Abogado especializado en mordeduras de perro en Fond du Lac
Abogado especializado en mordeduras de perro en Fond du Lac
On This Page
- Fond du Lac and Fond du Lac County Dog Bite Statistics
- Wisconsin Dog Bite Law: Strict Liability + Double Damages
- Fond du Lac City Ordinance on Dogs and Animals
- Fond du Lac County Animal Control and Bite Response
- What To Do After a Fond du Lac Dog Bite
- Fond du Lac Hospitals and Urgent Care for Dog Bites
- How To Report a Dog Bite in Fond du Lac
- Fond du Lac Area Law Enforcement and Emergency Contacts
- Filing a Dog Bite Claim in Fond du Lac County
- Compensation for Fond du Lac Dog Bite Victims
- Comparative Negligence in Wisconsin Dog Bite Cases
- Statute of Limitations for Fond du Lac Dog Bite Cases
- Homeowner and Renter Insurance for Fond du Lac Dog Bites
- Why Choose Dog Bite Laws for Your Fond du Lac Case
- Preguntas frecuentes
- Strict Liability: Wis. Stat. section 174.02(1)(a) holds Fond du Lac dog owners strictly liable for the full amount of damages their dog causes, without proof of negligence or prior bite history.
- Double Damages: Wis. Stat. 174.02(1)(b) doubles damages when the bite broke the skin and caused permanent scarring or disfigurement, and the owner was notified or knew that the dog had previously, without provocation, bitten a person hard enough to break the skin and cause permanent scarring or disfigurement.
- Fdl Ordinance: The City of Fond du Lac regulates dogs under Chapter 216 of its municipal code, covering licensing, leash, nuisance, and dangerous-dog rules.
- Report The Bite: Report Fond du Lac bites to the Fond du Lac Police non-emergency line at (920) 906-5555 and to the Fond du Lac County Health Department at (920) 929-3085.
- Medical Care: SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac is a state-designated Level III trauma center with 24/7 emergency care.
- Fdl County Venue: A Fond du Lac dog bite lawsuit is heard in the Fond du Lac County Circuit Court, and your lawyer handles the filing and deadlines.
- SOL: Wisconsin's three-year personal-injury deadline in Wis. Stat. section 893.54 controls, and section 893.16 tolls the deadline for minors so a child's case survives until their 20th birthday if that is later.
- Insurance: Most Fond du Lac dog bite claims are paid by the owner's homeowner or renter policy, with typical HO-3 personal-liability limits of $100,000 to $300,000.
Fond du Lac sits at the south end of Lake Winnebago, a busy hub between Milwaukee and the Fox Cities. Dogs are everywhere here, from walkers along the Fond du Lac River trail and the off-leash area at Lakeside Park West to families in the Buttermilk Creek and Rolling Meadows neighborhoods. Most encounters are ordinary. When one is not, and a bite tears skin, breaks bone, or scars a child, Wisconsin gives victims one of the strongest recovery frameworks in the country.
Wisconsin Statute section 174.02 makes the owner of a dog liable for the full amount of damages the dog causes, with no requirement to prove the owner was careless and no requirement to show the dog had a prior bite history. When the bite broke the skin and caused permanent scarring or disfigurement, and the owner was notified or knew that the dog had previously, without provocation, bitten a person hard enough to do the same, the damages double. Combined with Fond du Lac’s own animal ordinance, the Fond du Lac County Health Department, and the Fond du Lac County Circuit Court, victims here have real, concrete steps to take.
Dog Bite Laws focuses exclusively on dog attack cases nationwide. This page walks through Wisconsin strict liability, the double-damages rule, the Fond du Lac ordinance, county resources, and everything else you need to make an informed decision after a bite in Fond du Lac.
Fond du Lac and Fond du Lac County Dog Bite Statistics
Wisconsin does not classify dog bites as a notifiable disease, so a statewide annual bite count is not published. A CDC report estimated that U.S. hospital emergency departments treated about 368,000 people for dog bite injuries in 2001, and about 98 percent of them were treated and released. The U.S. Postal Service publishes a yearly ranking of dog attacks on mail carriers, and in its 2026 release Milwaukee, with 20 attacks in 2025, was the only Wisconsin city listed.
