Dog bite in NYC?
Here's what to do now.

Two problems, two levels of government. State law still treats dogs as property; the City controls how a dog-on-dog report is handled. You can push on both.

1 · State law — dogs as property

State law (NY Agriculture & Markets Law § 108 and § 123) lets a court declare a dog dangerous when it attacks a companion animal, but courts still treat your dog as property (Schrage v. Hatzlacha Cab Corp., 13 A.D.3d 150) — so civil recovery is generally, in most cases, limited to its "market value." Closing that gap needs the State Legislature.

Sign the state petition

There's already a New York petition for exactly this — "Dogs are Family not Property." Add your name, then send the message below to the lawmakers who can move a state bill.

The message — copy, pick an official, paste Dear [Representative], I am a New York constituent asking you to support reform of how our laws treat companion animals. Today, dogs are treated as personal property — so when a dog is attacked or injured by another dog, there is little accountability: the incident doesn't fit the Health Department's dog-bite process, recovery is limited to a pet's "market value," and nothing happens without multiple reports tied to the same owner. New York took a step in 2021 by directing courts to weigh an animal's well-being in custody disputes. Please build on it: strengthen the process for dog-on-dog incidents and keep moving our law toward treating companion animals as the family members they are. Thank you for your time and service. Sincerely, [Your name], [Your address]

These are the committee chairs and legislative leaders who can move a state bill — they represent districts across New York, not just NYC. Tap one to open their contact form, then paste:

• Sen. Michelle Hinchey — Senate Agriculture Chair · Hudson Valley (Dist. 41)
• Sen. Monica Martinez — Domestic Animal Welfare Chair · Long Island (Dist. 4)
• Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins — Senate Majority Leader · Westchester (Dist. 35)
• Speaker Carl Heastie — Assembly Speaker · Bronx (Dist. 83)

Not sure who represents you? Find your own state and local officials by address and contact them too.

2 · New York City — the reporting gap

Comparing the law against how NYC actually handles these incidents shows the gap clearly:

• State law already covers dog-on-dog. A dog that injures or kills another companion animal already meets the "dangerous dog" definition (§ 108), and § 123 lets any witness get a hearing within five days on a single incident, proven by clear and convincing evidence, with orders like muzzling, secure confinement, training, or evaluation.
• NYC routes around that. There's no dog-on-dog category — incidents get logged as an "unleashed or uncontrolled dog" — and DOHMH reviews reports remotely, typically acting only after several accumulate against the same owner. The fast, single-incident hearing the rest of the state can use isn't reachable here.

What NYC can fix on its own — no Albany needed:

• Create a real dog-on-dog incident category in 311/DOHMH intake instead of "unleashed or uncontrolled dog."
• Open a defined path to a dangerous-dog review from one credible complaint — matching §123's single-incident, clear-and-convincing standard — rather than waiting for repeat reports against the same owner.
• Give NYC residents the same prompt-hearing access §123 already gives the rest of New York.

What still needs Albany: even a "dangerous dog" finding leaves the owner of a killed or injured dog able to recover only its market value (Schrage), and §123's restitution is aimed at human victims — so meaningful recovery for a companion animal takes a change at the State Legislature (Part 1 above).

Sign the NYC petition

A focused city petition asks DOHMH and the City Council to create a real dog-on-dog category and a defined route into the dangerous-dog process. Send the message below to the city officials who can do it:

The city message — copy, pick an official, paste Dear Commissioner / Council Member, I'm a New York City resident asking the Health Department and the City Council to fix how dog-on-dog incidents are handled. Right now there is no way to report a dog-on-dog attack for what it is: 311 and the Animal Bite Unit only have a "dog bite" category for bites to people, so these incidents get logged as an "unleashed or uncontrolled dog," if at all. Reports are handled remotely, and nothing happens until several accumulate against the same owner — even when a dog has seriously injured or killed another dog. Please create a clear dog-on-dog incident category in 311/DOHMH intake, and a defined path from a report into a dangerous-dog review, so a dangerous pattern can be acted on before another animal is hurt. Thank you, [Your name], [Your NYC address]

Tap an official to reach them, then paste:

• Dr. Alister Martin — DOHMH Commissioner (runs the Animal Bite Unit & Veterinary Public Health Services)
• CM Lynn Schulman — Chair, City Council Health Committee · Queens (Dist. 29)
• Speaker Julie Menin — Speaker, NYC Council (sets the Council's agenda) · Manhattan (Dist. 5)

Not sure who represents you? Find your own city and state officials by address and contact them too.

Officials current as of June 2026.

Yes. You don't have to be the person who was bitten — anyone who witnesses a dog bite can report it. Use the same steps above: report a bite to a person to the NYC Health Department (online or 311), and note what you saw, the time and location, a description of the dog, and the owner's information if you have it.

For a dog attacking another dog, a "dangerous dog" determination is possible under state law (NY Agriculture & Markets Law § 123) — in NYC through a report to the Health Department; outside NYC through a police or dog control officer. Photos, video, and witness contacts make any report stronger.

Report it anyway. File the report even without a name — describe the dog and the owner, note the time and exact location, and save your photos and any witness contacts. If you identify the owner later, you can add it.

Protect your health first. When the dog can't be found for its 10-day rabies observation, tell your doctor the vaccination status is unknown — it may change whether rabies treatment is recommended. The Health Department follows up with the bitten person about rabies precautions even when owner details are missing.

To obtain information the City holds about an owner or a bite, you can file a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request with the Health Department — search "FOIL" at nyc.gov/help. Responses can take time, and some personal details may be withheld for privacy.

• NYC Health Dept. — report an animal biteThe official online reporting form.
• Animal Bite Unit — 646-364-1799NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
• 24-hour emergency vets — NYC listFind the nearest open animal ER.

Reporting is what makes anything possible. As we understand it,* the Health Department works largely remotely rather than investigating in the field. It connects reports using the owner's name and contact info, so without that there's little to link, and with no official report on file, further action is unlikely. If owner details are missing, the Department follows up with the bitten person about rabies precautions.

Dangerous Dog Investigation. Once enough reports name the same dog and owner, the case goes to Veterinary Public Health Services (646-364-1783) for a dangerous dog investigation. Whether a dog is declared dangerous depends on factors including the tissue damage caused, what was happening at the time, whether a person or an animal was bitten, and the dog's prior bite history.

The investigator works with legal counsel and the Commissioner's office, and the determination goes through the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH). Outcomes arrive as a Commissioner's order — for example, required training or muzzling. Violating that order can bring fines and, in some cases, a criminal matter. Seizure of a dog is possible but is a long path that requires substantial evidence.