Originally Posted by
mconlonx
The point being made by others is that while it might be nice if US law actually did this, it actually encourages people to be less responsible for their own actions by finding legal avenues to blame others for their own mistakes. I.e. it has discouraged rather than fostered personal responsibility. OP is lucky dog owner is not suing for emotional distress suffered by the family of the dog that was nearly wiped out by two vicious, out of control cyclists.
Have more faith in the legal system. It has its flaws, but was created out of necessity. The dog owner would possibly be able to make a counterclaim along those lines, but judges are reasonable people just like you and me and would likely grant a motion to dismiss such outlandish claims. Would you rather they go after the dog owner with a baseball bat?