A Georgia dog owner is liable when the dog is vicious or dangerous, the owner carelessly managed it or let it run free, and the person bitten didn’t provoke it. That’s O.C.G.A. § 51-2-7, and Georgia isn’t a strict liability state on this point: a dog’s first bite doesn’t automatically make the owner pay.
The dispute can turn on knowledge. In Steagald v. Eason (2017), the Georgia Supreme Court discussed what the owner must know about the dog’s tendency. Prior bites are the plainest proof, but behavior short of a bite can matter, and an owner’s warning sign doesn’t settle the question either way.
There’s a shortcut. The statute says vicious propensity is shown if a city, county, or consolidated government ordinance required the dog to be “at heel or on a leash,” and the dog wasn’t at the time.
The defendant can be an owner or a person who “keeps” the dog, so a friend watching it for the weekend could be named. A landlord generally isn’t responsible if out of possession, under § 44-7-14.
After a bite, get medical care, ask for rabies information from animal control, and report it so that a record exists. Two years is the filing period under § 9-3-33. Homeowners’ or renters’ insurance may be where any payment comes from, though a policy can exclude certain dogs. Photos of the wound on the day and over time are useful proof.
General information about Georgia law as of November 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.