If you were bitten or attacked by a dog in Boulder City, the attorneys at Drummond Law Firm will fight to recover the compensation you deserve. Dog bite injuries are a persistent concern in Boulder City, where years of weak leash enforcement left residents and visitors exposed to preventable attacks.
If a dog owner’s negligence caused your injuries, you may be entitled to damages for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Our attorneys handle dog bite cases throughout Boulder City and Clark County and offer a free consultation. Call (702) 366-9966 to get started.
Dog Bite Attorneys Serving Boulder City
Drummond Law Firm represents dog bite victims across Boulder City with direct, attorney-led legal representation from the moment you reach out. Every client works with a licensed attorney who evaluates the facts of your case, communicates directly with the dog owner’s insurance company, and builds a strategy designed to recover the full value of your claim. We will never hand you off to a paralegal for the decisions that count.
Boulder City has a documented history of dog attacks that sets it apart from the rest of Clark County. Weak leash enforcement allowed dogs to roam public parks and neighborhoods for decades, and the city did not adopt enforceable leash requirements until late 2025.
Attorney Craig Drummond, a former U.S. Army Captain and Bronze Star recipient, brings military discipline and a proven trial record to every dog bite case his firm handles. His experience litigating against insurance companies and corporate defense teams means your case is prepared for trial from the start, even when the goal is a fair settlement.
Without an Attorney vs. With Drummond Law Firm
Victims who hire an attorney recover significantly more than those who handle dog bite claims on their own. Research from the Insurance Research Council found that represented victims recovered approximately 3.5 times more than those without a lawyer.
| Without an Attorney | With Drummond Law Firm |
| The dog owner’s homeowners insurer may pressure you into a quick, low settlement | Our attorneys negotiate from a position of strength backed by trial experience |
| The insurance company will work to shift blame onto you for provoking the dog | Attorney Craig Drummond has taken cases to trial and will not back down |
| You bear the burden of proving the owner’s negligence and gathering evidence alone | Our team works with animal control records and medical professionals to build your case |
| You risk accepting far less than your case is worth | Our Reduced Fee Guarantee® ensures the attorney fee will not exceed your net recovery |
You deserve a legal team that fights for the full value of your claim, not one that allows a negligent dog owner to dictate the outcome.
When the stakes are high, you need an attorney who’s already been tested under pressure.
Types of Cases We Handle in Boulder City
Our firm handles animal attack cases arising from bites, maulings, and violent encounters on public and private property throughout Boulder City and the surrounding area.
- Public Park and Trail Attacks: Off-leash dog attacks in public parks account for a significant share of Boulder City claims. Veterans Memorial Park, Bicentennial Park, and the trails along the River Mountains Loop are areas where dog encounters are common. Attacks by unleashed or poorly controlled dogs in these locations have resulted in serious injuries to joggers, walkers, and children.
- Residential Neighborhood Attacks: Loose dogs in residential neighborhoods pose a serious threat to neighbors and pedestrians. These attacks often occur on sidewalks or in front yards where victims have every right to be, and the owner’s failure to contain a known aggressive animal forms the basis of the claim.
- Attacks on Private Property: Visitors, delivery workers, and postal carriers who are lawfully on someone’s property are protected under Nevada law when a dog attacks without provocation. Social guests and service providers are classified as invitees or licensees, and the property owner owes them a duty to control animals on the premises.
How Nevada Law Affects Your Dog Bite Case
Nevada does not impose strict liability on dog owners the way many other states do. Instead, the state relies on negligence to determine whether an owner is responsible for a dog bite. This means you must show the owner failed to act reasonably under the circumstances, not simply that the dog bit you.
The one-bite rule is central to how Nevada courts evaluate these cases. Under this doctrine, an owner may not be liable for a first bite if the dog has no documented history of aggression and the owner took reasonable steps to control the animal. Once a dog has bitten someone or displayed menacing behavior, the owner is on notice. Any future attack carries significantly greater legal exposure.
Violating a local leash ordinance can establish negligence per se, which means the owner is automatically considered negligent as a matter of law. The victim does not need to prove the owner acted unreasonably because the violation itself satisfies that element. This is particularly relevant in Boulder City after the passage of Ordinance 1872.
