Senior Partner
On June 25, 2026, a Tacoma woman was attacked by two dogs. Renee Wilson was pregnant, and it was her baby’s due date. At the hospital, her baby’s birth had to be induced. The dogs bit her multiple times on her legs, arms, and belly, and dragged her by her hair. And neighbors have reported it was not the first time the dogs were loose or aggressive.
This comes as no surprise to me, unfortunately.
Serious Dog Attacks Rarely Happen Without Warning
Over my 12 years as a lawyer, I have investigated, litigated, and settled many dog attack cases. And what I have learned is that behind almost every serious dog attack is a trail of issues that were not addressed: prior bites or “near misses,” multiple complaints by neighbors, and irresponsible owners who refuse to take accountability and keep their communities safe from their dogs.
When Animal Control May Share Responsibility
As part of my practice, I examine not only whether the dogs’ owners are liable for these attacks, but whether our government shares in the responsibility for the attack. Irresponsible owners cannot be trusted to make safe choices with their aggressive dogs. And at some point, the dogs must be removed from these owners to preserve the safety of our communities. And it should not take a gruesome mauling for that to happen.
Government Liability for Dangerous Dog Attacks
We task our law enforcement and animal control agencies with the responsibility to regulate and respond to dangerous dogs and dog attacks. We pay taxes for these animal control services. And animal control often has legal responsibility to act where a dog has bitten and caused severe injury or is found to be dangerous. That legal responsibility may be written into the municipal codes, or it may come from a promise a government employee made to take care of a dangerous dog. It may even come from negligent handling of a dangerous dog by law enforcement or animal control.
And while the government cannot – and should not—keep tabs on every dog in our neighborhoods or confiscate every dog that bites someone, where the dog and its owner are a clear and repeated safety hazard in our communities, it is our responsibility to scrutinize our law enforcement and animal control agencies and hold them accountable too.
When to Speak With a Dog Attack Attorney
Stritmatter Law attorneys handle many of the leading cases involving animal-control liability for dog attacks. Claims against animal control agencies for negligence in responding to dangerous dog calls or dog bites involve complex legal issues under the “public duty doctrine” and require intensive factual investigation. The attorneys at Stritmatter Law are experienced in handling cases involving animal control negligence and are available for consultation if you or a family member has been injured as a result of a dog attack where the government knew the dog was a danger and was negligent in responding and handling that dangerous dog before it attacked again.
In the Press:
Pregnant woman survives Tacoma, WA dog attack | FOX 13 Seattle
Pregnant woman injured in dog attack in Tacoma, according to police
Pregnant woman hospitalized after dog attack in Tacoma
Pitbulls charge at pregnant Tacoma woman and her small dog – KIRO 7 News Seattle