Q: If I tell an individual I live with not to touch my dog and he does it anyway multiple times can I take legal action?
He's a violent roommate and has threatened to put a shock collar on her and has touched her roughly. She's 2. Ive told him multiple times to keep his hands off my dog and he kept touching her even when she was next to me and out of the way
A:
Pets are property. If someone touches your property then you can sue them for trespass against property. The fact that your property is a dog doesn't really matter. Other facts that might matter are those that would weigh in on evidence of the wrongful touching. Things like, does the dog go near the person, or is it unavoidable if the dog runs free in the house, or what right does the person have to be in the house. If the person is renting they have a right to occupy the entire home and to the extent that the dog is there and doesn't move out of his/her way they could argue that it was necessary to the use of the property.
I hope this helps.
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