Abogado especializado en mordeduras de perro en Franklin
Abogado especializado en mordeduras de perro en Franklin
On This Page
- Franklin and Milwaukee County Dog Bite Statistics
- Wisconsin Dog Bite Law: Strict Liability + Double Damages
- Franklin City Ordinance on Dogs and Animals
- MADACC and Franklin Animal Control Response
- What To Do After a Franklin Dog Bite
- Franklin Hospitals and Urgent Care for Dog Bites
- How To Report a Dog Bite in Franklin
- Franklin Area Law Enforcement and Emergency Contacts
- Filing a Dog Bite Claim in Milwaukee County
- Compensation for Franklin Dog Bite Victims
- Comparative Negligence in Wisconsin Dog Bite Cases
- Statute of Limitations for Franklin Dog Bite Cases
- Homeowner and Renter Insurance for Franklin Dog Bites
- Why Choose Dog Bite Laws for Your Franklin Case
- Preguntas frecuentes
- Strict Liability: Wis. Stat. section 174.02(1)(a) makes Franklin dog owners strictly liable for the full amount of damages their dog causes, without proof of negligence.
- 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.
- MADACC: Franklin animal control is delivered by MADACC (Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission) at (414) 649-8640, the countywide agency serving 19 Milwaukee County municipalities.
- Franklin Ordinance: The City of Franklin regulates dogs under Chapter 80 (Animals) of its Municipal Code, with licensing, leash, and dangerous-dog rules layered on top of Wisconsin state law.
- Medical Care: Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital, Franklin, is the closest full-service option and offers 24/7 emergency care; adult Level I trauma care is at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa.
- Milwaukee County Venue: A Franklin dog bite lawsuit is heard in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, and your lawyer handles the filing and deadlines.
- SOL: Wisconsin's three-year deadline in Wis. Stat. section 893.54 applies, and section 893.16 tolls the deadline for child victims until their 20th birthday.
- Insurance: Most Franklin dog bite claims are paid by the owner's homeowner or renter policy; typical HO-3 personal-liability limits are $100,000 to $300,000.
Franklin sits in the southwest corner of Milwaukee County, a growing suburb with big-lot subdivisions, the Franklin Woods Nature Center, and the busy 27th Street corridor. Dogs are part of daily life here. Most encounters are ordinary, but when a bite happens, particularly to a child in one of the newer neighborhoods around Ballpark Commons, Kayla’s Playground, or the walking paths near Root River Parkway, victims need a clear plan.
Wisconsin gives them one. Under Wis. Stat. section 174.02, the owner of a dog is liable for the full amount of damages the dog causes, with no requirement to prove the owner was careless and no requirement to show a prior bite. 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. In Franklin, animal control is delivered by the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC), the countywide agency that serves 19 Milwaukee County municipalities. Civil cases are heard in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
Dog Bite Laws focuses exclusively on dog attack cases nationwide. This page walks through the Wisconsin strict-liability framework, the double-damages rule, Franklin’s ordinance and MADACC reporting, hospital options, and everything else Franklin victims need to make an informed decision.
Franklin and Milwaukee County Dog Bite Statistics
Wisconsin does not require statewide reporting of every animal bite, so a hard “Franklin” number is not published by the state. 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.
Milwaukee County, with roughly 900,000 residents across 19 municipalities, generates the largest volume of dog bites in the state. Franklin contributes a growing share as the city grows, particularly in the newer subdivisions on the west and south sides.
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. The strict-liability rule is subject to the comparative-fault statute 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.
Section 174.02(1)(b): the double-damages call-out
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 Franklin case, Franklin Police bite reports, Franklin Health Department records, MADACC records, and prior insurance-claim history are the fastest way to establish owner knowledge and trigger double damages.
Franklin City Ordinance on Dogs and Animals
The City of Franklin regulates dogs through its Municipal Code, on top of Wisconsin state law and the MADACC intergovernmental agreement. Key rules for Franklin owners and bite victims:
- Licensing and rabies vaccination. Dogs five months or older must be licensed every year, and no license is issued without a current rabies vaccination certificate.
- Leash and running-at-large. A dog off the owner’s property must be on a leash no longer than 12 feet, held by someone able to control it, unless it is in an approved area such as a dog park.
- Dangerous and vicious dog designation. A dog that injures a person or pet without provocation is a dangerous dog: it must be kept in a fenced yard or secured outside, and leashed and muzzled off the property. After two or more incidents it is a vicious dog, and the owner must remove it from the city, euthanize it, or keep it confined at home behind posted warning signs.
- Nuisance. Franklin prohibits keeping a vicious dog or a dog that habitually barks, and a barking dog can be ordered out of the city.
- Bite reporting. When a dog bite breaks the skin, the owner and the victim must notify the Franklin Chief of Police or the City Health Officer. The police then decide where the dog spends its 10-day rabies quarantine: at home if its rabies vaccination is current, or in an isolation facility if it is not.
