Pet Forum

My parents recently took the family dog, a Pit/Labrador mix to get his annual shots at a sidewalk clinic outside a retail store. I was not there, but this is what they told me what happened:

As the veternarian was trying to administer a nasal shot, our dog "Goldie" kept moving his head, and the vet decided to give him an injection instead. Shortly after Goldie was vaccinated, he slipped out of his collar and the grasp of my dad and the vet. He went snooping around a few feet away, and an American Bulldog that was in line to be vaccinated, got away from its owner and got into a fight with Goldie.

Apparently there was a lot of commotion, and the bulldog's owner and my dad tried to separate the two dogs. In the process, both dogs bit each other, and the bulldog's owner got bit as well. The owner stated to my parents that the bite on her hand was not serious; and she also declined to switch information at the time. Our dog got a few scratches and bites, but nothing serious.

A couple of days later she somehow contacted my parents and asked them to pay for the bulldog's emergency office visit that took place later on that evening.

I no longer live with my parents, and was not present at the time of the incident, but I am the registered owner of Goldie (I forgot to change it when I moved). That is the only information I have been given, and I have been trying to track down the vets who were present so I can get their testimony as to what exactly happened.

So I am wondering what the extent of my liability is since so far I have only been able to find California statutes on dogs biting humans, but not much on dogs biting dogs.

Any information would be very helpful,
Thank you