Fond du Lac County, with around 105,000 residents, contributes its share every year. The Fond du Lac County Health Department follows up on every reported bite for rabies observation and vaccination status, and the Fond du Lac Humane Society houses stray animals. Bites are logged across every part of Fond du Lac, from the dense downtown near Main Street to the newer subdivisions on the west side and around Lakeside Park.
Children are the highest-risk victims. That CDC report also found that children ages 5 to 9 had the highest rate of dog bite injuries, and that most injuries to children under 4 were to the head or neck.
Wisconsin Dog Bite Law: Strict Liability + Double Damages
Wisconsin is a strict-liability state. Under Wis. Stat. section 174.02(1)(a), the owner of a dog is liable for the full amount of damages caused by the dog injuring a person, a domestic animal, or property. You do not have to prove the owner was negligent. You do not have to prove a prior bite. Strict liability is subject to the comparative-fault rule in section 895.045 and there is a narrow exception for a law enforcement dog that injures a crime suspect while performing law enforcement functions.
The double-damages rule: section 174.02(1)(b)
Wisconsin’s real differentiator is section 174.02(1)(b), which imposes TWO TIMES the full amount of damages when all three of these facts line up:
- The current bite broke skin and caused permanent physical scarring or disfigurement.
- The dog had previously, without provocation, bitten another person hard enough to break skin and cause permanent scarring.
- The owner was notified or actually knew about that prior bite.
In a Fond du Lac case, the prior-bite investigation is the game-changer. Public records to the Fond du Lac Humane Society, the Fond du Lac County Health Department, and Fond du Lac Police, along with neighbor statements and any prior insurance-claim history, are the fastest way to establish owner knowledge. If a prior serious bite is documented, a $120,000 scarring case can become a $240,000 case.
Fond du Lac City Ordinance on Dogs and Animals
The City of Fond du Lac regulates dogs under Chapter 216 of the City Code (Animals) and parks under Chapter 488. Key provisions for dog owners and bite victims:
- Licensing and rabies vaccination. Dogs and cats over five months old kept in the city must be licensed, and the license application must include a current rabies certificate.
- Leash and running-at-large. Off the owner’s property, a dog must be on a leash or chain no longer than six feet, held by someone strong enough to control it. In city parks, dogs may be off leash only in the designated pet exercise area at Lakeside Park West.
- Nuisance. The code treats an animal as a public nuisance if it molests passersby or vehicles, attacks other animals, is repeatedly at large, damages property, or barks excessively.
- Dangerous-dog framework. A dog that attacks a person or animal without provocation, or has a known tendency to, is a dangerous dog. Its owner must keep it in a locked, fully enclosed pen, and off the property it must be muzzled and on a chain no longer than four feet. The dog must also be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped.
- Bite reporting. Chapter 216 adopts Wisconsin’s rabies-control law for animal bites, and an animal that bites two people without provocation within 12 months is treated as vicious.
Fond du Lac County Animal Control and Bite Response
Fond du Lac’s animal-control model is a partnership. Inside the city, bites go to the Fond du Lac Police, and the Fond du Lac Humane Society houses stray animals. Countywide, bite investigation and rabies follow-up run through the Fond du Lac County Health Department.
- Fond du Lac Humane Society. Phone: (920) 922-8873. Houses stray animals. Hours vary by day; call to confirm.
- Fond du Lac Police Department, non-emergency. Phone: (920) 906-5555. First responder for active dog complaints inside the city, especially outside Humane Society business hours.
- Fond du Lac County Health Department, Animal Bites and Rabies. Coordinates the mandatory rabies observation for any dog that bites a person and advises you on whether rabies treatment is needed.
- Fond du Lac County Sheriff. Handles animal complaints in unincorporated Fond du Lac County and townships without their own police force.
Do not accept an owner’s promise to take care of it in place of a formal report. Only a report to the Humane Society, Fond du Lac Police, or the county creates the written record your claim will need.
What To Do After a Fond du Lac Dog Bite
The choices you make in the first hour and the first week after a Fond du Lac dog attack shape both your medical outcome and your legal case.
