Fortunately, this is not true in California. California abides by the strict liability rule. It states that a dog owner is entirely responsible for the animal’s behavior, regardless of whether or not they were aware of aggressive tendencies. The only exception to this rule is when the victim of the dog bite is trespassing on private property. If the victim was lawfully on private property, then the liability rule applies. For example, if the victim was attending a dinner party to which they were invited and the host’s dog bites them, the dog owner is liable for the injury. If someone was breaking into a home to steal from the property and a dog on premises bit them, the dog owner is not liable for the injury.