Were you or a family member injured by a dog bite or attack in New York? New York's dog bite laws changed dramatically in 2025, making it easier for victims to recover compensation. We can hold the dog's owner accountable for the injuries you suffered and help you navigate both the traditional "vicious propensities" framework and the new negligence standard. Contact us for a free consultation.
Settlement
Jury Verdict
Settlement
Settlement
Dog bites should be handled as both a medical emergency and a legal event. Taking the right steps immediately after an attack protects your health and strengthens your claim for compensation.
Seek medical care immediately, even if the wound seems minor. Dog bites can introduce dangerous bacteria deep into tissue, leading to serious infections like cellulitis, abscesses, bone infections, and in severe cases, sepsis or organ failure. Deep punctures, bites to the face or hands, uncontrolled bleeding, or injuries to children, older adults, or immunocompromised individuals require urgent evaluation.
Before medical providers clean and dress your wounds, take clear photographs from multiple angles. These images provide crucial evidence of injury severity and may be the only record of the initial trauma. Continue photographing your injuries daily to document healing, infection, or scarring.
Wash the wound immediately with soap and running water for several minutes if possible, then cover with a clean dressing. Ask the dog owner for proof of the dog's rabies vaccination. If the dog's vaccination status is unknown or the owner cannot be located, you may need rabies post-exposure prophylaxis. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, which is why the CDC recommends prompt wound care, possible human rabies immune globulin (HRIG), and a series of rabies vaccinations on days 0, 3, 7, and 14 after exposure.
Follow all medical instructions carefully. Complete any prescribed antibiotics, attend all follow-up visits, and monitor for signs of infection such as increased redness, swelling, warmth, pus, fever, or red streaks extending from the wound. Keep all medical records, prescription receipts, and bills related to your treatment.
File an official report with your local animal control office or police department immediately. In New York City, you can report through 311, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Animal Bite Unit, or local police. This creates official documentation and triggers investigation proceedings under New York Agriculture & Markets Law § 123, which governs dangerous dog designations.
Obtain the incident report number for future reference in legal proceedings and insurance claims. This number allows you to track the investigation and obtain copies of the final report showing whether the dog has prior complaints or a dangerous designation.
Gather the owner's full name, address, phone number, email, and homeowner's or renter's insurance information. Request the dog's license number and current rabies vaccination documentation. If the owner refuses to provide information, note the dog's physical description, any visible collar or tags, and the exact location where the attack occurred.
Contact local animal control separately to determine if this dog has previous complaints, bite reports, or prior dangerous behavior on record. This history proves crucial for establishing strict liability under New York's one-bite rule.
Comprehensive evidence collection in the days following an attack can make the difference between a successful claim and a denied one. Insurance companies move quickly to minimize payouts, and critical evidence can disappear if you don't act promptly.
Document everything related to the incident. Take photographs of the attack location, including any broken fences, open gates, lack of leash, warning signs, blood on the ground, and the surrounding area. If possible, photograph or video the dog itself from a safe distance.
Collect contact information for all witnesses who saw the attack or know about the dog's history of aggressive behavior. Written or recorded statements from witnesses can corroborate your account and establish the dog's dangerous propensities.
Keep all damaged clothing, torn personal items, and any other physical evidence in a safe place. These items demonstrate the attack's severity and support your version of events.
Start a daily journal documenting your pain levels, symptoms, sleep problems, nightmares, anxiety, limited movement, and missed work or activities. This record supports claims for pain and suffering, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and loss of enjoyment of life.
Avoid posting about the incident on social media. Insurance companies and defense attorneys routinely monitor social media accounts and will use your posts to minimize or deny your claim. Do not give recorded statements to an insurance adjuster until after consulting with an attorney.
Research the property where the attack occurred. If it happened in an apartment building, office building, or commercial property, there may be additional liable parties beyond the dog's owner, such as landlords, property managers, or businesses that knew about the dog's dangerous tendencies.
Bitten by a Dog in New York?
Reach out to our experienced team for a free consultation and explore your options for compensation.
Thousands of people are injured by vicious dogs each year. These attacks, especially on children, can result in physically and emotionally devastating injuries. The Porter Law Group holds dog owners accountable and secures compensation for your pain and suffering, disfigurement, emotional distress, and other economic losses.
You may be eligible for:
According to the CDC, approximately 4.5 million Americans suffer dog bites each year. Of these, 885,000 victims (almost one out of every five) sustain injuries serious enough to require medical attention, and nearly 368,000 require treatment in hospital emergency rooms. New York City alone reports approximately 3,300 dog bite incidents annually, with data showing a 14% increase in reported incidents from 2018 to 2023.
