San Diego Dog Bite Lawyers

Dog Bite Cases We Handle

The Mason Firm handles serious dog bite and animal attack cases involving physical injury, scarring, infection, nerve damage, orthopedic injuries, and psychological trauma. These cases often require careful investigation into the dog’s history, ownership, insurance coverage, location of the attack, and whether others may share responsibility.

We handle dog bite cases involving:

• bites to the face, arms, hands, legs, neck, or torso;
• attacks causing permanent scarring or disfigurement;
• attacks involving children;
• attacks requiring stitches, surgery, or scar revision;
• nerve damage or loss of sensation;
• tendon, ligament, or muscle injuries;
• infections following a dog bite;
• broken bones caused by bites, falls, or being knocked down;
• attacks by pit bulls, German shepherds, rottweilers, or other large dogs;
• attacks in apartment complexes or rental properties;
• attacks in public parks, sidewalks, businesses, or neighborhoods;
• unleashed or uncontrolled dogs;
• prior bite history or known aggressive behavior;
• landlord or property-owner negligence;
• and wrongful death caused by an animal attack.

A dog bite case may involve more than the dog’s owner. Depending on the facts, responsible parties may include a property owner, landlord, business, dog walker, caretaker, homeowner, renter, or another person who controlled or allowed access to the dog.

Important evidence can disappear quickly. Photos of the injuries, witness information, animal control reports, medical records, prior complaints, social media posts, insurance information, and evidence of the dog’s history should be preserved as early as possible.

California Dog Bite Law

California has a strict liability dog bite statute. In many dog bite cases, a dog owner may be responsible when their dog bites someone in a public place or when the person was lawfully on private property. The injured person does not always have to prove that the dog previously bit someone or that the owner knew the dog was dangerous.

That said, every case still depends on the facts. The defense may argue that the person was trespassing, provoked the dog, assumed the risk, or was not actually bitten. There may also be disputes over who owned or controlled the dog, where the incident happened, whether insurance applies, and the full value of the injuries.

Some animal attack cases involve injuries that are not caused by a bite. For example, a dog may knock someone down, chase a person into traffic, or cause a fall. Those cases may involve negligence theories rather than strict dog-bite liability.

Because different legal theories may apply, it is important to investigate the incident carefully.

Common Causes of Dog Bite and Animal Attack Cases

Dog bites often happen because an owner or handler failed to control the animal or ignored warning signs. Many serious attacks are preventable.

Common causes include:

Unleashed Dogs
Dogs running loose in neighborhoods, parks, apartment complexes, sidewalks, or public areas can create serious danger, especially when the owner cannot control the animal.

Failure to Control a Known Aggressive Dog
Some dogs have a history of growling, lunging, biting, chasing, or acting aggressively. When an owner knows about prior warning signs and fails to take precautions, the risk of injury increases.

Poor Fencing or Unsafe Property Conditions
Broken fences, open gates, inadequate barriers, and unsafe yards can allow a dog to escape or attack someone who is lawfully on or near the property.

Attacks in Apartment Complexes or Rental Properties
Landlords and property managers may become relevant when they knew or should have known about a dangerous dog on the property and failed to take reasonable action.

Dogs in Public Places
Dog attacks can happen in parks, beaches, sidewalks, stores, restaurants, parking lots, and other public areas when an owner fails to leash, restrain, or control the dog.

Dog Walker or Caretaker Negligence
A dog walker, sitter, groomer, kennel, or caretaker may be responsible if they fail to control a dog in their care.

Children Near Dangerous Dogs
Children may be bitten because they do not recognize warning signs or cannot protect themselves. Dog owners must take appropriate precautions when children are present.

Failure to Warn
If a dog has known aggressive tendencies, an owner or property possessor may need to warn others and take reasonable steps to prevent contact with the dog.

Identifying the cause of the attack helps determine who may be responsible, what insurance applies, and what evidence must be preserved.

Common Dog Bite Injuries

Dog bites can cause more than temporary wounds. Serious attacks may require emergency care, surgery, therapy, scar revision, or long-term psychological support.

Common injuries include:

Puncture Wounds and Lacerations
Dog bites can tear skin, muscle, and soft tissue. Deep wounds may require stitches, wound care, or surgery.

Scarring and Disfigurement
Dog bite scars can be permanent, especially when the injury involves the face, neck, arms, or hands. Some clients require plastic surgery, scar revision, laser treatment, or other future care.

Nerve Damage
Bites to the hands, arms, legs, or face can damage nerves, causing numbness, tingling, weakness, chronic pain, or loss of sensation.

