Minnesota Dog Bite Laws (2025) | Tyroler Leonard Injury Law

Although most dogs are friendly and do not present a threat, it just takes one irresponsible owner to allow an aggressive dog to get loose and threaten you or your family member with an attack. You may need the help of our Minnesota dog bite attorneys to try to help you win a personal injury award for your pain and suffering, lost wages, and medical treatment costs. If you’re wondering whether you have a claim, it might be helpful to understand how dog bite laws in Minnesota work.

Learn more about how Minnesota statutes protect people who suffer injuries after a dog bites them.

Minnesota State Statutes Regarding Dog Bite Attacks

Among Minnesota dog bite laws, state statute 347.22 is the primary law that helps injury victims seek financial damages after an attack. The statute says that when a dog attacks and injures a person, that person can seek damages from the owner of the dog, as long as they meet a few criteria, including:

The victim was not trespassing.
The victim was not provoking the animal.
The victim had lawful permission to be in the area.
The victim was acting peaceably.

The state statute does not specify the species of dog or whether the dog was male or female. In other words, Doberman pinscher attacks are treated the same under Minnesota law as a cocker spaniel attack.

Minnesota Laws That Deal With Dangerous Dogs

A few other Minnesota statutes deal with a specific class of dog called a “dangerous dog.” These don’t refer to a certain breed of dog but involve animals that have attacked in the past. The statutes discuss the responsibilities of the owners, including:

Minnesota statute 347.50, which defines a dangerous dog as one that has attacked a human being in the past without provocation, killed a domestic animal without provocation while off the owner’s property, or been found to be potentially dangerous.
Minnesota statute 347.51, which requires any dog owner who has a dangerous dog to register the animal with the state and hold a surety bond.
Minnesota statute 347.52, which requires owners to keep the dangerous dog in a proper enclosure or to use a muzzle with the dog when it’s outside the enclosure.
Minnesota statute 347.53, which allows local jurisdictions to place additional restrictions on the ability of someone to own a dangerous dog.
Minnesota statute 347.54, which specifies the rules under which an animal control officer can seize a dangerous dog.

Not every dog bite attack involves a dog that the state had classified as dangerous before the attack. However, if you suffer injuries in an attack from a dog that was considered dangerous before the attack happened, this information should strengthen your ability to seek a financial award.

What Do the Dog Bite Laws in Minnesota Mean After a Dog Attacks You?

If you suffer injuries in an attack from a dog, you might struggle to understand your rights to seek financial damages based on the dog bite laws in Minnesota. This is understandable, especially if you’ve never previously suffered injuries in an attack from a canine.

When you rely on Minnesota dog bite attorneys to represent you, they can explain your rights and how your case fits under the state’s laws. These professionals deal with Minnesota personal injury laws on a daily basis, giving them the ability to advise you on how to proceed and whether you might be eligible to win at least the average dog bite settlement compensation in Minnesota.

You Must Show That You Did Not Provoke the Dog

An insurance company representing the dog’s owner might try to argue that you provoked the attack through your actions. If the evidence shows that you hit, teased, or challenged the dog, such actions are often considered provoking the animal to attack. You must be able to show that the attack occurred unprovoked.

You Must Have Had a Right to Be in the Location of the Attack

If you are trespassing on the dog owner’s property without permission, the owner probably would not be held liable for the attack and your injuries. However, if you were in a public park, on a sidewalk, on your property, or in a similar location, you have a right to be in these locations. The dog’s owner would have a responsibility to keep the animal from attacking you in these locations.

You Must Not Have Assumed the Risk of Being Near the Dog

If you were working as a dog groomer, caretaker, or walker, and the dog’s owner was paying you for this work, you probably would lose your ability to seek damages if the dog you were working with attacked you and caused injuries. Minnesota dog bite laws say that you’ve assumed the risk of a dog bite by agreeing to do these kinds of jobs for payment.

