Arkansas Dog Bite Laws

Arkansas has not enacted a dog bite statute. However, the Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled that the one-bite rule is the default rule in dog bite cases (although the court referred to this as “strict liability”). Under Arkansas’s one-bite rule, a dog owner can be held liable if their dog was known to be vicious and the owner knew about its viciousness. If the dog is not known to be vicious, the Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled that victims can pursue a dog bite claim under a negligence theory. To establish a negligence claim, the victim must prove that the owner owed a duty to the victim (that is, a duty to exercise reasonable care in keeping the dog under control), the owner breached the duty, and the injuries that the victim sustained were proximately caused by the owner’s breach of duty.