- Get to safety and call 911 if the dog is still loose or actively attacking. For a contained dog, call the Fond du Lac Police non-emergency line at (920) 906-5555.
- Identify the dog and the owner. Get the owner’s name, address, phone, homeowner or renter insurance carrier, and the dog’s Fond du Lac license and rabies vaccination information. If the owner is unknown, note the dog’s breed, color, size, and where it went.
- Get medical care. Even minor-looking punctures can seed deep infection. Dog mouths carry Pasteurella and other bacteria that can travel into tendon and bone within hours. St. Agnes Hospital’s Emergency Department is open 24/7.
- Report the bite. Call the Fond du Lac Police non-emergency line at (920) 906-5555 and the Fond du Lac County Health Department at (920) 929-3085 for the rabies-observation follow-up.
- Photograph everything. Wounds before and after bandaging, torn clothing, the location, the dog if it is safe to do so, and any blood on the ground.
- Get witness contact information. Names, phone numbers, and email addresses. Neighbors, joggers, and Lakeside Park visitors are often the strongest witnesses.
- Preserve evidence. Torn clothing in a paper bag (not plastic). Save every medical bill. Start a daily journal of pain, missed work, and sleep.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the owner’s insurance company. Talk to a Fond du Lac dog bite lawyer first. Adjusters try to lock in a provocation or comparative-fault narrative before victims understand the law.
Fond du Lac Hospitals and Urgent Care for Dog Bites
Fond du Lac is a regional medical hub for southern Winnebago County. Serious bites here are treated at:
- SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital. State-designated Level III Trauma Center and Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center. Main line: (920) 929-2300. Emergency Department open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- SSM Health Express Clinic Urgent Care, Fond du Lac. Urgent care for minor injuries. Phone: (920) 926-8492. Hours vary by day.
- Aurora Medical Center, Fond du Lac. Emergency department open 24/7, with urgent care next door in the Aurora health center for minor injuries. Main line: (920) 907-7500.
How To Report a Dog Bite in Fond du Lac
Reporting is not optional. Only a formal report creates the paper trail your claim needs, and it lets officials arrange the rabies observation of the dog.
- Fond du Lac County Health Department. Phone: (920) 929-3085.
- Fond du Lac Police Department, non-emergency. Phone: (920) 906-5555. Use to report a bite inside the city, including when the owner refuses to identify the dog.
- Fond du Lac County Health Department, Animal Bites and Rabies. Coordinates the 10-day rabies observation and decides whether the dog needs rabies testing.
- Fond du Lac County Sheriff. Phone: (920) 929-3390. Handles bites in unincorporated Fond du Lac County, outside city limits.
- 911. For an active attack or a loose dog that is still threatening people.
Ask for the report number and a copy. If the agency will not release it to you, your lawyer can obtain it. The bite report and the rabies observation paperwork are the two documents an insurance adjuster will want to see first.
Fond du Lac Area Law Enforcement and Emergency Contacts
Call one of these depending on where the bite happened:
- Fond du Lac Police Department. Emergency: 911. Non-emergency: (920) 906-5555. Serves everything inside the City of Fond du Lac.
- Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office. Non-emergency: (920) 929-3390. Serves unincorporated county land and townships without their own police force.
Call 911 while a dog is still attacking or loose and threatening people. Even when the bite never becomes a criminal matter, a police or sheriff’s report gives you a time-stamped account of the dog, the owner, and your injuries from a neutral officer. Insurers give that record real weight.
Filing a Dog Bite Claim in Fond du Lac County
When a Fond du Lac dog bite case does go to court, it is heard in the Fond du Lac County Circuit Court. Your lawyer handles the paperwork, the court’s procedural rules, and the deadlines, and makes sure the right people are named, including the dog’s owner and any household member who harbored the dog.
Court is usually the last step, not the first. Most Fond du Lac claims are paid by the owner’s homeowner or renter insurance and settle before anything is filed. Filing suit still matters, because it is often what gets a stalled adjuster to put a fair number on the table. Small claims court only handles personal injury claims of $5,000 or less, so a serious bite rarely fits there.
