InjuryDog bite
Dog bite claims in Arizona
Arizona holds a dog's owner strictly liable for bite injuries under A.R.S. § 11-1025: no proof of carelessness, no one free bite, as long as you were in a public place or lawfully on private property. If a dog bit you or your child, you may have a claim, and the clock matters more here than in almost any other injury case. The strict-liability claim must generally be filed within one year of the bite. A negligence claim keeps the usual two years under A.R.S. § 12-542, but it requires proving the owner was careless. Most bite claims are paid by the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance, so identifying that policy early is often more valuable than searching for other defendants.
What Blueshoe does
The groundwork, in order, before you decide anything.
- 01
Map both deadlines
One year for the statutory claim, two for negligence, calendared from the date of the bite so the easier claim is not lost while the insurer talks.
- 02
Document the injury
Photos of wounds as they heal, medical and scar-revision records, the animal control report, and the dog's identity and vaccination status, gathered while they still exist.
- 03
Answer the defenses
Provocation under A.R.S. § 11-1027 and where you were standing are the owner's insurer's main arguments. Witness accounts of the seconds before the bite are where those are won.
- 04
An attorney can take it forward
A licensed Arizona attorney can review the file, present the claim to the owner's homeowner's or renter's carrier, and file within the one-year window if needed, on terms stated in writing first.
What the law says
What the law says about dog bites in Arizona
Do I have to prove the dog was dangerous?
No. Under A.R.S. § 11-1025, a dog's owner is liable for bite injuries regardless of the animal's history or the owner's knowledge of it; Arizona rejected the old one-free-bite rule by statute. If the dog bit you while you were in a public place or lawfully on private property, the owner may be liable without any showing of carelessness.
Why does everyone say I have only one year?
Because for the statutory claim, you generally do. Arizona's strict-liability dog-bite claim is subject to a one-year limitations period, half the time most injury claims get. A negligence claim survives to year two under A.R.S. § 12-542, but it requires proving the owner was careless. Waiting past year one forfeits the easier claim.
No demand letter or insurance conversation stops that clock. Filing does. If the bite was recent, have the deadlines mapped now, while both claims are still available.
What defenses will the owner's insurer raise?
Provocation is the main one: A.R.S. § 11-1027 makes it a defense to the statutory claim if the dog was provoked, judged by whether a reasonable person would consider the conduct provocation. Where you were standing matters too, because the strict-liability statute protects people in public places or lawfully on private property, so trespassing changes the analysis.
Who besides the owner might be responsible?
Usually no one, and that is worth saying plainly. Landlords generally are not liable for a tenant's dog absent special circumstances, such as actual knowledge of a dangerous animal plus control over the premises. The practical source of recovery in most bite cases is the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance, not a search for deeper pockets.
The victim is my child. How does that change the case?
Children are the most frequent serious bite victims, often with facial scarring that evolves as they grow. Limitations deadlines on a minor's own claim are generally paused during childhood in many circumstances, and settlements for minors typically need court approval. A parent's related claims may run on a different, shorter clock, so early documentation still matters.
What it costs
No fee unless you recover.
Asking costs nothing. If you engage Blueshoe on a contingency basis, the fee is a percentage of what is recovered, stated in a written engagement agreement, and nothing is owed if there is no recovery. Case costs, such as filing fees and records, are set out in the same agreement, including whether they come out before or after the fee is calculated.
- Free to ask
- Written assessment before any fee
- Engagement terms in writing
- No billable hours
Questions people ask
Usually the claim is presented to their homeowner's or renter's insurance, and the insurer pays it; that is what the coverage is for. Most bite claims resolve without a lawsuit. If suit becomes necessary, the owner is the named defendant, but the defense and any payment still typically come from the carrier.
More under Injury
- Slip & fallFell at a store, an apartment complex, or on public property? What a property owner owes you in Arizona, the mode-of-operation rule, the evidence the defendant controls, and the two-year and 180-day deadlines.Read more
- Car accidentsHurt in an Arizona crash? The two-year deadline, the 180-day notice for public entities, pure comparative fault, 25/50/15 minimum limits, and the UM/UIM coverage that often decides what a claim recovers.Read more
- Wrongful deathArizona's wrongful death statutes (A.R.S.Read more
Legally reviewed by Catherine O’Grady, State Bar of Arizona No. 011647
Managing partner & chief compliance officer · 30+ years in practice · Reviewed 2026-10-08 · Full bio →