When a dog bites you or your child, your family’s routine can be turned upside down. There are emergency room visits, stitches, and your child may now be too scared to go outside at all. At the same time, work, school, and other everyday responsibilities continue, compounding that stress.
Parents are often left to navigate what their child’s recovery will look like, all while potentially facing pressure from the dog owner to not bring the insurance company or lawyers into the mix.
The Green Bay dog bite lawyers at Nicolet Law help families by handling the claims process, so Wisconsin families can focus on what matters: getting better. We know how to identify applicable insurance policies and evaluate a claim's cost, so settlement offers reflect the full extent of an injury. We also understand the social strain dog bite cases can cause, and we pursue justice while staying mindful of the relationships involved.
On this page, we cover insurance, what happens to dogs during these claims, and how claims involving injured children differ. We represent families across Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan.
Call 1-855-NICOLET or contact us online for a free consultation. You do not pay attorney's fees unless we recover money for you.
Injured? Get Nicolet.
Green Bay Dog Bite Statistics
The newest national figures come from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The detailed federal data on children's bite injuries is older, but it still helps show how often dog bites affect children.
- More than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year in the United States, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Bites are common, and so are the injury claims that follow.
- Children account for at least half of those injuries, according to the same AVMA data. A child's bite often involves the face and future scar care, which makes careful documentation especially important.
- Dog bites accounted for 316,200 emergency department visits and 9,500 hospital stays, and 38.0% of those ED visits were patients under 18, per the federal HCUP statistical brief on dog bite hospitalizations.
- Children ages 5 to 9 had the highest emergency visit rate at 199.3 per 100,000, followed by children under 5 at 175.0, from the same federal brief. Those are the ages when a child is tall enough to reach a dog's face and too young to read its warning signs.
- Among children under 4, 64.9% of bite injuries struck the head or neck, according to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report analysis of emergency department data. That is 2001 data, and it explains why pediatric bite claims so often involve facial scarring.
- The CDC states plainly that children are more likely than adults to be bitten and that their injuries tend to be more severe, on its current page about dogs and human health.
The age group most often bitten is also the one most often bitten on the face, which is why pediatric claims are rarely finalized when the wound closes. Scar revision surgery is often staged over years as a child grows, and recovery that treats a healed wound as the end of the story leaves future care unfunded.
If a dog injured you or your child in Green Bay, Green Bay dog bite lawyers at Nicolet Law can investigate the dog's history, deal with the insurer, and pursue a claim that reflects the full impact of the injuries.
Will the Dog Be Put Down If We File a Claim?
A civil claim does not decide the dog's fate, and it typically has no effect on the dog. An injury claim is a demand against a homeowner's or renter's liability policy. It seeks compensation and includes no requests regarding the dog.
What can affect an animal is a separate municipal process. Green Bay's ordinance prohibits owning, keeping, or harboring a dangerous dog within the city and provides forfeitures of $500 to $1,000, per the city's animal control page. Wisconsin also requires a ten-day quarantine after a bite under Wis. Stat. § 95.21, supervised by a veterinarian. Those run through animal control and the health department on their own track, and vaccinated dogs may be permitted to quarantine in their owner’s living space.
This quarantine is done out of an abundance of caution, not to punish anyone. After quarantine, the dog’s owner may receive instructions on additional restrictions to keep the dog under control.
Families sometimes delay for months over this concern and lose evidence in the meantime. It is worth asking the question out loud early.
Who Counts as the Dog's Owner in Wisconsin?
More people than the license tag shows. Under Wis. Stat. § 174.001(5), an owner "includes any person who owns, harbors or keeps a dog." Three words, three different people, and potentially three different insurance policies.
