A dog attack happens without warning. One moment everything is normal, a neighbor’s yard, a local park, a friend’s home, and the next, someone you love is hurt, frightened, and facing medical bills no one expected. If a dog bit you or your child in Fort Lauderdale, Florida law gives you powerful rights to pursue full compensation. Our Fort Lauderdale dog bite lawyers at Your Insurance Attorney hold dog owners, and their insurance companies, fully accountable for every injury they caused.
We handle dog bite and animal attack claims across Fort Lauderdale and Broward County with zero upfront costs. No fees unless we win.
Call 888-570-5677 for a free case review — no obligation.
In Florida, dog owners are responsible for bite injuries from the very first attack, no prior history of aggression required, no need to prove the owner was careless.
Florida follows strict liability under Florida Statute § 767.04: if a dog bites you while you’re in a public place or lawfully on private property, the owner is liable, period. You don’t need to show the dog had ever been aggressive before. You don’t need to prove the owner knew their dog was dangerous. The bite is enough.
Florida Statute § 767.01 goes even further: if a dog injures you without biting, by jumping on you and knocking you down, for instance, strict liability still applies.
There is one potential defense available to dog owners: a prominently posted “Bad Dog” sign on their property. But even that defense disappears in two critical situations, when the victim is a child under the age of six, and when the owner’s own negligence contributed to the attack. The sign defense also fails if the attack occurred in a public place, regardless of any posted warning.
This is one of the strongest frameworks for victim protection in the country, and still, insurance companies work hard to minimize what they pay. That’s where we come in.
Dog attacks cause a wide range of injuries, from puncture wounds that require stitches to life-altering trauma that takes years to address. Our Fort Lauderdale dog bite attorneys handle cases involving:
Whether the attack happened at a Fort Lauderdale park, along a neighborhood sidewalk, at a rental property in Broward County, or inside someone’s home, we’re ready to take on the owner and their insurer.
Don’t navigate this alone. Call Your Insurance Attorney at 888-570-5677 — free case review, no commitment.
In most cases, the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance, or renter’s insurance, is what pays. Understanding this changes how you approach the claim.
The moment you report a dog bite, the property owner’s liability insurer assigns an adjuster to the case. That adjuster’s job is not to help you, it’s to protect the policy. They may argue you provoked the dog. They may challenge the extent of your injuries. They may offer a quick settlement before you understand the full scope of what you’re owed.
This is the exact fight Your Insurance Attorney was built for. We’ve recovered over $1 billion for clients across Florida going head-to-head with insurers that don’t want to pay. We handle all communication with the insurance company from day one so you’re never in a position to say something that hurts your claim.
We also research Fort Lauderdale’s local ordinances, including City Code § 6-33, which requires that dogs classified as “vicious” be muzzled and properly restrained at all times. If the owner violated that ordinance before the attack, that’s additional leverage in your case.
If your child was attacked by a dog in Fort Lauderdale, the law protects them even more strongly than it protects adults, and the emotional stakes could not be higher.
Children are the most frequent victims of serious dog attacks. According to the CDC, children between the ages of 5 and 9 have the highest rate of dog bite-related emergency room visits of any age group in the United States. Their smaller size makes injuries disproportionately severe. Their natural instinct, to approach, reach out, or play with a dog, can put them in harm’s way without any wrongdoing on their part.
When a child under six years old is bitten by a dog in Florida, the “Bad Dog” sign defense does not apply. The owner cannot point to a posted warning to escape liability. The child’s age alone seals that question.
For children six and older, comparative fault rules technically apply, a dog owner could argue the child provoked the attack. But this argument requires real, specific evidence of deliberate provocation. Florida courts have consistently held that normal childhood behavior, approaching a dog, reaching out to pet it, running nearby, does not legally constitute provocation.
The physical injuries a child sustains in a dog attack are often more severe than those of an adult victim. Bites to the face, head, and neck are far more common in children because of their height. But the injury doesn’t stop at the physical:
In Florida, a parent or legal guardian must file the claim on a child’s behalf. The compensation pursued must account not only for current medical bills and emergency care, but for the full road of recovery ahead, surgeries, scar revision, psychological treatment, and the lasting impact on a child’s development and quality of life.
If your child was attacked, call us immediately. These cases deserve the highest level of attention and care.
Call 888-570-5677. Free review. We never charge unless we win.
You can pursue full compensation for every way this attack has impacted your life, or your child’s.
A successful dog bite claim in Florida typically includes recovery for:
Florida applies a modified comparative fault rule. If the insurer argues provocation, your recovery may be reduced, but only if they can actually prove specific, deliberate conduct, and only proportionally to your share of fault.
The “Bad Dog” sign defense under F.S. § 767.04 is limited. It doesn’t apply when the victim is a child under six, when the attack occurred in a public place, or when the owner’s own negligence contributed to the attack. Even when the defense is technically available, it doesn’t automatically eliminate liability, your attorney can challenge it based on the specific circumstances of your case.
Public locations are fully covered under F.S. § 767.04. If a dog attacked you at Holiday Park, George English Park, the Fort Lauderdale Beach area, or any public space in Broward County, the owner is strictly liable. Report the incident to animal control immediately and contact an attorney.
Yes. Florida Statute § 767.01 extends strict liability to any injury caused by a dog, not just bites. If a dog jumped on you and caused a fall resulting in injury, you have a valid claim under Florida law independent of whether the dog bit you
The owner bears the burden of proving actual provocation with real evidence. Normal behavior, walking past a yard, extending your hand to pet a dog, jogging in the area, does not legally constitute provocation. If the owner or their insurer raises this defense, your attorney will challenge it directly and aggressively.
No matter how sincere and polite insurance company representatives seem, they are not wholly on your side. Only the advocates at Your Insurance Attorney are completely devoted to your best interests.
To demonstrate this commitment, Your Insurance Attorney doesn’t receive any compensation unless you do. Whether your hurricane or storm claim hasn’t been filed yet or you’re in the middle of the claims process, contact Your Insurance Attorney to fight on your behalf.
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We truly care about getting the best results for you. Our goal is to help you through powerful representation from start to finish. We work with clients all over the states of Florida, Georgia, Colorado, North Carolina, and Texas.
