A dog bite can happen in a heartbeat, on a walk through your neighborhood in Little Haiti, at a friend's home, or in a park in Kendall on a Sunday afternoon. What follows is often frightening: pain, bleeding, the fear of infection, and for children especially, wounds and scars that can last a lifetime. When a dog owner's carelessness leads to an attack, Florida law gives the injured person real rights. This page explains how dog bite cases work in Florida, what to do after an attack, and how a claim can help you recover.

What dog bite cases involve

A dog bite case is a claim for the harm caused when someone else's dog attacks and injures a person. These cases cover more than the classic bite. They include dogs that jump and knock a person down, dogs that chase someone into traffic or off a bicycle, and attacks that cause deep puncture wounds, torn muscle, nerve damage, broken bones, infection, and lasting scars. They also include the very real emotional harm that follows an attack, especially for children, who make up a large share of serious dog bite victims.

Dog attacks happen all over South Florida. On sidewalks and in parks across Miami, in apartment complexes and condominium grounds, at private homes when a guest or a worker is on the property, and along the walking paths of neighborhoods from Little Havana to Doral. A delivery driver, a mail carrier, a child visiting a relative, or a neighbor out for a walk can all become victims. What ties these cases together is that a dog under someone's control caused harm that the law may hold that owner responsible for.

How Florida's dog bite law works

Florida is different from some states in an important way. Many states follow a so-called one-bite rule, where an owner is only responsible if they knew the dog was dangerous. Florida does not work that way for bites. Florida has a strict liability dog bite statute. Under it, a dog owner is generally responsible for damages when their dog bites a person in a public place, or lawfully in a private place, whether or not the dog had ever shown any sign of being vicious before.

In plain terms, that means the injured person usually does not have to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous, or that the owner was careless. The fact that the owner's dog bit someone who had a right to be where they were is often enough. This is a meaningful protection for bite victims, and it is one reason it helps to understand your rights after an attack rather than assuming nothing can be done.

Strict liability applies to a person who was lawfully in the place where the bite happened, which includes people on public property and people who were invited or otherwise had a right to be on private property. Injuries that are not bites, such as being knocked down or chased, are handled under ordinary negligence rules instead. The details of where you were and how you were hurt shape which rule applies.

What to do right after a dog bite

The steps you take after an attack protect your health first, and your claim second. If you are able, these steps help with both.

  1. Get medical care right away. Dog bites carry a real risk of infection and can cause deeper damage than they appear to. Clean wounds, seek treatment, and ask about rabies risk and follow-up care.
  2. Identify the dog and the owner. Get the owner's name, address, and insurance information, and find out whether the dog is vaccinated. If the dog was a stray, note where it went.
  3. Report the bite. Report the attack to your local animal services or the police. An official report creates a record and helps protect others.
  4. Photograph the injuries. Take clear pictures of the wounds early and as they heal, along with torn clothing and the location where it happened.
  5. Get witness information. Anyone who saw the attack, or knew the dog, may be able to help. Get names and phone numbers.
  6. Keep records. Save medical bills, discharge papers, and anything the owner or their insurer sends you.

Who can be held responsible

The dog's owner is usually the main party responsible under Florida's statute, but the facts sometimes point to others as well.

  • The owner. Responsible under the dog bite statute for a bite to a person who was lawfully present.
  • A keeper or harborer. In some situations, a person who was keeping or caring for the dog, even if not the legal owner, may bear responsibility.
  • A landlord or property owner. In certain cases, a property owner who knew of a dangerous dog on the premises and had control over its presence may have responsibility, though the rules here are narrower.
  • A parent. When the owner is a minor, a parent or guardian may be involved.

Florida also follows a comparative fault rule, so if the injured person did something that contributed to the attack, such as provoking the dog or ignoring a clear warning, their recovery can be reduced by their share of the fault. How the facts are gathered and presented matters to that question.