Dog bite claims account for more than one-third of all homeowner liability insurance claims, totaling over $570 million nationally. New York leads the nation with the highest average dog bite claim cost at $110,488 in 2024, and claimants victimized by dog bites in New York have been paid upwards of $39 million in a single year.
When an aggressive dog attacks a person, the dog's owner can be held legally responsible for resulting injuries. In most cases, the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance policy provides coverage for injuries suffered by the victim, including pain and suffering and medical expenses.
Negotiating the complex issues associated with these claims can be daunting without experienced lawyers like the ones at the Porter Law Group. We have represented many people and their families in dog attack cases in New York and secured substantial financial awards for those injured in this manner.
It is extremely important to contact us as soon as possible if you or a loved one has been injured by a dog attack in New York. Prompt investigation is essential because the success of these claims often depends on proving the dog had prior vicious propensities or that the owner failed to exercise reasonable care.
Traumatized by a New York Dog Bite Incident?
Reach out to our experienced team for a free consultation and explore your options for compensation.
New York's dog bite law changed dramatically in 2025 with the landmark Court of Appeals decision in Flanders v. Goodfellow. This ruling fundamentally expanded victim rights by introducing negligence claims alongside traditional strict liability theories, creating one of the nation's most victim-friendly legal environments for dog bite cases.
New York now offers victims two parallel paths to recovery:
Strict Liability Based on Dangerous Propensities: Under the traditional "one-bite rule," owners face strict liability when they knew or should have known their dog had vicious propensities. Evidence of dangerous tendencies can include prior biting, growling, snapping, aggressive posturing, complaints from neighbors, or prior incidents during training. You don't need to prove a previous bite occurred, just that the dog demonstrated aggressive behavior and the owner knew about it.
When a dog has been formally adjudicated as "dangerous" under Agriculture & Markets Law § 123, owners face automatic strict liability for all medical costs resulting from injuries, regardless of precautions taken.
Negligence Based on Failure to Exercise Reasonable Care: The 2025 Flanders decision introduced negligence as an independent cause of action in New York dog bite cases. Victims can now pursue compensation based on the owner's failure to exercise reasonable care in controlling the dog, regardless of whether the dog had any prior history of dangerous behavior.
Under the negligence standard, you must prove the dog owner owed you a duty of care, breached that duty by failing to exercise reasonable care, the breach directly caused your injuries, and you suffered actual damages.
This pathway proves particularly valuable when a dog has no documented history of aggression but the owner failed to maintain proper control through inadequate leashing, fencing, restraint, or supervision. Negligence claims also apply when owners violate local leash laws or fail to post adequate warnings on their property.
The ability to pursue both strict liability and negligence claims simultaneously gives New York victims strategic flexibility unavailable in most other states, significantly increasing the likelihood of successful recovery.
Dog bites range from superficial lacerations to devastating trauma that permanently changes a victim's appearance, function, and emotional health. Hands, arms, face, and neck are particularly vulnerable, especially for children.
Common injuries include:
Common dog breeds involved in serious attacks:
It is important to recognize that injuries caused by dogs are not limited to bites. Victims of any dog-related injury should understand their rights and responsibilities.
Dog bite wounds can quickly become infected, especially deep punctures, bites to the hand, and wounds in people with weakened immune systems. Common infectious complications include cellulitis (skin and soft tissue infection), abscesses (pockets of pus), bone and joint infections (osteomyelitis and septic arthritis), and bloodstream infections that may progress to sepsis.
Certain organisms found in dog saliva, such as Capnocytophaga, can cause rapidly progressive, life-threatening disease in some high-risk patients, occasionally leading to organ failure, amputations, or death if not treated promptly. Symptoms of serious infection include increased pain, redness, swelling, warmth around the wound, pus or drainage, fever, chills, red streaks extending from the bite, and swollen lymph nodes.
Medical providers evaluate the need for tetanus boosters and rabies post-exposure prophylaxis depending on the dog's vaccination status, behavior, and whether the animal can be observed or tested. Rabies is rare in vaccinated domestic dogs but is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, which is why timely assessment and treatment matter so much.
The CDC recommends prompt wound care, possible human rabies immune globulin (HRIG), and a series of rabies vaccinations on days 0, 3, 7, and 14 after exposure for suspected rabies exposure.
