Colorado Springs, CO asked in Animal / Dog Law for Colorado

Q: If my dog is in his fenced in yard and attacks a cat that came into our property can we be sued?

My husband and I just relocated to Colorado. Our house has a fenced in back yard but we’ve seen some cats in our yard. Our dog is very sweet and loves to play with other dogs but hasn’t been around any cats. He goes out and in whenever he wants. We don’t watch him too closely outside since he’s fenced in. I’m just worried a cat will wonder into our yard when he’s out there alone and he might react different.

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1 Lawyer Answer
Kristina M. Bergsten
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Kristina M. Bergsten
Answered
  • Animal & Dog Law Lawyer
  • Denver, CO
  • Licensed in Colorado

A: Most likely, the cats will eventually stop coming in your yard once your dog’s scent is established. That said, the answer to your question depends on whether or not these cats are owned by someone who will bring a lawsuit against you or file criminal charges. Then that raises the issue of whether or not an animal control officer would even press charges on the criminal side of things, or whether a lawyer would take a cat case on the civil side. From a pure probability point of view, all of these things are unlikely to result in anything be filed against you. However, if that does happen, don’t make any statements to police or animal control and call an animal attorney right away.

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