I am seeking legal advice regarding an incident involving my dog, who was injured while under the care of a friend in Gainesville, Florida. My friend voluntarily offered to walk my dogs, along with her dog, even after I expressed concern that managing three dogs might be too much. Despite my hesitation, she insisted and picked up the dog from my home. She took the dogs to a remote public area and, critically, did not use a leash on my dog. While under her supervision, the dog meet the person who was reportedly frightened and chased the dog (as described by my friend). The dog then ran off, and my friend was unable to find or recover him. Later, a stranger found my dog injured on the road, having been hit by a car, and brought her to an emergency veterinary clinic. My friend was not i
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Hell Jiayi! Did you unsubscribe from the legal chat.
Yes
Hi Jiayi, I see that you re-subscribed, thanks so much! So this looks like it's a negligence issue. So here is what you need to do: 1. Even if you’ve already had conversations, send her a calm, written message (email or text) summarizing everything: that she insisted on walking the dogs, ignored your leash concerns, didn’t recover your dog, and now you’re left with tens of thousands in vet bills. Ask if she’s willing to take any responsibility or contribute financially. This isn’t just to try to resolve things — it’s also helpful to have a paper trail if things go further. Also, in Florida, you can sue someone in small claims court for up to \$8,000 without needing a lawyer. Since your friend voluntarily took responsibility for your dog, her negligence (not using a leash, losing your dog) could make her liable for damages. If you’re seeking more than \$8,000, you might want to talk to a local attorney about filing a regular civil case. Either way, the written evidence from your messages can help. Thanks!~ Did you send a message to me prior to this? If so, it did not come through. I'm very sorry. So this means you need to pull together all communication with your friend, photos of your dog before and after, the vet bills, and anything else that shows the full impact. If you told her in writing that you were worried about her handling all three dogs, that’s especially helpful. You want a clear picture of what happened and what it’s cost you. Sometimes just getting a demand letter from an attorney can shake people into reality. It lays out the facts, the costs, and what you’re asking for and it gives her a chance to settle before things go legal. If you want, I can help you draft one that sounds firm but reasonable. I have templates for sale here - https://www.contractscounsel.com/t/document-form-checkout/256 So you can send this in any way want. It can be text, email, certified mail, or in person. I usually send letters via email because it’s faster and cheaper.
I am collecting all evidence together, so we used WeChat in Chinese, so do I need to translate?
I want a demand letter
so will after I collect all the evidence, I will sent it to you, and you will help me the write a letter right? And can you send it to them?
do I need to ask the hospital for a evaluation cost of future treatment
Ok got it! You can use that link for the demand letter - https://www.contractscounsel.com/t/document-form-checkout/256 I see you unsubscribed, but I'll answer these last questions anyway: 1. You can ask the hospital for that, but the may not provide it. It's kind of speculative and it may require that you just estimate; 2. I don't specifically write letters; however, if you purchase the demand letter I can offer advice as far as what to say, but I can't write it on my letterhead. 3. Nearly anything can be used as evidence. This is including, but not limited to, written testimony, oral testimony, text messages, photographs, videos, public records, police reports, medical records, etc. Having it translated definitely helps.
I subscribed, can you check again, but you can give me a draft about why she has the responsibility according the law right
Sure thing! Dear [Friend's Name], I’m writing to formally address the incident involving my dog, [Dog’s Name], who was severely injured while under your care on [Date] in Gainesville. As you know, you voluntarily offered to walk my dog along with your own, despite my clear concerns that handling three dogs at once would be difficult. You picked my dog up from my home and took the dogs to a remote public area. Critically, you failed to leash my dog, even though leash use is both common sense and required under Gainesville’s local ordinances. According to your account, my dog was startled by someone and ran off. You were unable to recover her, and she was later found injured in the road after being struck by a car. You were not involved in locating or assisting her afterward. Under Florida law, when someone voluntarily assumes responsibility for another person’s property or pet, they have a legal duty to exercise reasonable care. By ignoring warnings, failing to leash my dog, and taking her to an area where you could not maintain control, your actions fell below that standard of care. As a direct result, my dog suffered a spinal injury and now faces permanent paralysis. The emergency surgery has cost me over $22,000 so far, with more to come for rehab, follow-ups, and equipment such as a dog wheelchair. This was not a freak accident — it was a foreseeable and preventable result of negligent behavior. I am asking you to take responsibility and contribute toward the veterinary expenses and ongoing care. I am open to discussing a reasonable settlement, but if I do not hear from you within 10 days, I will consider pursuing reimbursement through small claims or civil court. Sincerely, [Your Full Name] [Your Contact Information]
hello, I also have a question based this situation, who do you think should share greater responsibility
And do you think this is Negligence or Significantly Negligent
Sure thing! So ordinary negligence is all you need to plead in this case. In my opinion, this person is negligent in this case and bears the responsibility under these circumstances.
I am thinking to hire a lawyer and send a official letter
do you think she should share a greater liability
I hear you! So yes if you are willing to spend like $200-$300 you could post a job on this site here and ask for a demand letter specifically on a lawyer's letterhead.
yes, can I find someone 200-300?
Sure thing and yes I'm happy to address that! Try contractscounsel.com. It's a site where you have the chance to post a job for free, then lawyers will bid on the jobs and you get to choose which lawyer and negotiate the price for the job as well. You basically go back to the main page of this site and you can post the job.
They are all certified lawyers right?
How to fill the job title
Sure! Yes, I can guarantee that all the lawyers here are licensed attorneys. We all have to go through a vetting the process, including myself. I think the best thing to fill in the job title would be demand letter from lawyer’s office. Then you can fill in the description of what it is that you need and why you need it
evidence
Hello there! Did you have a follow-up question for me?
I have posted a job, and can you give me a personal opinion that base on the evidence, who should share a greater liability
Sure thing! Based on the facts and the evidence presented in both the chat and the document, my personal opinion is that Xiuting bears the greater liability. The main reason is she voluntarily assumed responsibility for your dogs despite your hesitation, explicitly said she could manage all three dogs, and failed to leash Dollar in a public area. Multiple witnesses confirm she chased Dollar, tried unsuccessfully to control him, and that others, especially Aaron, escalated the situation by continuing to chase the dog despite signs he was distressed. However, the final responsibility lies with Xiuting because she was the one entrusted with Dollar's care, and under Florida law, once someone takes on that duty, they’re legally expected to act with reasonable care. Not using a leash, failing to maintain control, and allowing a pet to run into a road shows a lack of that care.
Thank you very much for your reply, I also have one more question, so Xiuting can not accept she bears greater liability now. She said I should blame Aaron, but she didn’t help me for connecting with Aaron or collecting evidence. So I can tell her that maybe I could also pursue liability against Aaron, but I’m not obligated to do so, right?
Yes, that’s correct. You can tell Xiuting that while Aaron’s actions may have contributed, she voluntarily took responsibility for your dog and had a legal duty to act with reasonable care which she failed to do by not using a leash and losing control. You are not obligated to pursue Aaron if you believe her negligence alone is sufficient to establish liability, and it's entirely up to you whether to involve anyone else. So she may try to defend on the grounds of Aaron doing something, but that's up to her to try to defend on that and it's not automatic.