Minnesota Dog Bite Laws

Minnesota’s dog bite statute, Minn. Stat. § 347.22, imposes strict liability upon dog owners. This means that a dog bite victim is not required to prove that the owner was negligent in any way, or knew about their dog’s dangerous propensities. Under Minnesota’s statute, the owner can be held strictly liable when their dog injures a person who was acting peaceably and was in a place where they had a lawful right to be. Moreover, the owner will not be liable if the victim was trespassing or provoking the dog at the time of the attack. However, the statute applies not only to bite injuries, but to non-bite injuries suffered by the victim as well (for example, lacerations from scratches or injuries caused by the dog knocking a person off of a bicycle).