Dog bites often cause irregular, jagged wounds that heal with prominent scars, especially when the face, neck, or hands are involved. Scars can be tender, itchy, or form contractures that limit movement when they cross joints or involve deeper structures.
Victims frequently need staged treatments such as scar revision surgery, skin grafts, flap reconstruction, or laser therapy to improve appearance and function. These procedures may continue for years after the original attack, with multiple surgeries required to achieve the best possible outcome.
Visible scarring can also worsen psychological distress, contributing to anxiety, low self-esteem, and social withdrawal, particularly in children and young adults. The emotional impact of permanent disfigurement can be as devastating as the physical injury itself.
The powerful crushing and tearing mechanics of a serious dog bite can sever or severely damage nerves in the face, hands, or extremities. Nerve injury may cause chronic pain, burning sensations, numbness, tingling, weakness, or partial paralysis in the affected area.
In some cases, victims lose fine motor skills or grip strength, struggle to perform daily activities such as buttoning clothing or holding utensils, and may not fully regain function even with surgery and intensive therapy. Hand injuries are particularly problematic because the complex network of nerves, tendons, and blood vessels in the hand makes full recovery difficult.
Long-term nerve damage can require ongoing pain management, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. These injuries may significantly affect a person's ability to work, especially in jobs requiring manual dexterity, and can lead to permanent disability and loss of earning capacity.
A sudden animal attack can be psychologically traumatizing, and many victims, especially children, develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other anxiety disorders. Symptoms can include nightmares, flashbacks, intense fear of dogs, sleep problems, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and avoidance of places or situations that remind them of the attack.
Studies of child dog bite victims show PTSD is one of the most frequently reported psychological consequences, sometimes leading to long-term social, learning, and developmental difficulties if not recognized and treated early. Even adults can experience lasting psychological effects that interfere with work, relationships, and quality of life.
Counseling, trauma-focused therapy, and when appropriate, psychiatric care can be crucial parts of a full recovery and should be factored into any settlement or verdict. Many victims remain terribly afraid and fearful of dogs for the rest of their lives, which can significantly impact their daily activities and overall well-being.
A strong dog bite case is built on early, thorough documentation. Use this checklist immediately after an attack when possible:
Medical Documentation
Scene and Dog Information
Official Reports and Records
Witness and Impact Evidence
Physical Evidence
Learn more about Dog Bite Cases in New York:
In New York, more than one person or entity may share legal responsibility for a serious dog bite, depending on who had knowledge of the risk and control over the dog or property. Identifying all potentially liable parties can substantially increase the available insurance coverage and potential recovery.
Landlords and Property Owners: A landlord or property owner can sometimes be held liable when they knew, or should have known, that a tenant's dog was dangerous and had the ability to remove or confine the animal but failed to do so. If the landlord received complaints about the dog, witnessed aggressive behavior, or had a lease provision allowing them to ban dangerous animals, they may share responsibility for subsequent attacks.
Property Managers, HOAs, or Security Companies: If they controlled common areas and ignored reports that a dog in hallways, lobbies, parks, or other shared spaces was threatening or had previously attacked someone, they may share responsibility. This is particularly relevant in apartment buildings, condominiums, and gated communities where management has a duty to maintain safe common areas.
Employers or Businesses: When a dog is present as part of a business (for example, a store "guard dog" or a dog brought by an employee in the course of employment), the business or employer may be responsible under premises or vicarious liability principles if their negligence contributed to the attack.
The Porter Law Group conducts comprehensive investigations to identify all potentially liable parties, including canvassing neighborhoods for witnesses who may be aware of a dog's propensity for aggressive behavior and researching various levels of insurance coverage available to compensate victims.
Dog bites frequently result in serious injuries that require extensive medical care both immediately following an incident and years into the future. Scarring is a common injury suffered by many dog bite victims, often requiring extensive plastic surgery. Unfortunately, in many cases, the disfigurement suffered by the victim of a dog bite is permanent, causing the victim to suffer both physical and emotional scarring. These types of injuries necessitate specialized medical treatment that can be both time consuming and expensive.
Children are especially vulnerable to the impulses of a vicious or aggressive dog and especially susceptible to the physical and emotional trauma that often results from a dog attack. The long-lasting psychological effects of a dog bite can often be even more devastating for children than the bite itself.
Counseling is often required, and many young dog bite victims remain terribly afraid and fearful of dogs for the rest of their lives. Dog bite victims, especially children, deserve to receive compensation for both their physical and emotional injuries caused by negligent dog owners who ignore the animal's vicious propensities and allow their dogs to run free without regard to the safety of others.
