§ 142-74. Liability of dog owner; penalty
(a) If any dog, while on private property without the consent of the owner of that property, injures or destroys any sheep, cattle, goat, hog, fowl, or other property belonging to any person other than the owner of the dog, the owner of the dog shall be liable in damages to the person injured for the value of the property so injured or destroyed. The owner of the dog shall confine or destroy the dog, and if the owner of the dog neglects or refuses to do so, the owner of the dog, in the event of any further damage being done to the person or property of any person by the dog, in addition to paying the person injured for the damage, shall pay the costs of the trial together with the penalty imposed under section 142-12, and it shall be lawful for any other person to destroy the dog.
(b) Each county may enact and enforce ordinances regulating persons who own, harbor, or keep any dog that has injured, maimed, or destroyed an animal belonging to another person. No ordinance enacted under this subsection shall be held invalid on the ground that it covers any subject or matter embraced within any statute or rule of the State; provided that the ordinance shall not affect the civil liability of a person owning, harboring, or keeping the dog. Upon enactment of an ordinance, whether enacted on, before, or after June 30, 2001, the ordinance shall have full force and effect; provided that the ordinance is consistent with this section.
Credits
P.C. 1869, ch. 23, § 9; R.L. 1925, § 667; R.L. 1935, § 252; R.L. 1945, § 1094; R.L. 1955, § 20-73; H.R.S. § 142-74; Laws 1984, ch. 90, § 1; Laws 1986, ch. 64, § 1; Laws 2001, ch. 222, § 1.
§ 142-75. Human bitten by dog; duty of dog owners; action against owner
(a) The owner of any dog that has bitten a human being shall have the duty to take such reasonable steps as are necessary to prevent the recurrence of such incident.
(b) Whenever a dog has bitten a human being under circumstances for which none of the exceptions specified in section 663-9.1 apply, any person may bring an action against the owner of the dog in the district court of the judicial circuit in which the owner resides, to determine whether conditions of the treatment or confinement of the dog or other circumstances existing at the time of the bite or bites have been changed so as to remove the danger to other persons presented by the animal. The court, after hearing, may make any order it deems appropriate to prevent the recurrence of such an incident, including but not limited to the removal of the animal from the area or its destruction by its owner. In making its decision, the court may consider:
(1) The vicious or dangerous propensities of the animal;
(2) The ability of the owner to adequately confine or remove the animal; and
(3) The necessity of any destruction of an animal in light of the health, safety, and welfare of the community.
This section shall not preclude any existing common law remedies.
(c) Each county may enact and enforce ordinances regulating persons who own, harbor, or keep any dog that has bitten, injured, or maimed a person. No ordinance enacted under this subsection shall be held invalid on the ground that it covers any subject or matter embraced within any statute or rule of the State; provided that the ordinance shall not affect the civil liability of a person owning, harboring, or keeping the dog. Upon enactment of an ordinance, whether enacted on, before, or after June 30, 2001, the ordinance shall have full force and effect; provided that the ordinance is consistent with this section.
Credits
Laws 1980, ch. 283, § 2; Laws 2001, ch. 222, § 2; Laws 2021, ch. 30, § 2, eff. June 7, 2021.