The Game Before the Game

Super Bowl 58 takes place tonight. But it’s the “game before the game” that has my kids more excited. No, I'm not talking about whether Taylor Swift will be able to make it to Las Vegas before the start of football's biggest game after performing to a sell-out crowd Saturday night in Japan. (Apparently, she can, as reports indicate that she’s already landed at LAX Airport in California.) 

Instead, what I’m talking about is Puppy Bowl 2024, pitting Team Ruff against Team Fluff for bragging (make that barking) rights to the Lombarky Trophy.

If you’re not familiar with Puppy Bowl, it’s an annual television event on Discovery’s Animal Planet that features puppies playing in a model stadium, resembling a miniature American football game. The puppies, sourced from shelters, playfully engage in a mock football game, complete with a commentary on their antics. The show is designed to promote awareness about pet adoption from shelters and rescuing abandoned animals, while providing entertaining, family-friendly content prior to the Super Bowl.

So, in honor of Puppy Bowl, let's talk about how you might see dogs on the bar exam:

Contract and Sales

In cases involving rewards for actions (like finding a lost dog), the person performing the action (such as returning the dog) must be aware of the reward offer for a contract to be formed.

Criminal Law

Battery can include indirectly applied force, such as commanding a dog to attack someone.

Criminal Procedure

During legal traffic stops, police can use dog sniffs without extending the stop time. However, for dog sniffs at a home's entry, a warrant or warrant exception is required due to Fourth Amendment protections.

Evidence

A drug-sniffing dog's behavior in identifying a suspect is not considered hearsay because a statement, for hearsay purposes, must be made by a human.

Torts

Reasonable force is permissible in defending property, but not to the extent of causing serious harm or death (like the use of a vicious dog).

Owners of domestic animals aren't strictly liable for injuries caused unless they know of the animal’s dangerous nature. However, some states have specific laws for dog bites, imposing strict liability in personal injury cases, regardless of prior knowledge of dangerous characteristics.