Early legal consultation also protects your claim from insurance company tactics designed to minimize or deny compensation. Many insurance companies no longer provide coverage for certain dog breeds, which can complicate matters when a victim seeks restitution for medical expenses or other damages. Our team of experts understands the issues involved and will work to make victims whole again.
Critical evidence such as surveillance footage, witness memories, and animal control records can disappear if a lawyer is not involved early. Some pet owners and insurance companies attempt to blame the victim, suggesting the victim antagonized or provoked the animal and thereby contributed to or caused the attack. The laws are complex in this context, which is why victims must be aware of their rights as soon as they are injured.
Under New York's updated law following the 2025 Flanders decision, victims do not have to prove the dog had bitten someone before to bring a negligence claim. The focus is whether the owner or another responsible party failed to use reasonable care in controlling the dog under the circumstances.
Evidence that a dog had previously bitten or seriously threatened people can still be powerful proof, especially for strict liability theories under the traditional one-bite rule or when the dog has been formally designated as dangerous under Agriculture & Markets Law § 123. However, a claim is now possible even in so-called "first bite" cases where the dog has no documented history of aggression.
This change aligns New York with the majority of other states and significantly expands options for injured victims. You can pursue compensation based on the owner's failure to exercise reasonable care through inadequate leashing, fencing, restraint, or supervision, regardless of the dog's prior behavior.
Yes. A victim can pursue a claim for a bite that occurs on private property in New York, including in someone's home, in an apartment building, or in a private yard or business. The key questions are whether the dog's owner (or another responsible party) was negligent in controlling the animal and whether the victim had a legal right to be there (such as a guest, tenant, customer, or worker).
When a bite occurs in an apartment building or other multi-unit property, there may also be a claim against a landlord or property owner if they knew of the dog's dangerous tendencies and failed to take reasonable steps, such as enforcing pet rules or removing a dangerous animal, to protect others from foreseeable harm.
Even if the dog's owner is the primary defendant, additional property-related insurance coverage can be crucial in serious injury cases. The Porter Law Group investigates all potentially liable parties to maximize available insurance coverage and compensation for victims.
New York follows comparative negligence rules, meaning a victim's compensation can be reduced if they are found partly at fault, but they are not automatically barred from recovery. Dog owners and insurers sometimes argue that the victim provoked the dog, ignored warnings, or was trespassing in order to shift blame and reduce payouts.
Agriculture & Markets Law § 123 explicitly provides that dogs responding to provocation, torment, abuse, or assault will not be declared dangerous, and owners face reduced or eliminated liability when dogs react to such treatment. However, minimal or accidental contact typically won't constitute legal provocation, while deliberate aggression or abuse will.
A lawyer can gather evidence to challenge these defenses, such as witness statements, video, prior complaints, and the dog's history, and can explain how New York courts evaluate alleged provocation, fault, and the victim's legal status on the property. Even when a victim may share some percentage of responsibility, substantial compensation may still be available for medical bills, wage loss, and pain and suffering.
The Porter Law Group has extensive experience defending victims against unfair blame tactics and protecting your right to full compensation.
In most New York dog bite cases, the deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit is three years from the date of the attack, under New York Civil Practice Law and Rules (CPLR) § 214(5). This three-year statute of limitations applies to claims for pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages.
Claims involving public entities (such as municipal housing authorities or certain city agencies) can have much shorter notice requirements, often as little as 90 days to file a notice of claim, so victims should not wait to seek advice.
There are limited exceptions that can extend or modify the filing period, such as when the victim is a minor or mentally incapacitated, or when the bite results in wrongful death (generally a two-year limitation period for the estate's claim). Because the rules are strict and missing a deadline can permanently destroy a case, prompt consultation with a New York dog bite lawyer is essential.
Contact the Porter Law Group as soon as possible after a dog attack to protect your legal rights and preserve all available evidence.
Available compensation in a New York dog bite case depends on the severity of the injuries and how they affect the victim's life, but serious attacks can generate substantial economic and non-economic damages. In a negligence or strict liability case, recoverable damages may include:
Medical and Rehabilitation Costs: Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery (including reconstructive and plastic surgery), infection treatment, physical and occupational therapy, medications, and mental health care for PTSD or anxiety. This includes both past medical expenses already incurred and future medical care you will need.