MADACC and Franklin Animal Control Response
Franklin does not run its own animal control department. Instead, the City of Franklin is one of 19 Milwaukee County municipalities that contract with MADACC, the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission, for animal control, including stray animals.
- MADACC (Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission). Phone: (414) 649-8640. Based in West Milwaukee, MADACC handles stray dogs and cats, pet licensing, vaccine clinics, and adoptions.
- Franklin Police Department, non-emergency. Phone: (414) 425-2522. Under Franklin’s code, bites that break the skin are reported to the police or the City Health Officer, and the police set the dog’s quarantine.
- Franklin Health Department. Coordinates rabies-observation follow-up on every reported bite inside Franklin city limits.
Police, health department, and MADACC records can show whether the same dog was reported before. Your lawyer can obtain those records, and a prior bite is what opens the door to double damages under Wis. Stat. 174.02(1)(b).
What To Do After a Franklin Dog Bite
The choices you make in the first hour and the first week after a Franklin 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 inside Franklin, call the Franklin Police non-emergency line at (414) 425-2522.
- Identify the dog and the owner. Get the owner’s name, address, phone, homeowner or renter insurance carrier, and the dog’s 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. Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital, Franklin, has 24/7 emergency care; severe injuries can be transferred to Level I trauma at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa.
- Report the bite to the Franklin Police at (414) 425-2522 or the Franklin Health Department, as Franklin’s code requires, so the dog’s rabies quarantine can be ordered.
- Photograph everything. Wounds before and after bandaging, torn clothing, the location, the dog if safe to do so, and any blood on the ground.
- Get witness contact information. Names, phone numbers, and email addresses. Neighbors, joggers, and delivery drivers are often the strongest independent 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 Franklin dog bite lawyer first. Adjusters try to lock in a provocation or comparative-fault narrative before victims understand the law.
Franklin Hospitals and Urgent Care for Dog Bites
Franklin is 15 to 20 minutes from most major Milwaukee-area hospitals. For dog bite injuries, the standard destinations are:
- Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital, Franklin Campus. Full-service hospital in Franklin with 24/7 emergency care and a state-designated Level IV trauma center. Main line: (414) 325-4700.
- Froedtert Hospital (Wauwatosa). Adult Level I Trauma Center, the only adult Level I trauma center in eastern Wisconsin, for the most severe dog bite injuries. Main line: (414) 805-3000. Emergency Department open 24/7.
- Children’s Wisconsin (Wauwatosa). Pediatric Level I Trauma Center. The standard destination for severe pediatric facial or neck bites. Main line: (414) 266-2000. Emergency Department open 24/7.
- Aurora Urgent Care, Franklin. Urgent care for less severe injuries. Phone: (414) 529-9200.
How To Report a Dog Bite in Franklin
Reporting is not optional. Franklin’s ordinance requires it, and only a formal report creates the paper trail your claim needs.
- MADACC. Phone: (414) 649-8640. For stray or loose animals.
- Franklin Police Department, non-emergency. Phone: (414) 425-2522. Use to report a bite, when the owner refuses to identify the dog, or when the dog is still loose.
- Franklin Health Department. Coordinates rabies-observation follow-up on every reported bite inside city limits.
- Milwaukee County Sheriff. Non-emergency: (414) 278-4788. Backup for bites on county-owned property such as Milwaukee County Parks in Franklin.
- 911. For an active attack or a loose dog that is still threatening people.
Ask for the report number and a copy. If an agency will not release it to you, your lawyer can obtain it. The bite report is often the single most useful document in a Franklin claim, because it is where a prior bite by the same dog will show up.
Franklin Area Law Enforcement and Emergency Contacts
Call one of these depending on where the bite happened:
- Franklin Police Department. Emergency: 911. Non-emergency: (414) 425-2522. Serves everything inside the City of Franklin.
- Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office. Non-emergency: (414) 278-4788. Handles Milwaukee County Parks properties and expressway response.
Call 911 while a dog is still attacking or loose. Even when no one is ever charged, a police report gives you a time-stamped record of what the responding officer saw: the dog, the owner, your injuries, and any witnesses. That neutral account is difficult for an insurance adjuster to argue with later.
Filing a Dog Bite Claim in Milwaukee County
Franklin sits inside Milwaukee County, so a dog bite lawsuit from Franklin is heard in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, the same court every Milwaukee County suburb uses. Your lawyer prepares the filing under the Wisconsin court rules, watches the deadlines, and names everyone responsible, including the owner and any household member who harbored the dog.
Most Franklin claims never get that far. They are paid by the owner’s homeowner or renter insurance and settle before a lawsuit is filed. Filing suit still matters, because it is frequently what moves a stalled adjuster to a reasonable offer. Small claims court only covers personal injury claims of $5,000 or less, which is rarely enough for a serious bite.
Your part is to keep your medical records, photos, and report numbers together and talk to a lawyer early.
Compensation for Franklin Dog Bite Victims
Under section 174.02(1)(a), a dog owner is liable for the “full amount of damages” the dog causes. Wisconsin courts read that broadly. In a Franklin case, that typically includes:
- Past medical expenses. ED care at Ascension Franklin or Froedtert, 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 jobs where scarring, nerve damage, or PTSD matters.
