Strict Liability for All Dog Injuries in New Hampshire

By the FigureMyTax Editorial Team · How we calculate

New Hampshire's statute makes the person who owns, keeps or possesses a dog liable for its damage, whether or not it bit.

The statute

RSA 466:19 entitles any person to whom or to whose property, including sheep, lambs, fowl or other domestic creatures, damage may be occasioned by a dog not owned or kept by that person to recover damages from the person who owns, keeps or possesses the dog, unless the damage was occasioned to a person who was engaged in the commission of a trespass or other tort.

No one-bite rule

Summaries explain that New Hampshire does not follow the one-bite rule. The owner's knowledge of the dog's past behavior is not required, and the statute applies even if the dog was leashed or confined to the owner's property.

Not limited to bites

A dog that charges at you and causes you to fall can create liability even without contact, because the statute covers injury caused by the dog's conduct. A bystander who is not physically injured, however, cannot recover under the statute.

Owner, keeper or possessor

Liability reaches whoever owns, keeps or possesses the dog. If the owner or keeper is a minor, a parent or guardian is liable.

Deadline

Dog injury claims generally have a three-year deadline under RSA 508:4.

This is general information, not legal advice, and the state comparisons above are illustrative, not an exhaustive survey. Confirm how New Hampshire's rules apply to your specific case with a licensed New Hampshire attorney.