Keep every bill, photo, and report number, and talk to a lawyer early.
Compensation for Fond du Lac Dog Bite Victims
Under section 174.02(1)(a), the owner is liable for the “full amount of damages” the dog causes. Wisconsin courts read that broadly and it includes:
- Past medical expenses. ED care at St. Agnes, wound irrigation and closure, antibiotics, tetanus, rabies post-exposure prophylaxis if needed, imaging, and every follow-up.
- Future medical expenses. Scar revision, staged reconstructive surgery, dental work, physical therapy, and mental-health treatment. Under Ellsworth v. Schelbrock, damages are the reasonable value of your care, not just the discounted amount a health plan actually paid.
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity. Time missed from work and long-term impact on public-facing jobs where scarring, nerve damage, or PTSD matters.
- Physical pain and suffering. Wisconsin does NOT cap non-economic damages in ordinary personal-injury cases, and dog bites are ordinary personal-injury cases.
- Emotional distress and PTSD. Diagnosed anxiety, hypervigilance, sleep disruption, and fear of dogs, especially common in child victims.
- Scarring and disfigurement. Compensated separately from pain and suffering because a scar is a permanent injury visible for the rest of the victim’s life.
- Out-of-pocket costs. Torn clothing, prescriptions, mileage to St. Agnes and follow-ups.
- Double damages under section 174.02(1)(b). Where the prior-bite standard is met, the entire damages award doubles.
Wisconsin’s made-whole doctrine, rooted in Rimes v. State Farm, can reduce or eliminate a health insurer’s subrogation claim when your damages exceed your total compensation. Never let a subrogated carrier collect until the made-whole analysis is done.
Comparative Negligence in Wisconsin Dog Bite Cases
Wisconsin follows a modified comparative-fault rule under Wis. Stat. section 895.045. Recovery is barred only if the plaintiff’s own negligence is GREATER than the defendant’s. That is a 51 percent bar, not the 50 percent bar you see in some other states. A plaintiff found 50 percent at fault still recovers half of their damages.
Because section 174.02(1)(a) is expressly “subject to” section 895.045, comparative fault applies even in strict-liability dog cases. Insurance adjusters routinely try to argue the Fond du Lac victim provoked the dog, ignored a warning sign, or entered a fenced area. Do not agree to that framing in a recorded statement.
A worked Fond du Lac example. Suppose your damages are $80,000 after a bite in a neighbor’s yard where you walked around the corner of the house to look for the owner. A jury assigns 30 percent fault to you and 70 percent to the owner. Your recovery is $80,000 minus 30 percent, or $56,000. If the same owner had known the dog had previously, without provocation, bitten and permanently scarred another person, the $80,000 base would double to $160,000 under section 174.02(1)(b) before the 30 percent reduction was applied, and the recovery would be $112,000.
Statute of Limitations for Fond du Lac Dog Bite Cases
Under Wis. Stat. section 893.54, most personal-injury actions in Wisconsin, including dog bite claims under section 174.02, must be commenced within three years of the date of injury. Wrongful death from a dog attack is also three years under section 893.54(2).
For minor victims, section 893.16 tolls the deadline: the child has two years after turning 18 to sue, which usually means the case survives until the child’s 20th birthday.
If a government-owned dog is involved, or the defendant is a state or municipal body, a NOTICE OF INJURY must be filed much sooner: 120 days under Wis. Stat. sections 893.80 (municipalities) and 893.82 (state). Damages against a municipality are capped at $50,000; against the state, $250,000. This edge case matters most for law-enforcement dog cases.
Three years is not a reason to wait. Dogs are rehomed or euthanized within weeks, witnesses move, and homeowner policies renew.
Homeowner and Renter Insurance for Fond du Lac Dog Bites
Most Fond du Lac dog bite claims are paid by the dog owner’s homeowner or renter policy, not out of the owner’s personal savings. That is why you can file a claim against a friend or neighbor without asking them for a personal check. The bill goes to the carrier they already pay premiums to.
