[MissoulaGov] Bill would make country dwellers liable for damages from dog bites

[Russ Fletcher]

*Bill would make country dwellers liable for damages from dog bites
*
/By CHARLES S. JOHNSON of the Missoulian State Bureau/


Dog owners who live outside the city limits would be liable for damages 
when their dogs bite people under a bill that received preliminary House 
approval Monday.

The House voted 75-24 to approve House Bill 431, by Rep. Anders Blewett, 
D-Great Falls. It faces a final House vote before moving to the Senate.

For 60 years under Montana law, dog owners within city limits have been 
liable for the damages caused when their dogs bite people, Blewett said. 
His bill would extend this same liability to dog owners who live outside 
the city limits.

“Outside incorporated towns and cities, dog owners do not get one free 
bite” as they have for 60 years, Blewett said. “The practical effect 
(now) is you get a lot of free bites.”

http://missoulian.com/articles/2009/02/23/bnews/br25.txt