Nevada follows a modified comparative negligence rule under NRS 41.141. If the dog owner argues that you provoked the animal, and a jury finds your fault exceeds 50 percent, you are barred from recovering any damages. Even partial fault reduces your award proportionally.
What Makes Boulder City a High-Risk Area for Dog Bite Injuries?
Boulder City’s history of weak leash enforcement created conditions that made dog attacks not just possible but predictable. For decades, the city was the only municipality in Clark County that did not require dogs to be leashed in public. The old ordinance allowed dogs to roam freely as long as they were under the owner’s “verbal command,” a standard that Animal Control Supervisor Ann Inabnitt called “almost unenforceable.”
The consequences were documented. Animal Control received an average of 500 calls per year for dogs running at large. Officers reported regular dog-on-dog attacks and confirmed that a dozen people had been attacked and injured in the two years before the law changed. The situation escalated to a point where one resident discharged a firearm at a group of off-leash dogs that he perceived as a threat to himself and his wife.
Boulder City passed Ordinance 1872, effective December 4, 2025, requiring leashes in all public areas except designated off-leash zones. Those zones include the fenced dog parks at Veterans Memorial Park, Linear Park, Wilbur Square, and Pratte Field during limited hours. Even after the new law took effect, Animal Control received 99 off-leash complaints in the first three and a half months.
The ordinance gives dog bite victims a powerful legal tool: any attack by an unleashed dog in a non-designated area now supports a negligence per se claim against the owner.
Who Is Liable for a Dog Bite in Boulder City?
The dog’s owner is the primary defendant in a dog bite case, but other parties may share liability depending on the circumstances of the attack. Nevada law allows victims to pursue claims against anyone whose negligence contributed to the conditions that led to the injury.
- Dog Owners: Owners who violate Ordinance 1872 by allowing their dogs off-leash in non-designated public areas face negligence per se claims. Even without a leash violation, an owner who fails to restrain a dog with known aggressive tendencies or ignores prior complaints can be held liable under standard negligence.
- Landlords and Property Managers: A landlord who permits tenants to keep dogs known to be dangerous without requiring adequate safeguards may bear responsibility when an attack occurs on the rental property. Allowing a tenant to keep a dog classified as dangerous under NRS 202.500 without verifying that insurance, enclosure, and muzzle requirements are met can expose the landlord to liability.
- Parents and Guardians: When a minor is handling an aggressive dog and the parent or guardian fails to provide adequate supervision, that adult may be held responsible for injuries the dog inflicts. This applies whether the attack occurs on the family’s property or in a public area.
How Do You Prove a Dog Bite Claim in Nevada?
You must prove the dog owner knew or should have known the dog posed a risk and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the attack. Because Nevada does not impose strict liability, the strength of your case depends on the evidence you gather and how clearly it demonstrates the owner’s negligence.
Animal control records, prior complaints from neighbors, and the dog’s veterinary and behavioral history all help establish what the owner knew before the attack occurred. Medical records linking your injuries to the specific incident are essential, and expert testimony from animal behaviorists can establish what a responsible owner should have done under the same circumstances.
Establish the Owner’s Negligence
Negligence means the owner failed to exercise reasonable care in controlling the dog. This can include allowing the dog to roam unleashed, ignoring aggressive behavior, or leaving a gate unsecured in an area where children and pedestrians are regularly present.
In Boulder City, Ordinance 1872 gives victims a direct path to proving negligence. Any attack by an off-leash dog in a non-designated area after December 4, 2025 supports a negligence per se claim, removing the need for additional proof of unreasonable conduct.
Document Your Injuries
Photograph your injuries immediately and seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if the wound appears minor. Bite wounds carry a significant risk of infection. The American Academy of Family Physicians estimates that up to 20 percent of dog bites become infected, and complications can develop days after the initial attack.
Emergency room records and follow-up treatment documentation connect your injuries to the incident and create a medical timeline your attorney will use to calculate damages. The emotional toll of a dog attack, especially for children, often requires professional counseling that should be documented as part of your claim.
