A field guide for the hours after
After a dog bite, the next hour matters more than the next month.
Medical steps, evidence, insurance, and the law in your state — written without slogans. If the file is real, we introduce you to attorneys who already wanted a case like yours.
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What to do after a dog bite
A practical sequence after a dog bite: medical care, evidence, animal control, insurance, and when a lawyer is actually worth calling.
Hiring
How to choose a dog bite lawyer
What actually distinguishes a good dog-bite attorney: volume in this claim type, insurance-defense literacy, trial posture, and how they get paid.
Money
Dog bite settlement amounts
The 2025 average dog-related insurance claim was $65,450. Here is what that number is, what it is not, and what actually moves a dog-bite settlement.
Liability
Strict liability vs the one-bite rule
In a strict-liability state you do not prove the dog was known to be dangerous. In a one-bite state you usually do. Here is how that split works, and which facts still matter everywhere.
Insurance
Homeowners insurance and dog bites
Most dog-bite money comes from a homeowners or renters policy, not from the owner. Coverage, exclusions, medical payments, and why the first check is not the claim.
Deadlines
Dog bite statute of limitations
Most states give you two years from the bite to file a lawsuit. Kentucky and Tennessee give you one. Maine, Minnesota, and North Dakota give you six. Missing it ends the case.
The law is state law
Strict liability, one-bite, mixed statutes, and deadlines from one year to six. Start with the place you were standing.
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This page is general information, not legal advice, and is not a substitute for a lawyer licensed in your state. Statutes change. Confirm the current rule and your deadline with counsel before you rely on a date.