Murray Dog Bite Lawyer

In Murray, most bites happen close to home: a neighbor's dog that gets through a gate, a dog loose in an apartment complex, a dog that pulls free along the Jordan River Parkway or in Murray Park, or a visit or delivery to a house where the dog was never put away. Murray's parks rules say dogs must be leashed and owners must clean up after them, so a dog running loose in a city park is already outside the posted rules.

Hardly anyone wants to take a neighbor or a landlord to court. What most people do not realize is that a Utah dog bite claim is normally paid by the owner's homeowner's or renter's policy, not from the owner's savings, and that usually makes the decision easier.

Utah's Dog Bite Statute

Owners and keepers are liable. Utah Code § 18-1-1 makes a person who owns or keeps a dog liable for the injuries it causes, whether or not the dog was vicious and whether or not the owner knew it. A first bite counts.

Exceptions are limited. They cover certified police dogs used within agency policy, injuries to another animal that came onto the owner's property without consent while the dog was fenced, and certain trespassers on the owner's private property while the dog is reasonably secured in a fence or enclosure.

Shared fault still applies. The statute sends damages through Utah's comparative fault rule, § 78B-5-818, which is where provocation arguments come in. Our damages page explains what can be recovered.

Extra time for children. The limitations period does not run while the injured person is under 18 (§ 78B-2-108); adults generally have four years. See our deadlines page.

After a Dog Bite in Murray

Have the wound cleaned and examined that day; Intermountain Medical Center in Murray is a Level I trauma center for severe injuries. Then report the bite. Murray's animal control is provided by Salt Lake County Animal Services, reachable through the 24-hour dispatch line at (801) 840-4000, which creates an official record and lets the dog's vaccination status be checked. Photograph the wounds as they heal, and write down the owner's name, address and insurer.

If the dog lives with a tenant, the landlord or property manager can matter too, particularly when a broken gate, a gap in a fence or a shared courtyard played a part.

For how these claims are valued, see our guides on dog bite compensation and typical dog bite settlements.

Common Dog Bite Injuries

Deep punctures and tears that need stitches or plastic surgery, facial scars, nerve and tendon damage in hands and forearms, infections, broken bones from being knocked to the ground, and a lasting fear of dogs, especially in children.

What a Claim Can Include

A full claim should account for:

• Medical care: the emergency visit, antibiotics, wound care and follow-up appointments.
• Scar treatment: revision surgery and reconstruction, including procedures a child may need as they grow.
• Lost income: your own missed work, or a parent's time off to care for a child.
• Pain and fear: the physical injury and the anxiety that follows it.
• Disfigurement: permanent scarring, particularly on the face or hands.

How Insurers Respond

Common defenses: you provoked the dog, you came onto the property without permission, the scar will fade. Early offers often arrive before the wounds have healed or a surgeon has weighed in on revision. Photos taken over several weeks and a written opinion on future care are usually the strongest answer. Our Murray personal injury page covers other injuries in the city, and the Murray car accident page covers crashes.

More on Utah dog bite law

• What actually changed in Utah's dog bite law in 2025 and 2026 — the new trespasser exception, what the amendment did not change, and the arbitration track with its 14-day election window.
• Utah Dog Bite Report — twelve Utah dog bite files next to the public data, plus Christian West's own bite.