Show the Dog’s History
Prior incidents of aggression strengthen your claim and can overcome the one-bite rule even if the dog has never bitten a person before. Growling, lunging, snapping, and charging are all forms of aggressive behavior that put an owner on notice under Nevada law.
NRS 202.500 classifies a dog as dangerous after two unprovoked menacing incidents within 18 months, and as vicious if the dog causes substantial bodily harm or death. Neighbor complaints, animal control citations, and “Beware of Dog” signs on the property can all demonstrate that the owner had prior knowledge of the risk. Social media posts about the dog’s behavior are also admissible and can show the owner chose not to act.
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What Compensation Can You Recover After a Dog Bite?
Nevada law allows dog attack victims to recover economic, non-economic, and punitive damages through a civil claim against the dog owner or other liable parties. Economic damages cover emergency medical treatment, reconstructive surgery, prescription medications, lost wages, and any long-term therapy your recovery will require.
Non-economic damages account for the harm that has no fixed dollar amount but affects your life just as severely. Dog attacks often leave lasting scars, both physical and psychological, that affect how you move through daily routines, interact with animals, and feel safe in your own neighborhood. We understand how deeply that kind of harm reaches.
Nevada places no cap on non-economic damages in dog bite cases, so a jury is free to award the full amount it believes your suffering warrants.
Punitive damages may apply when the owner knew the dog was dangerous and failed to act. If the evidence shows the owner received prior complaints, ignored a dangerous dog designation under NRS 202.500, or deliberately violated leash requirements, the court may impose additional damages designed to punish that conduct. Owners of dogs classified as vicious who fail to comply with mandatory enclosure, muzzle, and insurance requirements face the strongest exposure to punitive awards.
What Should You Do After a Dog Bite in Boulder City?
Take these steps after a dog bite in Boulder City to protect your health and your legal rights. A dog attack can be a frightening experience, and we know that thinking clearly in the aftermath may feel impossible. Acting quickly preserves both your medical recovery and your ability to hold the owner accountable.
A Boulder City dog bite attorney can advise you on your next steps while the evidence is still fresh.
Clean the wound with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately, even if the bite appears minor. Bite wounds can become infected within days, and some injuries that seem superficial may involve damage to tendons, nerves, or underlying tissue that only a physician can detect. Emergency room records create the medical timeline your claim for compensation will depend on.
Report the bite to Boulder City Animal Control so the dog can be quarantined for the required ten-day observation period. This step protects public safety and creates an official record linking the attack to the owner and the animal.
Photograph your injuries, the location where the attack occurred, and the dog itself before leaving the scene if you can do so safely. Collect the owner’s name, address, and contact information, and ask whether the dog is current on its vaccinations.
How Long Do You Have to File a Dog Bite Lawsuit in Nevada?
Nevada gives you two years from the date of the attack to file a dog bite lawsuit under NRS 11.190(4)(e). Once that deadline passes, the court will almost certainly dismiss your case regardless of how strong your evidence is.
Two years may sound like enough time, but building a case after a dog attack requires obtaining animal control records, documenting the dog’s behavioral history, and consulting medical professionals. You must also prepare to litigate against a homeowners insurance company that has every incentive to delay. That process takes longer than most people expect.
Children who are bitten by a dog have additional time under Nevada law. A minor’s statute of limitations does not begin to run until the child turns eighteen, giving them until their twentieth birthday to file a claim.
Parents or guardians may also file on a child’s behalf at any time before the standard two-year deadline expires. Contacting a dog bite lawyer in Boulder City early gives your legal team the time it needs to investigate, document, and prepare your case before any deadline passes.
How Drummond Law Firm Can Help
Drummond Law Firm provides attorney-led representation for dog bite and animal attack victims across Boulder City and the greater Clark County area. Craig Drummond, a former U.S. Army Captain and Bronze Star recipient, brings more than 15 years of trial experience to every case his firm handles. His team has recovered tens of millions of dollars for clients across Nevada.
Our Reduced Fee Guarantee® ensures we will never take more than the client receives in a settlement. You will not pay a fee unless we win your case, so call the Captain today at (702) 366-9966 to schedule a free consultation.
