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Washington — dangerous dog definitions (RCW 16.08.070)

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Washington — dangerous dog definitions (RCW 16.08.070)

Washington's RCW 16.08.070 provides the statutory definitions for dangerous-dog regulation (RCW 16.08.070–16.08.100). It defines 'potentially dangerous dog' and 'dangerous dog' by conduct (bites, attacks, severe injury), and defines 'severe injury.'

Source: Washington RCW 16.08.070 (Dangerous dogs and related definitions), app.leg.wa.gov, extracted 2026-07-24 via Tokyo relay (Playwright). First-hand statute text; C1 substring-verified against pdf-raw/banned-dog-breeds/wa_16_08_070_dangerous_dog.txt.

Verbatim C1 claims (each a substring of the source file):

  1. "RCW 16.08.070"
  2. "Dangerous dogs and related definitions."
  3. ""Potentially dangerous dog" means any dog that when unprovoked: (a) Inflicts bites on a human or a domestic animal either on public or private property, or (b) chases or approaches a person upon the streets, sidewalks, or any public grounds in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack, or any dog with a known propensity, tendency, or disposition to attack unprovoked, to cause injury, or to cause injury or otherwise to threaten the safety of humans or domestic animals."
  4. ""Dangerous dog" means any dog that (a) inflicts severe injury on a human being without provocation on public or private property, (b) kills a domestic animal without provocation while the dog is off the owner's property, or (c) has been previously found to be potentially dangerous because of injury inflicted on a human, the owner having received notice of such and the dog again aggressively bites, attacks, or endangers the safety of humans."
  5. ""Severe injury" means any physical injury that results in broken bones or disfiguring lacerations requiring multiple sutures or cosmetic surgery."