Neighbour’s dog in France bit ours leading to vet bills: who must pay?

Reader Question: Our neighbour’s dog bit one of ours when we were leaving our home, leading to vet bills.  The neighbour offered to pay half, but not all. Should we report the incident? 

French law states that the owner of the aggressor dog is liable for all costs incurred.

Article 1385 of the French Civil Code states: “The owner of an animal […] is liable for any damage caused by it, whether the animal was under their care, lost, or escaped.”

‘Costs’ include veterinary expenses. 

The law does not require you to prove the owner of the other dog was at fault, as this is implied by the incident. 

You can ask for the neighbour to cover the entire cost. However, if they do not do so, you would need to go to court for a solution.

A court may order the other party to cover your expenses and could even impose damages (especially in cases where a pet has died). 

This is a potentially costly process however and you are not always guaranteed to come out with a favourable solution.

You should remind your neighbour that their home insurance’s responsabilité civile guarantee likely provides cover for such events. 

If a pet dog bites a human, the incident must be reported to the mairie so the dog can be monitored, including for rabies. 

However, it is not required when the victim is another dog. 

That being said, you can still report the incident if you wish, to the mairie or municipal police, particularly if the dog seems especially aggressive or belongs to one of the dangerous categories.