
A: This answer varies state by state, but generally speaking, in Virginia a dog owner is only responsible for injuries that dog causes if the owner knew or should have known that the dog had a propensity for biting people. This is sometimes known as the "one bIte rule" which says that if a dog bit somebody but it is the first time, the owner is not responsible.
Sometimes this knowledge might come from the breed of the dog, but most often a person who has been bitten by a dog might show that the dog has bitten or threatened to bite someone in the past. In some states, owners are automatically liable if their dog bites another person.
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