Guidance On Making A Dog Bite Claim

In this guide we look at when and how you could make a dog bite claim after being attacked by a dog that was out of control.

Being attacked by a dog could be a traumatic experience which may leave you with lasting serious injuries. Dog owners (or those responsible for the dog) have a duty of care to ensure that the dog remains under control and is neither a danger to the public, nor causes fear of a dog attack. Should you suffer injuries in a dog attack, you may be able to claim against the dog owner if they have pet insurance in place. Additionally, we will provide information on how you could claim if the dog was used as a weapon in a violent attack.

If you would like to make a personal injury claim for your dog bite injury, you will need to prove that you meet certain eligibility criteria. We explain what this is and look at a few examples of evidence you could present to support your dog bite compensation claim. Additionally, we provide information on how compensation could be awarded for dog bite injuries.

Finally, we look at how a No Win No Fee solicitor could help you by offering their services via a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

Our team is on hand to answer any questions you may have about making a dog bite claim. You can contact us in the following ways; 

• Use the pop-up live chat feature to speak to an advisor.
• Fill in our form to start your claim online.
• Speak to an advisor by phoning 020 3870 4868.

Jump To A Section

• Can I Make A Dog Bite Claim For Compensation?
• Can I Make A Claim On Behalf Of My Child If They’re Bitten By A Dog
• How To Make A Dog Bite Claim
• How Much Can You Get If A Dog Bites You?
• How To Make A Dog Bite Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor

Can I Make A Dog Bite Claim For Compensation?

A dog attack could lead to you suffering multiple serious types of injury. Once you have had your injuries treated, you may wonder if you could be compensated for the pain and suffering you have experienced.

In order to claim compensation you need to show that the person in control of the dog at the time of the incident owed you a duty of care and that when they breached this duty, you sustained injuries.

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

As part of this duty, those responsible for a dog, such as a dog owner, dog walker or dog sitter must adhere to certain legislation. This includes the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which makes it a criminal offence for any dog, regardless of breed, to be out of control.

This means that whoever is responsible for a dog, which does include the dog’s owner, but will also include those with temporary responsibility, such as a person walking the dog, must ensure that the dog is not dangerously out of control in any place. Any place can include a private home as well as public places, such as a park.

If the dog is dangerously out of control and causes injury, the person with responsibility for the dog at the time has committed an offence.

Find out if you could make a dog bite claim by calling our advisors for a free case assessment.

Can I Make A Claim On Behalf Of My Child If They’re Bitten By A Dog

Children may be more vulnerable during a dog attack. They may have limited experience or awareness of being around animals and may not see warning signs. Due to their size, they may also be less able to defend themselves against out of control dogs, and if injured by a dog, the injuries may be more severe.

Those classed as a minor (under the age of eighteen) at the time of the dog attack are not able to make a dog bite claim on their own behalf. In order to make a claim before the child reaches the age of 18, an adult will need to act as a Litigation Friend. This may be a parent or other person connected to the child.

Alternatively, the claim can be left until the child turns eighteen. At this point they will be able to claim on their own behalf and will have the standard three year time limit as set by the Limitation Act 1980.

Contact our team to find out more about how to claim if a child has been injured by a dog and what limitation period may apply.

How To Make A Dog Bite Claim

In order to successfully claim compensation for being injured by a dog, you will need to prove that the person in control of the dog when it attacked you acted negligently. For example, if safety measures such as the use of a lead or a muzzle (where it is known the dog has bitten someone before) were not used, the person in control of the dog may be liable.

Your personal injury claim will need to provide evidence of the attack taking place and of the injuries you sustained. Evidence could include,

• The owner’s details: request contact details from the owner of the dog such as their name, address and information on any insurance policy they have in place.
• Police reports: if the incident has been reported to the police they may have attended the scene of the incident. Request copies of any police reports and keep a note of the crime number if one is issued.
• Medical records: if your injuries were treated at an A&E department, Walk-in Centre, GP surgery or by a paramedic, you should request copies of any medical records created. Records may contain information on the nature and severity of the injury as well as any tests and treatment carried out. You may also need an independent medical report to help support your claim.

In addition you could also submit CCTV footage of the incident taking place or photos of your dog bite injury.

How Much Can You Get If A Dog Bites You?

Any settlement may be made up of two heads of claim. These are general damages and special damages.

General damages may be awarded for pain and suffering caused by the dog attack.

The Judicial College (JC) provides guidelines to those calculating damages for personal injury claims. The table below includes examples from these guidelines. The first row contains an illustrative settlement which also includes compensation for financial losses. This figure is not taken from the JC guidelines.

Type Of Injury	Severity	Guideline Compensation
Multiple serious injuries with financial losses	Serious to severe	Up to £500,000+
Leg injuries	Severe (b) (i)	£117,460 to £165,860
Facial disfigurement	Very severe scarring (a)	£36,340 to £118,790
	Less severe scarring (b)	£21,920 to £59,090
Hand injuries	Amputation of index, middle and/or ring fingers	£75,550 to £110,750
	Serious (e)	£35,390 to £75,550
	Less serious hand injuries (g)	£17,640 to £35,390
	Amputation of the little finger (m)	£10,550 to £14,940
Foot injuries	Moderate (f)	£16,770 to £30,500
Toe injuries	Moderate (e)	Up to £11,720

In addition to general damages, you may also be awarded special damages to compensate you for financial losses associated with your injury.

Special damages could include compensation for,

• Medical treatment, care and medication costs.
• Loss of earnings.
• Travel costs.

Learn more about what you could claim for a dog bite by contacting our specialist team today.

Can I Make A Dog Bite Claim Through The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority?

To make a dog bite claim through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), the dog must be proven to have been used as a weapon that caused injury in a violent attack. Certain eligibility criteria must be met in order to claim compensation in this manner.

The CICA is a government-funded body that compensates victims of certain violent crimes in Great Britain. For more information, please read our guide about criminal injury claims.

How To Make A Dog Bite Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor

When you contact our team we can start to assess your dog bite claim and determine whether you may have a valid case. If we assess that you could claim, an advisor could connect you to a specialist No Win No Fee Solicitor from our panel.

One of the solicitors from our panel could handle your dog bite injury claim through a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is a type of No Win No Fee arrangement. This means that the solicitor could begin working on your claim without you needing to make any upfront payments towards their services. You will also not be asked to make payments for their services during the claims process.

At the end of the claim, if your case is successful a percentage of the compensation goes to the solicitor as a success fee. This percentage is legally capped. If you do not win your case, you will not need to pay for your solicitor’s services.

Contact Our Team About Your Dog Bite Injury

Our team is on hand to answer any questions you may have on making a claim for a dog bite. They can take you through the process of making a claim and could help you start your personal injury claim.

Get in touch today via,

• • Phoning an advisor on 020 3870 4868
  • Using our live chat pop-up
  • Filling in our form to begin a claim online.

Learn More About Personal Injury Claims

Below you can find further helpful resources from across our site.

• Read about how you could get an interim payment for your personal injury claim.
• In this guide you can learn more about how often personal injury claims may go to court.
• Find out if you could claim for other accidents on private property, such as an accident in a garden, in this guide.

Finally we have also included external references with further relevant information.

• Get advice on dealing with an animal bite in this NHS guide.
• This government resource has more information on how to control a dog in public places.
• Check how to report a dog which is out of control in this government guide.

If after reading our guide on how to make a dog bite claim you still have questions on what should you do if a dog bites you, contact an advisor today.