Available 24/7
Available 24/7
Dog attacks in Texas can mean weeks out of work, emergency surgery, lasting scars, and real psychological damage. Texas does not impose automatic strict liability for dog bites, so building a strong claim takes skill, but victims have solid legal grounds to seek full compensation when an owner knew their dog was dangerous or failed to control it responsibly. Our Texas dog bite attorneys handle cases statewide on a contingency basis. You pay nothing unless we win.
Call 866-592-4837 or book a free consultation online. We are available 24/7!
Economic damages are the direct, measurable financial losses caused by the attack. These include emergency room bills, hospitalization costs, surgery fees (including reconstructive or plastic surgery for scarring), follow-up medical appointments, prescribed medications, wound care, and physical therapy or rehabilitation. If injuries require ongoing treatment, future medical expenses are also recoverable.
Lost wages cover income you missed during recovery. If the injuries affect your ability to work long-term, for example, nerve damage to your hands, or PTSD that prevents you returning to your previous role, loss of future earning capacity can also be claimed. These figures are typically supported by employer records, tax returns, and expert testimony.
Non-economic damages cover the human cost of the attack. Pain and suffering accounts for the physical discomfort experienced during and after the injury. Emotional distress covers anxiety, depression, nightmares, and the lasting fear of dogs that many victims develop, particularly children. PTSD is common after dog attacks and has real, documentable medical value in a claim.
Permanent scarring or disfigurement carries significant weight, especially when it is visible on the face, neck, or hands. Loss of enjoyment covers activities the victim can no longer participate in due to physical or psychological limitations. Loss of consortium may be claimed by a spouse or family member when the attack meaningfully disrupts the victim’s relationships and family life.
If the victim is a minor, parents or legal guardians can file on their behalf for both economic and non-economic damages. Claims involving children often reach higher values due to the long-term duration of disfigurement and the psychological impact that can follow a child into adulthood.
With dog bite cases, punitive damages do not apply. They are reserved for situations where the dog owner’s conduct was especially reckless or malicious. For example, knowingly keeping a dog with a documented history of attacks without any precautions, or allowing an aggressive dog to roam free in a populated area after prior warnings. When punitive damages are available, they can significantly increase total recovery above compensatory amounts.
Several factors shape the final settlement value. The severity of the injury such as a deep facial wound requiring multiple surgeries, can settle for far more than a bite that heals cleanly. The visibility of scarring, the victim’s age, available insurance coverage, quality of medical documentation, and strength of the liability argument all play a role.
Our team has recovered over $1M in individual dog bite settlements. See real case results including a $505,000 settlement for a facial bite and a $295,000 recovery for a three-year-old victim. For a quick estimate of your own case value, use our dog bite settlement calculator.
The steps you take in the first 24 to 48 hours after a dog bite directly affect your ability to recover full compensation. Evidence disappears fast and early mistakes can be used against you.
Contact a Texas dog bite lawyer before accepting any settlement offer. Early offers typically undervalue long-term medical costs and non-economic damages. Once you accept, you generally cannot reopen the claim.
Texas gives dog bite victims two years from the date of the attack to file a personal injury lawsuit (Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 16.003). For minors, the clock generally does not begin until they turn 18, not on the date of the bite. Missing this deadline almost always means losing your right to recover compensation entirely.
Two years sounds like a long window, but building a strong case takes time. Medical records need to be gathered, insurance coverage identified, liable parties confirmed, and damages calculated. Starting early gives your attorney the most options and the most leverage.
Dog bite settlements are paid through the dog owner’s homeowners or renters insurance policy. Standard homeowners policies typically include personal liability coverage between $100,000 and $300,000, and that coverage applies to dog bite incidents even when the attack happens away from the insured property. If the bite occurred at a rental property, the landlord’s policy may also apply.
Insurance companies will work to minimize what they pay. They may claim the bite was provoked, challenge the severity of injuries, or dispute liability. Having a dog bite lawyer handle all communication with the insurer protects your claim from being undervalued before you fully understand the scope of your damages.
Texas has no dog bite statute. Instead, Texas follows the common-law “one-bite rule”, established by the Texas Supreme Court in Marshall v. Ranne. Under this rule, a dog owner can be held liable for a bite when the victim shows the owner knew, or reasonably should have known, that the dog had dangerous or aggressive tendencies. That prior knowledge, often called “scienter,” may be established through a documented bite history, aggressive behavior witnessed by others, prior complaints to the owner, or the owner’s own statements about the dog. Because liability turns on what the owner knew and when, the outcome of a Texas case depends heavily on the evidence your attorney can uncover.
Under the one-bite rule, a Texas dog owner is liable when the victim proves the owner knew or should have known the dog was dangerous and the dog then bit someone. Unlike California, Texas does not impose automatic liability for a first bite when there were no prior warning signs, the focus is on the owner’s knowledge of the animal’s behavior.
For a full breakdown of the laws including liability frameworks and reporting requirements, see our dedicated Texas dog bite laws page.
