Bitten by a dog in Glendale, Arizona: who to call and finding a dog bite lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

After a dog bite in Glendale, Arizona, call 623-930-3212, the number the city lists for animal bites.1 The owner must pay for a bite in a public place or where you were lawfully present, even if the dog was never mean before.2 The deadline is unsettled, so treat one year as your safe limit.3

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Road map of Glendale, Arizona near 59th Avenue and Thunderbird Conservation Park, where city park rules require dogs on a leash of six feet or less
Dog bite in Glendale? Call 623-930-3212 and plan on one year. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Who do I call about a dog bite in Glendale, AZ?

This is confusing in Glendale, and it is not your fault. Official pages point in different directions.14

Official pageWhat it tells you
Glendale Code ComplianceCall Animal Services at 623-930-3212 about animal bites1
Glendale animal listThat same number is shown as Police Dispatch and as the hotline for dogs at large56
A current Glendale animal pageCall Maricopa County at 602-506-7387 about a dog or cat bite4
County dog bite pageGlendale is one of the places told to contact local police7
County rabies pageLists other cities' animal control offices, not Glendale's, and sends all other bites to the county8

Here is the practical answer. Start with 623-930-3212, and ask for a report number. If you are told to call the county, call 602-506-7387 and tell them Glendale sent you.9 Write down who you spoke to and when. A report number will help you with the insurer later, whichever agency gives it.

What should I do right after a dog bite in Glendale?

  1. Get medical care and photograph the wound. That is the county's own first step.10
  2. Ask who owns the dog. The person who owns it or is caring for it has to give you the owner's contact information.11
  3. Ask about shots, and if you do not know, get a rabies assessment. County Public Health answers at 602-506-6767, day and night.12
  4. Report it, using the numbers above.
  5. Keep photographing the injury as it heals, and save every bill.

A child who was bitten can be seen at Phoenix Children's Arrowhead, a Level IV center at 19007 N. 67th Ave.13 Bites on the face or hands can need a specialist, so ask about follow-up even if the wound looks small.

What happens to the dog after it bites someone in Glendale?

Usually a quarantine, not a death sentence. Arizona law holds an unvaccinated dog or cat that bites for at least ten days, starting the day of the bite.14 The county says that if a dog is licensed, vaccinated and can be safely kept in, it may stay at home.15 After a county quarantine, the person bitten gets a letter saying the dog did not have rabies.16

The county has a precise word for each event. It is a bite if the teeth broke the skin. If not, it is an attack, with or without injury.17 Say exactly what happened when you report it.

Is there a leash law in Glendale, AZ?

Glendale says it follows the animal control laws adopted by Maricopa County.18 We could not open the part of the city code on animals, so we rely on the city's own pages here.

  • In a Glendale park, a dog must be controlled and on a leash no longer than six feet.19
  • State law requires a dog in a public park or on public school grounds to be physically restrained by a leash or enclosed, with limited event exceptions.20
  • The county treats a dog as at large when it is not on a leash or confined by a fence.21
  • Arizona makes the owner or the person responsible fully responsible if a dog running loose hurts someone.22

If you can, note whether there was a leash, whether a gate stood open and whether a fence had a gap. A picture taken from the public sidewalk is enough.

When does the owner have to pay for a dog bite in Glendale?

What happenedArizona's answer
You were in a public placeThe owner is liable, even for a first bite2
You were at the owner's homeYou are lawfully there if invited, a guest or doing a legal duty23
You provoked the dogThat gives the owner a defense24

A closed animal control file does not end your rights. If the county issues no citation, it stops investigating, and you can still seek money as a civil matter.25 Homeowner and renter policies are often where the money comes from, so ask for the insurer's name early.

How long do I have to file a dog bite claim in Glendale?

No one can give you a firm answer, because the law is unsettled. Arizona allows one year for a liability created by statute, and no statute says which deadline applies to a dog bite.3 Other injury claims get two years,26 but plan around one year from the bite and let a lawyer tell you if you have more.

A minor's clock usually waits until 18,27 but ask before you rely on that. If a public agency's dog was involved, such as a police dog, the 180-day notice rule may apply.28

When should I call a dog bite lawyer in Glendale?

  • The bite needed stitches or surgery, or it will scar.
  • The owner refuses to give you a name or insurance details.
  • The bite happened at work, so workers' comp may apply as well.29
  • The dog was loose and its owner has not been found.
  • Your one-year mark is getting close.

Maricopa justice courts hear small claims up to $5,000.30 A serious bite usually calls for more than that, so ask a lawyer which court fits before you file anything.

Questions

What number do I call for a dog bite in Glendale, AZ?

