Owning a pet is a significant responsibility, as it entails being responsible for another living being. It is not only about giving your pet food, a home, water, and a vet when necessary. It is also about giving them quality time to spend with you, playing, being aware of their behavior, and being aware of what they do on a day-to-day basis. However, this is not always the case, as in this Reddit post, where a person in Texas is being sued because their neighbor’s dog was eating rat poison on their property.
Redditor deepi31415159265359 came to r/legaladvice with their sad story, not because of the lawsuit, but because the dog was the biggest victim. OP explains that the neighbor’s dog escaped from the makeshift pen at its house and ended up on OP’s property. OP’s primary concern is not that the dog was in their home, but that they have a barn to store seeds, with strong poison to protect them from rats. Therefore, OP warned their neighbors on several occasions to keep the dog at home.
However, these neighbors paid no attention, and a few days ago, OP found the dog in their barn, which licked all the poison from one of the traps. OP immediately called the owners to take their pet to the vet and gave them the exact poison used in the traps. Sadly, the puppy did not survive. Yet, this did not stop the neighbors from sending the pet bill and the adoption papers for the dog to OP, requesting payment for the damages. To this, the OP responded that they had warned these neighbors several times to keep their dog on their property to prevent it from eating the rat poison, but still, the angry neighbors threatened to take their case to the Texas courts. This is because the neighbors said they did not have the money to pay the bills.
It does not sound like you’re liable here. If they sue, obviously, you’ll have to defend.
reddituser1211
Many agreed that OP is not responsible for anything and should only stay alert if he needs to defend himself, but many believe that the neighbors can do nothing more than try to scare them.
NAL – If they cannot afford the vet bills and a proper pen they likely cannot afford a lawyer.
stompah2020
I would cease any communication.
It’s unfortunate and saddening that the dog suffered such an incident, but it all happened because they were not providing proper care for their dog. As a result, I side with the OP on this one.
