Liability and collectability are different questions. The owner is still liable under § 767.04. What changes is where the money would come from.
First, confirm it is actually true. “I don’t have insurance” is often “I don’t think my policy covers this,” which is frequently wrong. Renters policies include liability cover that people forget they have. Ask for the carrier name rather than accepting a conclusion.
Then look for someone else. This is where most of the value is:
- A landlord or property manager, if the bite happened in a rental or common area and they knew about a dangerous dog and could have acted. Their policy is usually much larger than a tenant’s.
- Whoever had the dog at the time — a sitter, walker, boarding facility, or groomer may carry their own cover.
- A business, if the dog was on commercial premises or belonged to one.
- A homeowner, where the dog’s owner was a guest or household member of somebody else.
Check whether the dog was already classified dangerous. Since 2025 the owner of a classified dangerous dog must carry at least $100,000 in liability insurance. If the dog had a prior classification, either that policy exists or the owner broke a statutory duty — and the second gives you a clean negligence theory to plead alongside the strict liability claim. Ask animal services.
Finally, the owner personally. Possible, but be realistic: a judgment against someone with no assets is paper. That assessment is worth doing before anyone spends money.