Source: https://www.animallaw.info/case/huff-v-dyer
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 04:04:27+00:00

Document:
*1 On January 13, 2007, Jamie Huff was injured when a dog owned by Theresa and Michael Dyer bit her. Huff sued the Dyers, claiming that they failed to warn her of their dog's dangerous propensities and that they committed negligence per se by violating OCGA § 51-2-7 and the Hall County Animal Control Ordinance. Following a jury trial, the jury found in favor of the Dyers. Huff appeals, claiming that the trial court erred in (i) granting the Dyers' motion for a directed verdict as to their dog's dangerous propensities and (ii) denying her motion for a directed verdict as to the Dyers' negligence per se. Finding no error, we affirm.
So viewed, the evidence as to Huff's negligence per se claim showed that the Dyers were eating breakfast at a restaurant in Hall County while their Labrador retriever was chained to the bed of their pickup truck, which was parked outside. The chains prevented the dog from placing his paws on top of either the bed rail or tailgate of the truck, but the edge of his snout could extend approximately three inches beyond the edge of the bed rail.
Huff was also preparing to eat breakfast at the same restaurant, and after speaking with her grandfather in the parking lot, Huff saw the Dyers' dog. Both the Dyers and Huff regularly ate at the restaurant, and Huff had seen the dog several times before. Although conflicting evidence was presented as to whether Huff had previously petted the dog, she admitted that, on this occasion, she took a few steps toward the dog, and spoke to it. Huff thought that the dog was going to lick her in the face, but instead it bit her, injuring her nose and forehead.
The Dyers asserted that Huff was walking with her grandfather's small dog, and that the small dog barked or snapped at their dog prior to the attack on Huff. Huff claimed, however, that she left her grandfather's dog in his car and approached the Dyers' dog alone. The Dyers also presented evidence that Huff attempted to pet their dog, and while Huff denied that she did so, she only stated that she was not “aware of” leaning down to allow the dog to lick her.
[a] person who owns or keeps a vicious or dangerous animal of any kind and who, by careless management or by allowing the animal to go at liberty, causes injury to another person who does not provoke the injury by his own act may be liable in damages to the person so injured. In proving vicious propensity, it shall be sufficient to show that the animal was required to be at heel or on a leash by an ordinance of a city, county, or consolidated government, and the said animal was at the time of the occurrence not at heel or on a leash.
Huff asserts that she has satisfied the second sentence of OCGA § 51-2-7 by producing evidence that the Dyers' dog was in violation of a Hall County Animal Control Ordinance. We disagree. OCGA § 51-2-7 relieves a plaintiff from producing evidence of a dog's vicious propensity based on evidence of a violation of an ordinance that restricts dogs from running at large. FN4 Here, however, there is no evidence that the Dyers' dog was “running at large.” The Hall County Animal Control Ordinance permits dogs to be controlled by chains, and it is undisputed that the Dyers' dog was chained to the bed of their truck at the time of the attack. FN5 As a result, there is no evidence that the Dyers were in violation of any ordinance restricting dogs from running at large.
2. Huff also claims that the trial court erred in denying her motion for a directed verdict as to her allegation that the Dyers committed negligence per se by violating OCGA § 51-2-7 and the Hall County Animal Control Ordinance. Under Georgia law, the violation of a statute, ordinance, or mandatory regulation that imposes a legal duty may constitute negligence per se. FN8 As discussed in Division 1, supra, Huff presented no evidence to create a jury issue as to her claim that the Dyers were liable as owners of a vicious animal pursuant to OCGA § 51-2-7.
4. It is within the occupant enclosure of a vehicle or restrained if [sic] within the cargo area of a truck being driven or parked on the streets.
In construing statutes, including local ordinances, courts should follow the plain meaning of the statutory language. FN9 Here, the ordinance considers an unsupervised dog to be sufficiently restrained when it is prevented from running at large by a leash or the occupant enclosure of a vehicle, by a physical barrier when it is on the owner's real property, and by any type of restraint when the dog is within the cargo area of a truck. The ordinance does not protect people who approach restrained animals, regardless of whether the animal is at heel, on a leash, or restrained in the bed of a truck. Huff admitted that she approached the Dyers' dog, and it was undisputed that the chains prevented the dog from escaping from the truck's cargo area. As a result, we find that the Dyers' dog was “under restraint” pursuant to the Hall County Animal Control Ordinance as a matter of law. FN10 The evidence was therefore more than sufficient to support the jury's conclusion that the Dyers' dog was “under restraint” as required by the ordinance, and the trial court did not err in denying Huff's motion for a directed verdict.
PHIPPS and BERNES, JJ., concur.
FN2. Hilb, Rogal & Hamilton Co. of Atlanta v. Holley, 295 Ga.App. 54, 57(2), 670 S.E.2d 874 (2008).
FN3. Id. at 56(1), 670 S.E.2d 874.
FN4. Johnston v. Warendh, 252 Ga.App. 674, 676(1), 556 S.E.2d 867 (2001).
FN6. Durham v. Mooney, 234 Ga.App. 772, 773(1), 507 S.E.2d 877 (1998).
FN7. See generally Thompson v. City of Atlanta, 274 Ga.App. 1, 4(1), 616 S.E.2d 219 (2005) (knowledge may not be inferred based on evidence that is uncertain, speculative, or merely raises a conjecture or possibility); compare Raith v. Blanchard, 271 Ga.App. 723, 725(1), 611 S.E.2d 75 (2005) (genuine issue of material fact existed as to dog owner's knowledge of vicious propensity where owner's statement that dog “could bite somebody” was made after dog previously “nicked” someone's hand with its teeth after trying to bite them in the face); Supan v. Griffin, 238 Ga.App. 404, 406, 519 S.E.2d 22 (1999) (genuine issue of material fact existed as to dog owner's knowledge of vicious propensity where owner's statement that neighbor should “do whatever was necessary ... to keep ... dogs from attacking” came after dogs had been involved in an attack).
FN8. Hubbard v. Dept. of Transp., 256 Ga.App. 342, 350(3), 568 S.E.2d 559 (2002).
FN9. See Columbus v. Schmidt, 269 Ga. 723-724, 507 S.E.2d 435 (1998).

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