§ 4-13-16.1 - Injury to seeing-eye dogs or persons who are visually impaired– Damages. - Rhode Island Statutes

SECTION 4-13-16.1

   § 4-13-16.1  Injury to seeing-eye dogs orpersons who are visually impaired– Damages. – If any dog kills, wounds, or worries, or assists in killing, wounding, orworrying, any seeing-eye dog certified for use as a guide-dog for a person whois blind or visually impaired, belonging to or in the possession of any personwho is blind or visually impaired and under harness or engaged in the act ofguiding its owner, or if any dog assaults, bites, or otherwise injures anyperson who is blind or visually impaired while traveling the highway or out ofthe enclosure of the owner or keeper of that dog, the owner or keeper of thedog shall be liable to the person who is blind or visually impaired aggrievedfor double all damages sustained, to be recovered in a civil action, with costsof suit. If afterwards this damage is done by that dog, the owner or keeper ofthe dog shall pay to the party aggrieved treble damages, to be recovered in thesame manner, and an order shall be made by the court before whom the secondrecovery is made, for killing the dog. The order shall be executed by theofficer charged with the execution of the order and it shall not be necessary,in order to sustain this action, to prove that the owner or keeper of this dogknew that the dog was accustomed to causing these damages.