills if there are any and call it a day. The person above me is an ass..no puppy should ever be put to sleep for scratching someone. They like to play and eventually they'll learn how to act around people.

Just furnish the records. They cant be used against you unless the dog has missed shots. The legal question is yes, you can be sued for having a recless and dangerious enviroment for the kid.Most everyone wouldn't bother letting a case like this go through unless you were hibitual offender and the care of your child was a concern.

Where we live it is only bites that are of concern for dogs. I think she is acting dramatic about the situation. If the child didn't have to seek ER treatment or if the mom didn't follow up with a drs visit on her own- what is she waiting on if she thinks it is so life threatening for the child.Sounds like she is blowing smoke, wait for it to clear. In the meantime make sure your pup is UTD on vaccines. They make some covers that go on dog nails called Soft Paws, that might be an option so he can't scratch her. There is also a harness you can purchase to prohibits them from jumping- petedge.com should have some.