Dog Bite Claims: Strict Liability, Scarring, and What Cases Are Worth
Most states hold dog owners strictly liable, which makes these claims clearer than most. The complications are scarring, children, and the fact that the owner is often someone you know.
Liability is usually the easy part
Dog bite claims are unusual in personal injury because fault is often straightforward. Most states apply strict liability, meaning the owner is responsible for a bite regardless of whether the dog had ever shown aggression and regardless of how careful they were.
A minority of states follow some version of the older 'one bite' rule, where it matters whether the owner knew the animal was dangerous. Which rule applies where you live changes the case significantly, and it is one of the first things an attorney will tell you.
You are probably not suing your neighbour personally
This stops more valid claims than anything else. The dog's owner is frequently a neighbour, a friend, or a relative, and people decide not to pursue it rather than damage the relationship.
In most cases the claim is paid by the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance — which exists precisely for this, and which they have been paying premiums for. Understanding that the money comes from an insurer rather than out of someone's savings changes the conversation for a lot of people.
Why these cases wait on your treatment
Dog bite value is driven heavily by scarring and by what future treatment will be needed. Plastic surgery consultations, scar revision, and nerve damage assessments often cannot be completed for months, and a scar's permanent appearance is not known until it has fully matured.
Settling before that is known means settling before anyone can price the future surgeries. It is the most common expensive mistake in these claims.
When the victim is a child
Most dog bite victims requiring medical treatment are children, and claims involving minors work differently. Settlements typically require court approval, funds are often held until the child turns eighteen, and the time limit to file may be extended.
The psychological impact is also real, documentable, and compensable. A child who now freezes at every dog on the sidewalk has suffered something worth recording in the medical file rather than treating as an afterthought.
The financial gap
These claims commonly resolve in six to eighteen months, gated mostly by treatment. If you are missing work or paying for care while the insurer takes its time, non-recourse funding against the claim is an option — no credit check, no monthly payments, nothing owed if the case does not win.
As everywhere else: take the smallest amount that solves the problem, and read the payoff schedule with your attorney first.
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This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Deadlines and rules vary by state and by claim type — talk to an attorney licensed where your case is. Last updated 2026-08-23.
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