- Physical pain and suffering. Wisconsin does NOT cap non-economic damages in ordinary personal-injury cases. Dog bites are ordinary personal-injury cases.
- Emotional distress and PTSD. Diagnosed anxiety, hypervigilance, sleep disruption, and fear of dogs, especially common in children.
- 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 Franklin and Wauwatosa 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 (Rimes v. State Farm) can reduce or eliminate a health insurer’s subrogation claim when your total damages exceed your total compensation, which matters enormously in serious-injury cases.
Comparative Negligence in Wisconsin Dog Bite Cases
Wisconsin uses a modified comparative-fault rule under Wis. Stat. section 895.045. Recovery is barred only when the plaintiff’s own negligence is GREATER than the defendant’s. This is a 51 percent bar, not the 50 percent bar you see in some other states.
Because section 174.02(1)(a) is expressly “subject to” section 895.045, comparative fault applies even in strict-liability dog cases. Franklin insurance adjusters routinely try to argue the 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 Franklin example. Suppose a Franklin walker on the Root River Parkway is bitten by a loose dog and suffers $120,000 in damages. A jury assigns 15 percent fault to the walker for jogging past the off-leash dog and 85 percent to the owner. Recovery is $120,000 minus 15 percent, or $102,000. If the same owner had known the dog had previously, without provocation, bitten and permanently scarred another person, the base $120,000 would double to $240,000 under section 174.02(1)(b) before the 15 percent reduction was applied, and the recovery would be $204,000.
Statute of Limitations for Franklin 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 typically means the case survives until the child’s 20th birthday.
If a Milwaukee County government dog is involved, or the defendant is otherwise 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. Those caps and the short window matter most in law-enforcement dog cases and municipal-facility scenarios.
Three years is not a reason to wait. The dog can be rehomed or euthanized within weeks, older records can be purged after retention periods, and homeowner policies renew.
Homeowner and Renter Insurance for Franklin Dog Bites
Most Franklin dog bite claims are paid by the dog owner’s homeowner or renter policy, not out of the owner’s personal savings. That is one of the most important reasons to file a claim even against a friend, family member, or neighbor. You are not asking your neighbor for a check. You are asking the insurance 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 carry the same 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 Franklin 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) can both be tapped.
- Breed exclusions and animal-liability endorsements. Many carriers writing in southeastern Wisconsin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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 MADACC’s countywide records, Franklin Health Department bite files, and prior insurance-claim history, because that is where double-damages proof lives.
- Working knowledge of Franklin’s ordinance and Milwaukee County Circuit Court civil practice in downtown Milwaukee.
- Direct experience negotiating with the major homeowner and renter carriers writing policies in southeastern 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 police or health department bite report, medical records, and the owner’s insurance situation, and give you an honest assessment of what your Franklin case is worth.
Preguntas frecuentes
The City of Franklin does not run its own animal control. Franklin contracts with MADACC, the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission, along with 18 other Milwaukee County municipalities. Call MADACC at (414) 649-8640 for strays. To report a bite, call the Franklin Police at (414) 425-2522 or the Franklin Health Department; the police decide where the dog is quarantined.
In the Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Franklin bites go to the same county court as every other Milwaukee County suburb, and your lawyer handles the filing for you. In most cases it never comes to that, because the claim settles with the owner's homeowner or renter insurance before a lawsuit is filed.
Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital, Franklin, is the closest full-service ED and is open 24/7. For severe adult trauma, Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa is eastern Wisconsin's only adult Level I trauma center. For severe pediatric facial bites, Children's Wisconsin in Wauwatosa is a pediatric Level I trauma center.
Bite reports to the Franklin Police or Health Department, along with MADACC's animal control records, can show whether the same dog bit someone before. If it did, that history can double your damages under Wis. Stat. 174.02(1)(b). Your lawyer can request those records, which is why the bite report is often the most valuable document in a Franklin claim.
The strict-liability rule in section 174.02 applies wherever the bite occurs. A bite on a Milwaukee County trail, park, or parkway is still an owner-liability case against the dog's owner (and any harborer). If a county employee's dog is somehow involved, notice-of-injury rules under section 893.80 apply and require action within 120 days, but ordinary dog attacks on public land follow the standard rules.
Yes. Section 174.02 does not care where the dog came from or whether the owner knew about a prior bite. Owner knowledge only affects the double-damages upgrade under section 174.02(1)(b), not the base strict-liability claim under (1)(a). A rescue dog with no known history still triggers full strict liability.
You can still sue the owner personally, and the owner is fully liable under section 174.02 regardless of insurance. Uninsured owners often have fewer collectible assets, so the case emphasis shifts to finding a Pawlowski-style harborer (another adult resident with their own homeowner or renter policy), an involved landlord in narrow circumstances, or umbrella coverage. Every Franklin intake screens for those alternate coverage sources.
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