Tendon, Ligament, and Muscle Injuries
A dog bite can damage tendons, ligaments, and muscles, affecting grip strength, range of motion, walking, lifting, or daily activities.

Infections
Dog bites carry a risk of infection. In some cases, infection can spread and require antibiotics, hospitalization, surgery, or additional medical treatment.

Broken Bones and Fall Injuries
A dog may knock a person down, causing fractures, ankle injuries, wrist injuries, shoulder injuries, hip injuries, or head trauma.

Facial Injuries
Children and adults may suffer facial bites involving the lips, cheeks, nose, eyes, ears, or scalp. These injuries can be physically and emotionally devastating.

Psychological Trauma
A dog attack can cause anxiety, nightmares, fear of dogs, post-traumatic stress, depression, and emotional distress, especially for children.

Wrongful Death
In rare but devastating cases, dog attacks can cause death. Families may have a wrongful death claim when a fatal attack was preventable.

Prompt medical care is important after any serious bite. Early treatment helps reduce infection risk, document the injury, and identify whether additional care such as surgery, wound management, therapy, or psychological treatment may be needed.

Damages Available in Dog Bite Cases

The damages available in a dog bite case depend on the severity of the injuries, the long-term effect on the injured person’s life, the available insurance coverage, and the responsible parties.

Recoverable damages may include:

Medical Expenses
This may include emergency care, urgent care, stitches, surgery, wound cleaning, antibiotics, imaging, follow-up visits, therapy, and other medical treatment.

Future Medical Care
Some dog bite injuries require scar revision, plastic surgery, laser treatment, physical therapy, counseling, or additional procedures after the initial wound heals.

Lost Income
An injured person may recover income lost because of medical appointments, surgery, recovery, pain, or physical limitations.

Loss of Earning Capacity
If the injury affects the person’s ability to work in the future, damages may include reduced earning capacity or inability to perform the same type of work.

Pain and Suffering
Dog bites can cause significant physical pain, emotional distress, fear, anxiety, embarrassment, and loss of enjoyment of life.

Scarring and Disfigurement
Permanent scarring, facial injuries, visible wounds, and disfigurement should be fully evaluated, including the effect on confidence, daily life, and future medical needs.

Psychological Harm
The emotional impact of a dog attack can be significant, particularly for children. Counseling or psychological treatment may be part of the damages.

Wrongful Death Damages
If an animal attack causes death, surviving family members may pursue damages for the loss of love, companionship, guidance, support, and other losses recognized under California law.

Insurance companies often try to minimize dog bite claims by focusing only on the initial medical bill or by arguing that the scar is not serious. A proper evaluation should consider the full impact of the attack, including permanent scarring, future care, emotional trauma, and the effect on the injured person’s daily life.

Insurance Issues in Dog Bite Cases

Dog bite cases often involve homeowners insurance, renters insurance, landlord policies, business policies, or other liability coverage. In some cases, the dog owner may deny insurance coverage, the insurer may dispute whether the policy applies, or there may be exclusions for certain dog breeds or prior incidents.

Potential sources of recovery may include:

• homeowners insurance;
• renters insurance;
• landlord or property-owner insurance;
• business liability insurance;
• umbrella or excess insurance;
• dog walker or caretaker coverage;
• and claims against other responsible parties.

An injured person should be careful before speaking with an insurance adjuster, signing a release, or accepting an early settlement. The full extent of scarring, nerve damage, future treatment, and emotional harm may not be clear immediately after the attack.

The Mason Firm investigates available insurance coverage and works to identify all responsible parties before evaluating settlement options.

What to do after a Dog Bite

The steps taken after a dog bite can affect both the person’s health and the legal claim.

After a dog bite or animal attack:

1. Get medical care immediately.
   Dog bites can cause infection, nerve damage, tendon injury, scarring, and other serious complications.
2. Report the attack.
   Report the bite to animal control, law enforcement, property management, or the appropriate authority.
3. Identify the dog and owner.
   Obtain the owner’s name, address, phone number, insurance information, and any information about the dog’s vaccination history.
4. Take photographs.
   Photograph the wounds, bruising, blood, torn clothing, location of the attack, leash or fence issues, and the healing process over time.
5. Identify witnesses.
   Get names and contact information from anyone who saw the attack or knows about the dog’s prior behavior.
6. Preserve evidence.
   Keep damaged clothing, medical paperwork, photographs, videos, text messages, reports, and communications with the dog owner or insurance company.
7. Do not rush into settlement.
   Scarring, nerve damage, and emotional trauma may take time to fully evaluate.
8. Speak with an attorney.
   Serious dog bite cases should be reviewed before evidence disappears or an insurance company undervalues the claim.