Typical Wisconsin homeowner HO-3 policies carry $100,000 to $300,000 in personal liability and $1,000 to $5,000 in medical payments to others. Renter policies (HO-4) usually mirror those limits and are a common recovery source when the owner is a tenant. Umbrella policies stack on top and matter in serious-injury cases with facial scarring, child victims, or reconstructive surgery. Always demand disclosure of any umbrella.
Two Wisconsin-specific angles matter in Fond du Lac cases:
- The Pawlowski multi-insurer angle. Under Pawlowski v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co., an adult who “harbors” a dog in their home is a statutory owner under section 174.02 even if they do not legally own the dog. Two policies (legal owner’s and harborer’s) may both be tapped.
- Breed exclusions and animal-liability endorsements. Many Wisconsin carriers exclude specific breeds or exclude coverage after a first reported bite. Always request the full declarations page AND the endorsement schedule; do not rely on the insurer’s coverage letter alone.
Why Choose Dog Bite Laws for Your Fond du Lac Case
Dog Bite Laws focuses exclusively on dog attack claims. That focus matters. General personal-injury firms handle car crashes, slip-and-falls, and every other type of case, and treat dog bites as an afterthought. We do not.
When you work with Dog Bite Laws on a Fond du Lac case, you get:
- Deep familiarity with Wis. Stat. section 174.02, the double-damages rule, and how Wisconsin courts have interpreted provocation, peaceable-conduct, and the Fandrey public-policy factors.
- A prior-bite investigation strategy targeted at Fond du Lac Humane Society intake logs, Fond du Lac County Health Department bite files, and prior insurance-claim history, because that is where double-damages proof lives.
- Working knowledge of Chapter 216 of the Fond du Lac Code and how Fond du Lac County handles bite reports.
- Direct experience negotiating with the major homeowner and renter carriers writing policies in eastern Wisconsin.
- No fee unless we recover for you. We advance the costs of investigation, medical records, and expert witnesses.
Call Dog Bite Laws today for a free case evaluation. We will review the bite report, medical records, and the owner’s insurance situation, and give you an honest assessment of what your Fond du Lac case is worth.
Preguntas frecuentes
The city works with contracted humane officer organizations for animal control, and the Fond du Lac Humane Society houses stray animals. To report a bite, call the Fond du Lac Police non-emergency line at (920) 906-5555, or 911 if the dog is still loose and dangerous. The Fond du Lac County Health Department follows up on rabies observation for every reported bite.
A lawsuit over a Fond du Lac dog bite would be heard in the Fond du Lac County Circuit Court, and your lawyer files it for you. You will not need to visit the courthouse to start a claim. Most cases are settled with the owner's homeowner or renter insurance carrier before a lawsuit is ever filed, so the court is often never involved at all.
For an emergency, yes. SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital is a state-designated Level III trauma center with an emergency department open 24 hours a day. For complex facial or pediatric injuries, ask the emergency physician whether you need a specialist.
The City of Fond du Lac regulates dogs based on individual behavior under Chapter 216, not breed. The dangerous-dog rules turn on actual conduct, such as an unprovoked attack on a person or animal. Wisconsin law does not require breed-specific bans, and most Wisconsin municipalities regulate by conduct.
You still have a strict-liability claim under section 174.02 against the attacking dog's owner. The statute covers injuries to a person, another animal, and property, so you can recover for your own injuries, your dog's veterinary bills, and any related damages. Bringing your own leashed dog to a leashed area, or to the designated pet exercise area at Lakeside Park West, is not provocation.
Lack of a Fond du Lac dog license is not a defense to the owner's liability under section 174.02, and it is often affirmative evidence of the owner's failure to comply with basic safety requirements. Chapter 216 requires all dogs kept in the city to be licensed and vaccinated. An unlicensed, unvaccinated dog also complicates the rabies picture, which sometimes means the victim needs post-exposure vaccination, and those medical costs are recoverable as damages.
Yes. Wisconsin allows recovery for diagnosed emotional distress and PTSD as an element of the child's damages. Child victims of dog attacks commonly develop hypervigilance, sleep disruption, and a fear of dogs that can last for years. A mental-health evaluation is often part of the standard damages proof. Wisconsin does not cap non-economic damages in dog-bite cases.
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