Court Opinion

ID: 9639320
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 16:12:26.528891+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:10:15.836764
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion by
Me. Justice Bell:
The majority and I agree that a dog is man’s best friend; after that we part. It is likely that dogs were originally tamed and used for protection, later for the chase, then for “beasts of burden”, and now princi*154pally for companionship and affection. A dog exhibits obedience but not affection by lying in the corner. Those who understand or love dogs know that very often they show their affection by putting their paws on or licking or playfully jumping onto persons they like or love. I cannot understand how a Court can equate a dog’s act of affection with viciousness. It will come as a bitter blow to all dog lovers, and their numbers are legion, to learn that man’s best friend is malum in se and that the only dog they can safely keep, even in their own home, is a sleeping dog or a dead dog.
Assuming, arguendo, that this dog’s affectionate actions amounted to legal misconduct, plaintiff admittedly knew well the dog’s dangerous propensities and clearly and certainly assumed the risk.