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Nuremberg Higher Regional Court Orders Chihuahua Owner to Pay €1,500 After Pregnant Woman’s Fall

The court found the owner's leash‑rule breach made the risk unpredictable.

Overview

  • The judges held the owner liable because he let the Chihuahua run free despite a leash requirement in Hofgarten Ansbach.
  • The woman, who was heavily pregnant, stepped back a few meters on maintained grass, fell, and fractured her left upper arm with additional bruising.
  • The ruling overturned a 2024 first‑instance judgment that had assigned her 80% contributory fault.
  • The court said the dog's approach could not be safely read as friendly, so her defensive reaction did not reduce liability.
  • Damages were set at €1,500 in light of the small breed’s limited capacity for direct harm, and the court found no proof the fall caused the child’s premature birth.