The Dog Got Me Sued
Animals are at the core of many, many farm operations, but even the grain farmer is likely to have a few animals or a farm dog around, and most anyone who farms is bound to encounter wild animals that impact the operation. The rules that affect animals cover a swath of farm life as varied as the animals themselves and the activities that involve them.
A dog owner is liable for the action of his dog. Don’t post “Beware of Dog” signs; believe it or not, if your dog was to injure someone, such signs might be used against you in court, as an admission that you knew you were dealing with a problem animal. Your best advice is to control your animals. You may kill a dog that is attacking or attempting to bite a human being.
Every dog must have a rabies vaccination. Any dog, cat or other animal which has bitten or attacked a person must be reported. If rabies is suspected, animal-control officials can order the owner to confine the animal or it can be impounded by animal-control officials, who can hold the dog for ten (10) days and may then humanely destroy it. If the dog is returned to its owner, the owner must pay fees for impoundment.
Note: If you confine a non-livestock animal for suspected rabies (or any other reason), be aware that the Iowa Code makes it unlawful to “to fail to supply the animal during confinement with a sufficient quantity of food or water, or to fail to provide a confined animal with adequate shelter, or to torture, deprive of necessary sustenance, mutilate, beat, or kill such animal by any means which causes unjustified pain, distress or suffering.”