That definition matters. Wisconsin's dog bite statute imposes strict liability, meaning an owner answers for the full amount of damages without the victim having to prove carelessness. Widening the definition of “owner” therefore expands who can be held responsible and, more importantly, whose insurance applies.
| Who | Whether Wisconsin's dog bite statute reaches them |
|---|---|
| The registered owner | Yes, directly |
| Someone keeping the dog, such as a sitter or a roommate | Yes, if they exercise custody, care, or control |
| Someone harboring the dog, such as a household sheltering it | Yes, sheltering can be enough |
| A landlord who is not the owner or keeper | No, under Wisconsin Supreme Court precedent |
That last row is established law and worth knowing before anyone spends time on it. In Smaxwell v. Bayard, decided in 2004, the Wisconsin Supreme Court held that a landlord or landowner who is not the dog's owner or keeper is not strictly liable under the statute, and that common-law negligence liability is limited the same way. A landlord who merely rents to a tenant with a dog is generally out of the case.
The practical work is identifying who actually had the dog. In a household with several adults, a dog kept at a grandparent's home, or a dog left with a friend, the answer is often more than one person.
How Does a Child's Dog Bite Claim Work Differently?
Two rules change the shape of the case: the deadline can be longer, and court approval plays a larger role.
The deadline. Wisconsin gives adults three years from the date of a bite to file an injury lawsuit. For a child, the deadline can be longer: Wis. Stat. § 893.16 pauses the clock for a person under 18 and gives them two years after the disability ends. For a dog bite, that generally means that minors have until their 20th birthday. One important exception: that tolling does not extend the notice deadlines for claims against a governmental unit, so a bite involving a city, county, or law enforcement animal runs on a much shorter schedule.
Court approval. A minor's injury claim cannot simply be resolved by a parent signing a form. Under Wis. Stat. § 807.10, any agreement to resolve it requires court approval, made either by a guardian represented by an attorney or by a guardian ad litem, and an approved agreement carries the force of a judgment.
That review exists to protect the child, and it changes how the case has to be built. Because the agreement is final once a judge signs it, the future medical picture has to be established beforehand rather than discovered later.
How Nicolet Law Supports Green Bay Families
A child's dog bite claim in particular takes patience. The medical picture has to be clear before anyone talks numbers, and a judge has to approve the result. Our award-winning attorneys can handle the insurer and the court paperwork, and the medical professionals we have on staff help read and analyze the medical details that come along with the case.
Families who work with our Riverside Drive office get:
- Calls answered 24/7, including evenings after a bite at a neighbor's home.
- 19+ years of experience representing injury cases and more than $500,000,000 recovered for our clients.
- More than 2,500 five-star reviews.
- A free consultation and no attorney's fees unless we recover money for you.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome, and every claim turns on its own facts. If a dog injured your child in Green Bay, call 1-855-NICOLET for a free consultation.
Injured? Get Nicolet.
FAQs About Green Bay Dog Bite Claims
How do we pay medical bills before the case resolves?
Usually, you pay health insurance first, though the specific policy may vary, and often providers will wait. Those payers will later seek reimbursement from a recovery, and the amount is often negotiable. Managing that during the case rather than at the end protects what a family actually keeps.
The owner left before we got their information. What now?
The claim is not necessarily over. Animal control reports, neighbors, delivery drivers, veterinary records from the required quarantine, and doorbell footage have all identified owners after the fact. Speed helps considerably here.
How long does it take to receive a check after a claim is resolved?
Usually, it takes a few weeks after the release is signed and the insurer processes it, though a child's claim takes longer because a court must approve it first. We resolve any liens or reimbursement claims before distributing funds. We can give you a realistic timeline once we see what is in play.
What if my child was doing something that upset the dog?
Provocation can be a defense a dog owner raises, but a child's age is often considered in terms of what could reasonably be expected.
Legal Resources About Wisconsin Dog Bite Claims
Below are attorney-curated resources that answer common questions people have about dog bite claims involving children in Wisconsin. These resources are helpful, but they are not a substitute for personalized legal advice for your situation.
- Wisconsin Dog Bite Laws: A 2025 Guide to Injury Claims
- Defenses and Comparative Negligence in Wisconsin Dog Bite Cases: Can Your Claim Be Reduced or Denied?
- Double Damages and Repeat Offenders: How Prior Incidents Affect Dog Bite Compensation in Wisconsin
- Dog Bite Laws in Wisconsin vs Minnesota: Key Differences
Every bite claim involving a child depends on the child's medical situation. Call Nicolet Law at 1-855-NICOLET or contact us online for a free consultation.