Pet owners could face up to five years in prison if their dogs kill someone

According to Article 6 of Decree 05/2007/ND-CP and Circular 07/2016/TT-BNNPTNT, dog owners must register their dog raising with the People's Committee of the commune level in urban areas and densely populated areas. Dogs must be chained, locked up or kept within the family premises; ensure environmental hygiene, and not negatively affect people around. When taking the dog out in public, the owner must put a muzzle on the dog or keep it on a leash and have someone lead it...

However, many deaths due to dog attacks have occurred. On April 3, a 7-year-old boy in Luong Bang town (Kim Dong district, Hung Yen) was attacked and killed by a pack of about ten dogs.

In August 2018, a 49-year-old man in Hanoi used a crutch to stop two dogs from fighting, but one of the dogs turned around and bit him in the neck. A month earlier, an 8-month-old girl in Hanoi also died when she was attacked by her family’s 40-kg dog.

Lawyer Dang Van Cuong said that according to Decree 90/2017/ND-CP, the owner of the animal will be fined from 600,000 to 800,000 VND if he does not vaccinate animals against rabies that are required to be vaccinated; does not muzzle the dog or does not leash the dog, or does not have someone to lead the dog when taking the dog to public places.

According to Decree 41/2017/ND-CP, the fine will be from 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 VND for violations such as: not complying with rabies vaccination for domestic dogs; dumping sick or dead animals and their products, discharging wastewater and waste carrying pathogens into the environment;...

In case of letting a dog loose and biting someone to death, the pet owner can be prosecuted for criminal liability.Violation of regulations on labor safety, labor hygiene, safety in crowded places,according to Article 295 of the Penal Code 2015.

According to lawyer Cuong, "safety in crowded places" is understood as a solution to prevent and combat the impact of dangerous factors to ensure that no injuries or deaths occur to people in crowded places.

Article 295 of the Penal Code stipulates that a pet owner who lets his dog loose to bite a person to death or cause injury or damage to the health of a person with a bodily injury rate of 61% or more will be fined from 20,000,000 to 100,000,000 VND, sentenced to non-custodial reform for up to 3 years or imprisoned from one to five years. In the case of a dog biting two people to death, he can be imprisoned from three to seven years.

In case a fierce dog attacks and causes damage to the health or property of another person, depending on the extent of the damage, the owner will have to compensate according to Article 603 of the 2015 Civil Code. Specifically, the owner of the pet must compensate for damage when the life or health of another person is violated; reasonable expenses for burial, support for those who the victim has the obligation to support, and other damages as prescribed by law.