What a claim can cover

When a dog attack injures you, a claim can seek compensation for the different ways the attack has cost you. Every case is different, and no one can promise a result, but the categories generally include:

  • Medical bills. Emergency care, stitches, surgery, treatment for infection, and reconstructive or plastic surgery for serious wounds and scars.
  • Lost wages. Income missed during recovery, and in serious cases a reduced ability to work going forward.
  • Pain and suffering. The physical pain, the fear and emotional distress that often follow an attack, and the impact of visible scarring.
  • Scarring and disfigurement. Permanent scars, particularly on the face or hands, are a real and lasting harm that the law recognizes.
  • Out-of-pocket costs. Medication, wound care supplies, transportation, and counseling where an attack causes lasting fear.

Because children are so often the victims of serious dog attacks, and because facial scarring and emotional trauma can follow a child for years, these cases deserve careful attention to the long-term picture, not just the bills that have already arrived.

The role of insurance

Most dog bite claims are paid not by the owner personally but through their homeowner or renter insurance, which commonly includes liability coverage for injuries a household member's dog causes. That is important to understand, because it means seeking compensation is usually a claim against an insurance policy, not an attempt to take money directly from a neighbor or friend. Many people hesitate to pursue a claim for exactly that reason, without realizing that is what the coverage exists for.

As with any injury claim, the insurer works to limit what it pays. An adjuster may reach out soon after the attack, sound caring, and offer a quick, modest settlement or ask for a recorded statement. Serious bite injuries, especially those that may need future care or leave scars, are often worth far more than an early offer reflects. Whether coverage applies, and how much is available, depends on the specific policy and the facts of the attack.

The contingency fee: no fee unless you recover

After a frightening attack and a stack of medical bills, the last thing you should have to worry about is paying a lawyer up front. Junie Lamour Law handles dog bite cases on a contingency fee. You pay no attorney fee up front and no fee at all unless there is a recovery in your case. The fee is a percentage of what is recovered, agreed in writing before any work begins. If there is no recovery, you do not owe an attorney fee. This lets you and your family focus on healing while the case is handled.

Common mistakes to avoid

A few missteps can weaken a dog bite claim or hurt your recovery. Watch out for these:

  • Not seeking medical care. Beyond the health risk, gaps in treatment give an insurer a reason to question how serious the injury was.
  • Failing to report the bite. Without a report, the attack is harder to document, and the dog may go on to hurt someone else.
  • Not identifying the dog or owner. If you cannot show whose dog it was, a claim becomes much harder.
  • Accepting a quick settlement. Early offers rarely account for scarring, future care, or emotional harm.
  • Assuming nothing can be done because the dog seemed friendly. Under Florida's law, a lack of prior aggression usually does not excuse the owner.
  • Waiting too long. Florida sets a deadline to file, and evidence fades, so early advice helps.

How Junie Lamour Law helps

Junie Lamour Law helps people bitten or attacked by dogs in Miami and across South Florida. That work starts with understanding what happened and looking at how Florida's dog bite law applies to your situation. From there it means identifying the owner and any available insurance, gathering the animal services report, your medical records, and photographs of your injuries, dealing with the insurer so you do not have to, and presenting the full picture of your losses, including the future care and the scarring that an early offer tends to ignore. If a fair resolution cannot be reached, Junie is prepared to pursue the claim further.

Language is part of what makes the firm a comfortable choice for many families. Junie works with clients in English, Haitian Creole, French, and Spanish, so you can explain what happened and understand each step in the language you know best. That is especially valuable when a child was hurt and a parent is trying to make good decisions during a stressful time. Whether the attack happened on a sidewalk in Little Haiti, at a home in Kendall, or in a park anywhere in the county, the first conversation is free and comes with no obligation. You tell Junie what happened, she tells you honestly where you stand, and there is no fee unless there is a recovery in your case.

This page is general information about personal injury law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Personal injury law is fact-specific and every case is different. For guidance on your own situation, speak with an attorney.