New York City Dog Bite Lawyer

Bitten by a dog in NYC? Our experienced dog bite attorneys in New York City can help you recover compensation for your injuries.

A dog attack in New York City leaves more than puncture wounds. It leaves medical bills, missed paychecks, scars that take months to fade, and a flinch every time a leash goes slack on the sidewalk.

Meanwhile, the dog owner’s insurance company is already working to minimize what it pays you, and its adjusters will call fast with leading questions before you understand what your case is worth.

At Grigor Law Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, we know New York law is on your side, and a 2025 ruling from the state’s highest court made it stronger by allowing negligence claims against owners who fail to control their dog, even if the animal has never bitten anyone.

Our New York City dog bite lawyers build cases for the courtroom from day one, and you pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.

Do You Have a Dog Bite Claim in New York?

You may have a stronger case than you think. New York law does not require proof that a dog has bitten someone before to hold the owner fully responsible.

We pursue your claim under three legal theories, and in most cases we apply more than one:

• Strict Liability: A dog owner is automatically responsible for your medical bills if their dog is legally classified as “dangerous” under Agriculture and Markets Law, with no prior incidents required.

• Vicious Propensity: If the owner knew or should have known the dog was aggressive before the attack, you can recover full damages, including pain and suffering, lost wages, and emotional distress.

• Negligence: A 2025 New York Court of Appeals ruling, Flanders v. Goodfellow, allows owners to be held liable under ordinary negligence for failing to properly restrain or control their dog, even with no bite history.

The distinction matters: strict liability covers your medical bills automatically when the dog is classified as dangerous, but proving the owner’s negligence or prior knowledge unlocks full compensation for everything you’ve lost.

One pattern our New York City dog bite attorneys consistently see in these claims since the 2025 change in the law is that leash and control evidence now carries real weight.

NYC Parks allows dogs off-leash only in designated areas and only during early morning and late evening hours, so attacks outside those times or areas in places like Central Park or Prospect Park often point to an owner who ignored basic rules.

We gather the applicable Parks rules, witness accounts, and nearby video to show the owner failed to control the dog, even when there was no prior bite.

Who Can Be Held Liable for a Dog Bite in NYC?

Liability does not stop with the dog’s owner. In New York, multiple parties can be responsible depending on where the attack happened and who was in control of the animal.

Potentially liable parties include:

• The dog’s owner or handler who had custody of the animal during the attack.

• Landlords and property managers who knew a dangerous dog was on the premises and failed to act.

• Dog walkers, kennels, and pet sitters who were responsible for the dog when the bite occurred.

• NYCHA and city agencies if the attack took place on public housing property, since these claims require a Notice of Claim filed within just 90 days.

What surprises most victims: the claim is almost always paid by the owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy. You are not taking from your neighbor’s savings account. You are demanding that a large insurance company pay what it owes.

What to Do After a Dog Attack in New York City

The decisions you make in the first hours after a dog attack directly shape the strength of your case. Take these steps immediately to protect your health and your legal rights.

Get Medical Care Immediately

Go to the emergency room even if the wound looks minor. Dog bites carry a high risk of infection, nerve damage, and complications that may not appear right away. Keep every medical record, bill, and prescription you receive.

Report the Bite to 311 Within 24 Hours

NYC Health Code requires all animal bites to be reported to the Department of Health within 24 hours. Call 311 or file a report online. This creates an official government record and triggers an investigation into the dog’s rabies vaccination history.

Document the Scene and Preserve Evidence

Photograph your injuries before they are cleaned or bandaged, and collect the owner’s name and contact information on the spot. Surveillance footage from nearby businesses is often overwritten within days, so our New York City dog bite lawyers move immediately to preserve it.

Let Us Handle the Insurance Company

The owner’s insurer will call you, and they are trained to get you to say something that limits your recovery. Don’t give a recorded statement, don’t accept any early offer, and direct every call to us.

What Compensation Can You Recover?

Dog bite claims in New York cover two categories of losses. Special damages are your measurable financial costs, while general damages cover the pain and trauma that no receipt can fully capture.

Damage Type	What It Covers
Medical Expenses	ER care, surgery, physical therapy, medication, and future treatment
Lost Wages	Income missed during recovery and reduced future earning capacity
Pain and Suffering	Physical pain, PTSD, anxiety, and lasting fear of dogs
Disfigurement	Permanent scarring, particularly on the face, neck, and hands

Even if you were partly responsible for the incident, you are not shut out. New York’s pure comparative fault rule reduces your award by your share of blame, but it does not eliminate your right to compensation.

