City of Buckhannon Ex Rel. Cockerill v. Reppert

This is a case of first impression in this state. The dog is a very important subject and the legal principles concerning him deserve the fullest consideration. These are my reasons for writing somewhat at length upon a subject that to many may seem trivial.

I would not base the decision of this case upon justification of the defendant’s conduct by any order that he may have received from his immediate superior, the chief of police, because I believe that if the defendant was exceeding his lawful authority the orders of his superior did not protect him from civil responsibility for his own…