The demand is the document that turns a set of facts into a claim with a number on it. It goes to the owner’s insurer, not to the owner.
What it sets out
Liability, under the statute. That the owner’s dog bit you, and that § 767.04 makes them liable regardless of the dog’s history. This section is usually short, because in most Florida bite claims liability is not seriously in dispute.
The facts, in order. Where you were, what the dog did, who witnessed it, what was posted, and what happened immediately afterwards. This is where a contemporaneous log earns its keep.
Why the defences do not apply. Pre-empting rather than waiting: why you were lawfully present, why the fault argument fails, and — where a sign was posted — why it does not meet the statute’s conditions.
The injuries and the treatment, from the records rather than from memory.
The documented losses. Medical bills, out-of-pocket costs, lost income, and future care. Itemised, with the paperwork attached.
The effects that are not receipts. Pain, scarring, and the psychological aftermath — which is real in dog attack cases and is valued only when it has been documented.
A figure, and a deadline to respond.
What deliberately stays out
Anything unverified. A claimed cost without a bill behind it discredits the parts that do have bills behind them.
Anything that hands over the fault argument. Speculation about what you should have done differently is an opinion, and it will be quoted back as an admission.
Medical records unrelated to the bite. Insurers mine prior history for an alternative explanation.
Why the timing matters
A demand sent before treatment is complete is a demand that prices the injury without knowing it. Infection, nerve symptoms and the need for scar revision commonly appear weeks or months later, and once a release is signed the claim is finished.
That is also why an early offer usually arrives before any demand has been sent — it is cheaper to settle a claim before anyone knows what it is worth.
No demand can promise an outcome, and the figure in one is a position rather than a prediction. What genuinely drives value.