Injuries We See in NYC Dog Bite Cases

Dog attacks cause serious, sometimes permanent harm. We regularly handle cases involving:

• Deep puncture wounds and lacerations requiring stitches, surgery, or skin grafts.

• Bacterial infections including staph, strep, and cellulitis, which can become life-threatening without treatment.

• Nerve and muscle damage that causes permanent loss of sensation or limited range of motion.

• Facial trauma and disfiguring scars, which are especially costly for children and working adults.

• Broken bones from being knocked to the ground during the attack.

• Post-traumatic stress disorder and cynophobia (intense fear of dogs) that can persist long after wounds heal.

What we see across the dog bite cases we handle in New York City is that delivery workers, dog walkers, and building staff make up a large share of seriously injured victims, because their jobs put them at doors, lobbies, and leashes every day.

Many of these clients also have a workers’ compensation claim, and the two cases need to be coordinated so the comp lien does not eat into the bite recovery. We handle both from the start so nothing is left on the table.

How Long Do You Have to File a Dog Bite Lawsuit in New York?

Missing New York’s filing deadlines means permanently losing your right to compensation, no matter how strong your case is.

• 3 Years from the date of the attack to file a personal injury lawsuit (CPLR §214).

• 2 Years from the date of death to bring a wrongful death claim (EPTL §5-4.1).

• 90 Days to file a Notice of Claim against any city agency, NYCHA, or government entity (GML §50-e).

Witnesses move on, footage gets deleted, and evidence disappears. The sooner our personal injury attorneys in NYC start, the stronger your case.

How We Build Your NYC Dog Bite Case

We treat every case as if a jury will decide it, because that threat alone creates real leverage. Insurance companies know we are not afraid to go to trial, and that changes every negotiation.

Investigation and Expert Support

We immediately subpoena records from NYC Animal Care Centers and the NYPD, obtain complaint logs from building management, and secure surveillance footage before it is overwritten.

Our team brings in medical experts to document the full scope of your injuries and animal behaviorists to establish what the owner knew about the dog’s aggression and chose to ignore.

Demand, Negotiation, and Trial

We benchmark your damages against comparable New York verdicts and settlements before we send a single demand letter. If the insurer’s offer falls short of what your case is actually worth, we file suit without hesitation. We are trial attorneys, not a settlement mill.

Areas We Serve

From our offices in the Bronx, Ridgewood, and Hempstead, we represent dog bite victims across all five boroughs, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx, as well as Long Island and Westchester County. No matter where in New York the attack happened, we are ready to fight for you.

Why Choose Grigor Law for Your Dog Bite Case?

Founded in 2015 by Chrissy Grigoropoulos, Esq., Grigor Law Injury & Car Accident Lawyers represents clients in a broad range of injury and car accident cases throughout New York. We’ve been featured in mainstream media and are deeply active in the communities where our clients live.

• No Upfront Cost: You pay zero attorney fees unless we recover money for you.

• We Come to You: If your injuries prevent travel, our attorneys come to your home or hospital room.

• Trial-Ready Representation: We prepare every case for court so insurers cannot lowball us at the table.

• Community-Rooted Advocacy: We are part of the Bronx and Ridgewood neighborhoods we serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Pays the Claim If a Friend’s Dog Bites Me?

The claim is paid by your friend’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy, not their personal savings. That is exactly the purpose liability insurance serves.

What Happens If I Can’t Identify the Dog’s Owner After an Attack?

Report the bite to 311 and the NYPD immediately so authorities can work to locate the animal. If the attack occurred on managed property like an apartment building, the landlord may still be liable even without an identified owner.

How Do Dog Bite Cases Involving Children Work in New York?

The three-year statute of limitations does not begin until a child turns 18, giving them until age 21 to file a claim. A court must approve any settlement on behalf of a minor to ensure the terms protect the child’s long-term interests.

Can I Recover Compensation If I Partially Provoked the Dog?

Yes. New York’s comparative fault rule reduces your compensation by your percentage of responsibility, but it does not bar your claim. We work throughout your case to minimize any fault attributed to you.

Does a Dog Need to Have Bitten Someone Before I Can Sue the Owner?

No. Following a 2025 New York Court of Appeals ruling, you can bring a full negligence claim against an owner who failed to properly restrain their dog, even if it has never bitten anyone before.

Contact Our New York City Dog Bite Law Firm Today

You were hurt because someone failed to control their dog. You deserve real representation, not a rushed settlement that undervalues your pain and your future. Call Grigor Law at (718) 249-7447 or contact us online for a free, no-obligation case review. No fee unless we win, and we are available 24 hours a day.