Boston Dog Bite Lawyer

Strict Liability

Boston Animal Control (617-635-5348) operates out of the Boston Animal Care and Adoption Center at 26 Mahler Road in Roslindale. All bites in Boston must be reported to Animal Control, which initiates a ten-day quarantine for rabies observation. The ACO file is the official record of the incident, the dog's vaccination status, the owner's identity, and any prior bite history associated with that animal or address — all information that bears directly on a Massachusetts dog bite claim.

Boston's density and housing mix create a recurring pattern in Massachusetts dog bite cases: a dog owned by a tenant bites someone in a shared hallway, common stairwell, or building courtyard. MGL c. 140, § 155 makes both the owner and any keeper directly and strictly liable, and Massachusetts courts have addressed landlord liability in multi-unit building settings in ways that can extend the claim beyond the individual tenant-owner. If the dog belongs to a tenant, identifying the property owner and whether they had notice of the dog is an early investigation step with real value.

The double damages trigger under § 155 depends on establishing prior knowledge — and Boston's animal control records, maintained by the ACO at city level, are the primary documentary source for that inquiry. A prior bite report in the same owner's file, or a record of a prior complaint about the same dog at a previous address, is the evidence that converts a standard strict liability case to a mandatory double-damages case. Request those records in writing as soon as possible; they are public records under MGL c. 66.

Report a Boston dog bite to Boston Animal Control at (617) 635-5348. Request the complete animal control file for the dog in writing — it is a public record under MGL c. 66, and if the file shows any prior bite or attack of which the owner was aware, § 155's mandatory double damages provision applies. If the dog belongs to a tenant of a multi-unit building, get the property owner's name and address as well; Massachusetts keeper liability and landlord-knowledge cases are a recurring fact pattern in Boston's dense rental housing stock.

Read the full statute breakdown: Massachusetts Dog Bite Laws → · Typical payouts: Massachusetts Settlement Amounts →