Bitten by Someone Else's Dog on Your Own Property in Pennsylvania

Attorney Answer

Get medical care first. Then report the bite, which starts the dog's quarantine and lets you learn whether it shows signs of rabies. Under Pennsylvania's Dog Law, the dog's owner or keeper pays your medical treatment costs in full.

The law on the dog. Under Section 502(a) of Pennsylvania's Dog Law, a dog that bites or attacks a person must be confined, at a place the investigating officer approves (which may be the owner's property), and isolated for at least ten days. The investigating officer is then responsible for telling you the medical results of the dog's confinement: whether the dog is still alive, and whether it shows signs of rabies. That is information your doctor will want.

Your medical bills. Section 502(b)(1) of the Dog Law makes the owner or keeper of a biting or attacking dog pay any cost of medical treatment to the victim in full. The Commonwealth does not pay. The section's text attaches no condition about the owner's care or carelessness to that obligation.

Beyond medical costs. A claim for other losses, such as pain, scarring or missed work, is a separate question. It depends on the facts of how the dog came to be at your door. A lawyer can tell you quickly whether it is worth pursuing, usually through the owner's homeowner's or farm insurance.

If the dog has done this before, or the injury is severe, the Dog Law has a separate process. A State dog warden or a police officer, not the victim, can bring a charge of harboring a dangerous dog under Section 502-A.

What you can do

1. Get medical care, and tell the provider you were bitten by a dog of unknown vaccination status, unless you know it.

2. Report the bite to your local police or the State dog warden, so that the confinement and observation under Section 502 begin.

3. Photograph the wound, and keep every medical record and bill.

4. Ask the owner for their insurance information.

5. Even if you are handling this yourself, you would be best served by a brief phone consultation with a local Pennsylvania attorney before you act. Most lawyers offer a short initial call at no cost, and a few minutes on your specific facts — and on how your court actually handles this — is worth more than any general guidance, including this page.

⏱ Time limits apply. A lawsuit for your injuries must be filed within two years under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524, which covers “An action to recover damages for injuries to the person or for the death of an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect or unlawful violence or negligence of another.” The rabies question is much more urgent. The ten-day observation under the Dog Law is why the bite should be reported the same day.