You Don’t Have to Show That the Owner Knew the Dog Could Bite

Under Minnesota law, the dog doesn’t need a history of having bitten or attacked someone in the past to allow you to seek a financial settlement. In other words, the dog’s owner cannot escape responsibility for the bite by saying that the dog’s attack was unexpected because the animal has no history of attacking people. The law requires owners to always assume that their dogs could attack someone, and they should take appropriate actions to secure the animal and prevent it from roaming off the owner’s property.

You Might Have to Show That the Owner Didn’t Secure the Dog Properly

If the owner tries to claim that you or someone else let the dog out of its secure enclosure before the attack, you might need to produce evidence counteracting these claims. When you hire Minnesota dog bite attorneys, these professionals will investigate the attack and attempt to collect evidence that shows the dog owner did not secure the dog properly.

You Don’t Have to Suffer Bite Marks or Broken Skin to File an Injury Lawsuit

Although most people assume they must suffer bleeding from a dog bite to be able to seek a financial award in this type of personal injury lawsuit, dog bite laws in Minnesota also allow for seeking damages for canine attacks that don’t involve actual bites.

If the animal lunges or jumps on you or near you and causes you to fall, you could suffer severe injuries like broken bones or a concussion. Even if the animal never touches you, you might still have the ability to bring an injury lawsuit, depending on the circumstances of the attack.

Steps You Should Take After a Dog Attack

After you suffer injuries from an attack involving someone else’s dog, you should follow a few steps to protect your health and maintain your ability to seek a financial award.

Seek Medical Care

You should see a doctor immediately after the attack. This step is essential for beginning the treatments needed to protect your health. However, you also need to have documentation about your injuries from a medical professional to be eligible to seek a financial award. With this documentation, you could win financial awards for your medical treatment costs, lost wages, emotional trauma, pain, and suffering. Follow the doctor’s recommendations for rest, physical therapy, and treatment.

File an Official Police Report

You should contact your local law enforcement agency about the attack. Having an official police report about the incident will provide some essential evidence that you can use in your injury lawsuit.

Contact Minnesota Dog Bite Lawyers

Because dog bite lawsuit settlements can involve complex situations, most people will want to contact Minnesota dog bite lawyers right away for help in dealing with the insurance company. Insurers might give you the runaround about the severity of your injuries or about how the attack occurred to try to frustrate you and convince you to settle for a lower amount than you potentially deserve.

Lawyers with experience in injury claims like this can advise you on the best route to take. Even if the insurance company tells you that you do not have a legitimate case, your injury lawyers might have a different opinion. Insurance companies increase their profits by avoiding paying financial settlements to victims, so they have a reason to try to convince you to give up on filing a lawsuit. Your injury attorneys are only representing you, and they do not care about the insurance company’s profits. You can trust them to have your best interests in mind.

Let Our Minnesota Dog Bite Attorneys Protect Your Rights Under Dog Bite Laws in Minnesota

At Tyroler Leonard Injury Law, we have the experience necessary to help victims of canine attacks receive the protection they need under dog bite laws in Minnesota. We hold negligent owners responsible when their actions cause the dog to attack innocent victims like you. Even if a dog doesn’t actually bite you, you may have grounds to file an injury lawsuit. Regardless of the nature of the attack, our Minnesota dog bite attorneys are ready to represent you.

Remember that you have a limited amount of time to file a dog bite lawsuit. For a free case review where we can discuss the different dog bite laws in Minnesota and how they affect your ability to file a claim, call us today at (651) 259-1113.

Attorney Isaac Tyroler

Attorney Isaac Tyroler has been a strong advocate for injured people his entire legal career. He has a passion for righting wrongs, and he deeply cares about representing injured clients who may feel overwhelmed or uncertain about how to navigate the legal system. He is compassionate toward clients and aggressive with insurance companies and defendants. He is on the elected Board of Governors of the Minnesota Association of Justice (MAJ), the top personal injury lawyers’ group in Minnesota. And is currently the chair of MAJ’s legislative committee. [ Attorney Bio ]