Start with 623-930-3212.1 Glendale also lists the county at 602-506-7387.4

The dog never bit anyone before. Can I still sue in Glendale?

Yes. A clean history does not protect the owner under Arizona's bite law.2

What if the dog did not break the skin?

Under county definitions that is an attack instead of a bite. Report it anyway.17

Must dogs be leashed in Glendale parks?

Yes. City park rules set a six-foot maximum leash.19

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Glendale

Dog bite

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Sources

  1. Glendale Code Compliance, Frequently Asked Questions, checked 2026-11-08. “Call Animal Services at 623-930-3212 to report:”
  2. A.R.S. § 11-1025(A), checked 2026-11-08. “The owner of a dog that bites a person when the person is in or on a public place or lawfully in or on a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, is liable for damages suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner's knowledge of its viciousness.”
  3. A.R.S. § 12-541(5), checked 2026-11-08. “There shall be commenced and prosecuted within one year after the cause of action accrues, and not afterward, the following actions: [...] 5. Upon a liability created by statute, other than a penalty or forfeiture.”
  4. City of Glendale, Animal Information, checked 2026-11-08. “Please call Maricopa County Animal Care and Control at 602-506-7387 to report all healthy stray dogs, a dog or cat bite, or a vicious dog.”
  5. City of Glendale, Animal Information, checked 2026-11-08. “Police Dispatch 623-930-3212”
  6. City of Glendale, Animal Information, checked 2026-11-08. “Animal Services Hotline 623-930-3212”
  7. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “| Avondale | El Mirage | Glendale |”
  8. Maricopa County, Rabies, checked 2026-11-08. “All other bites not covered by one of the cities listed above should contact Maricopa County Animal Care and Control by phone at 602-506-7387”
  9. Maricopa County, Our Field Team, checked 2026-11-08. “You or your pet are the victim(s) of a dog bite or attack? Contact the Call Center (602-506-7387) or submit an online report”
  10. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “Seek medical attention if necessary, and take photos of any injuries.”
  11. A.R.S. § 11-1025(B), checked 2026-11-08. “shall provide the owner's contact information to the person who suffered the dog bite.”
  12. Maricopa County, Rabies, checked 2026-11-08. “call the Maricopa County Department of Public Health at 602-506-6767 (24 hours a day).”
  13. Arizona Department of Health Services, Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “19007 N 67th Ave, Glendale, AZ 85308 08/18/25 08/18/28”
  14. Arizona Revised Statutes 11-1014, checked 2026-11-08. “for a period of at least ten days”
  15. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “Home Quarantine - If the dog is licensed, has a current rabies vaccination, and can be safely confined within the owner's property, the dog may qualify to spend the observation period at home.”
  16. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “The bite victim will be notified by mail that the dog did not have rabies.”
  17. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “A dog bite is defined as an injury where the dog's teeth have broken skin on a person.”
  18. City of Glendale, Animal Information, checked 2026-11-08. “With cats, as is the case for dogs, the City of Glendale adheres to those animal control laws adopted by Maricopa County.”
  19. City of Glendale, Park Rules and Regulations, checked 2026-11-08. “Dogs and cats must be controlled by owner and restrained by a six-foot maximum leash.”
  20. Arizona Revised Statutes 11-1012, checked 2026-11-08. “No person in charge of any dog shall permit such dog in a public park or upon any public school property unless the dog is physically restrained by a leash”
  21. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “(not on a leash or confined by a fence)”
  22. A.R.S. § 11-1020, checked 2026-11-08. “Injury to any person or damage to any property by a dog while at large shall be the full responsibility of the dog owner or person or persons responsible for the dog when such damages were inflicted.”
  23. A.R.S. § 11-1026, checked 2026-11-08. “A person is lawfully in or on the private property of the owner of a dog within the meaning of this article when an invitee or guest, or when in the performance of a duty imposed upon him by law”
  24. A.R.S. § 11-1027, checked 2026-11-08. “Proof of provocation of the attack by the person injured shall be a defense to the action for damages.”
  25. Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, Victims' Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “If no citations are issued: MCACC ends the investigation and the victim can choose to seek restitution as a civil matter.”
  26. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  27. A.R.S. § 12-502, checked 2026-11-08. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”
  28. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  29. A.R.S. § 23-1023(A), checked 2026-11-08. “by the negligence or wrong of another person not in the same employ, the injured employee, or in event of death the injured employee's dependents, may pursue the injured person's remedy against the other person.”
  30. Maricopa County Justice Courts, checked 2026-11-08. “small claims up to $5,000, and civil lawsuits for amounts up to $10,000”

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