Lost Income and Loss of Earning Capacity: Time missed from work, reduced hours, inability to perform prior job duties, and long-term loss of earning power when injuries cause permanent limitations. If you can no longer work in your previous occupation or at your previous capacity, you may be entitled to substantial compensation.
Pain, Suffering, and Loss of Enjoyment of Life: Physical pain, scarring, disfigurement, chronic nerve pain, sleep disturbance, emotional trauma, and reduced ability to participate in hobbies, family life, or social activities. New York recognizes that permanent disfigurement and psychological trauma deserve significant compensation.
In particularly severe cases, victims may also pursue damages for future medical care, long-term psychological treatment, assistive devices, and when appropriate, the impact of permanent disability on family relationships and daily independence.
New York leads the nation with an average dog bite claim cost of $110,488 in 2024, reflecting both the severity of injuries and the state's victim-friendly legal environment.
Suffering From A Dog Bite In New York?
Reach out to our experienced team for a free consultation and explore your options for compensation.
Dog bite law in New York is now more favorable to victims following the 2025 Flanders decision, but cases still require careful proof of negligence, damages, and identification of all responsible parties. Insurance companies often move quickly to minimize payouts, and critical evidence can disappear without prompt legal representation.
A New York dog bite lawyer can investigate the attack, obtain medical and governmental records, analyze whether landlords, property owners, or employers share liability, and make sure all filing deadlines under New York's statute of limitations are met. Many personal injury firms, including the Porter Law Group, handle these cases on a contingency fee basis, so victims usually pay no attorney's fee unless money is recovered from a settlement or verdict.
When you contact the Porter Law Group, we will explain all of the legal issues to you and your family and immediately begin the process of building your case in a way that maximizes the amount you or your family can recover. We understand both the traditional strict liability framework and the new negligence standard introduced in 2025, giving us multiple strategic paths to secure compensation for your injuries.
Post Image: Stock Image from pexels.com by Alexas Fotos
Avoid sharing confidential information via contact form, text, or voicemail as they are not secure. Please be aware that using any of these communication methods does not establish an attorney-client relationship. *By appointment only.
The information contained on this site is proprietary and protected. Any unauthorized or illegal use, copying, or dissemination will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. All content on this site is provided for informational purposes only. It is not, nor should it be taken as medical or legal advice. None of the content on this site is intended to substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Attorney Advertising.
We serve clients in every city and county in New York State. These include places like: The Adirondacks, Albany, Alexandria Bay, Amsterdam, Astoria, Auburn, Ballston Spa, Batavia, Beacon, Binghamton, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Canandaigua, Carthage, Cattaraugus, Catskill, Cayuga Lake, Cazenovia, Chelsea, Clayton, Clifton Park, Cobleskill, Colonie, Cooperstown, Corning, Cortland, Delhi, Delmar, Dunkirk, East Aurora, East Hampton, Elmira, Fayetteville, Finger Lakes, Flushing, Fredonia, Fulton, Garden City, Geneva, Glen Cove, Glens Falls, Gloversville, Gouverneur, Great Neck, Greenwich Village, Hamilton, Hammondsport, Harlem, Haverstraw, Hempstead, Herkimer, Hornell, Hudson, Huntington, Ilion, Ithaca, Jamaica, Jamestown, Johnstown, Kingston, Lake George, Lake Placid, Lewiston, Little Falls, Liverpool, Lockport, Long Island City, Lowville, Malone, Manhattan, Manlius, Massena, Medina, Middletown, Monticello, Montauk, Mount Vernon, New Paltz, New Rochelle, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, North Tonawanda, Norwich, Nyack, Ogdensburg, Old Forge, Olean, Oneida, Oneonta, Ossining, Oswego, Penn Yan, Peekskill, Plattsburgh, Port Chester, Potsdam, Poughkeepsie, Queens, Rhinebeck, Riverhead, Rochester, Rome, Rye, Sag Harbor, Saranac Lake, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Seneca Falls, Seneca Lake, Skaneateles, SoHo, Southampton, Spring Valley, Staten Island, Stony Brook, Suffern, Syracuse, Tarrytown, The Bronx, Thousand Islands, Ticonderoga, Troy, Tupper Lake, Utica, Warsaw, Waterloo, Watertown, Watkins Glen, Wellsville, White Plains, Williamsburg, Woodstock, Yonkers, and many more communities throughout New York State.
Copyright © 2025, Porter Law Group. Personal Injury Lawyers
Made with 💛 by Gold Penguin