The one-bite rule is not the only path to recovery in Texas. Even without proof that the owner knew the dog was dangerous, a victim may pursue a claim under general negligence if the owner failed to use reasonable care in restraining or controlling the animal, for example, allowing a dog to roam off-leash in public, failing to secure a yard, or ignoring clear warning signs of aggression.
A second path is negligence per se. When a dog owner violates a local leash law or municipal ordinance and that violation directly causes the bite, a Texas court can treat the violation itself as evidence of negligence. Many Texas cities and counties maintain specific leash and containment requirements, and breaking those rules carries real legal weight in a personal injury claim.
Texas also maintains dangerous-dog provisions under the Health & Safety Code (Chapter 822), which impose special duties on owners of dogs already known to be dangerous. An attorney can assess which basis, one-bite, negligence, or negligence per se, gives your case the strongest foundation.
Liability in a Texas dog bite case does not always rest solely with the dog’s owner. A landlord who knew a dangerous dog lived on their property and failed to act can be held liable. Dog walkers, pet sitters, and handlers who had control of the animal at the time of the bite may also face claims. Businesses that allowed a dog on their premises are not automatically exempt either.
Our dog bite attorneys review every party involved, not just the registered owner. Identifying all liable parties gives victims the best chance at full compensation, especially when one party has limited insurance coverage.
Provocation is the most common defense. The insurer claims the victim triggered the attack. In Texas, provocation must be meaningful and deliberate (for example, a child innocently reaching toward a dog does not meet that standard). We document the circumstances in detail to make this defense difficult to sustain.
Trespassing is the second defense. If the victim was on private property without permission, the owner’s liability may be reduced or eliminated. Lawful visitors, such as delivery workers, meter readers, and invited guests, are protected under Texas law even when explicit permission was not given. We establish the victim’s legal right to be present as part of building the claim.
Comparative fault is the third. Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule (Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code Chapter 33). Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, and if you are found more than 50% at fault, you cannot recover at all. Insurers often exaggerate a victim’s role to cut or defeat payouts. We document the full facts so that fault is allocated accurately.
Texas consistently ranks among the states with the most dog-related fatalities and insurance claims each year. Insurers in the U.S. paid out about $1.6 billion in dog-related injury claims in 2024, according to data compiled by the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) and State Farm. The USPS regularly lists Houston among the worst cities in the nation for mail carrier attacks.
Approximately 800,000 Americans require medical attention for dog bites annually, and Texas, as the second most populous state, accounts for a large share of those ER visits. Children between ages 5 and 9 are the most frequently bitten group. Attacks involving breeds such as pit bulls, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers make up a significant share of serious injury claims, though in Texas an owner’s liability depends on what they knew about the dog rather than the breed involved.
Dog Bite Laws is led by Michael Agruss, Managing Partner and personal injury attorney with a track record of results in dog bite cases. He is supported by Michael Bertucci, Taylor Kosla Unterberg, and Zara Saiyed, a team that handles dog bite cases across Texas and multiple other states.
The firm has recovered millions of dollars for dog bite victims, including dog-bite settlements as high as $505,000 for a facial injury. Across 124 resolved dog-bite claims, recoveries have ranged from $1,000 to $505,000 — see our dog bite settlement amounts for the full breakdown. These results reflect the firm’s approach: identify every liable party, document every dollar of damages, and push for a full settlement before resorting to trial.
Dog Bite Laws holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, has earned Super Lawyers and Multi-Million-Dollar Advocates Forum recognition, and has settled more than 8,000 cases with 575+ five-star Google reviews.
The team is available 24/7 and takes every case on a contingency basis. There are no upfront legal fees and no costs unless we win.
Read more client testimonials or contact us directly for a free, confidential case review.
Texas’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the date of the bite under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 16.003. For minors, the deadline is generally two years after the minor’s 18th birthday. Missing this window ends your right to recover compensation in most cases. See our full Texas dog bite laws guide for more detail on how deadlines are calculated.
Not necessarily, but it helps. Texas follows the one-bite rule, so in many cases you must show the owner knew or should have known the dog was dangerous, which a prior bite or documented aggression helps establish. Even without a prior bite, you can still recover by proving the owner was negligent, for example, by violating a local leash law (negligence per se) or otherwise failing to control the dog. An attorney can identify which theory fits your facts.
You may still recover, but Texas uses modified comparative fault. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, and if you are found more than 50% at fault, you recover nothing. If a court finds you 20% responsible, you recover 80% of your damages. Insurers often inflate victim fault to cut payouts, having legal representation keeps that in check.
Yes, if you were lawfully on the property. Invited guests, delivery drivers, service workers, and anyone with a legitimate reason to be there are generally protected under Texas law. Trespassers face a higher hurdle, though other legal theories may still apply depending on the circumstances.
Yes. Under the Texas Health & Safety Code (Chapter 826), a dog that bites a person must be quarantined and observed for 10 days, usually by a veterinarian or at an animal shelter, to rule out rabies. The owner is required to surrender the dog for that observation period. Reporting the bite to animal control promptly is important: it triggers the quarantine and creates an official record that can support your Texas dog bite claim.
Not automatically. A single bite does not mean the dog will be euthanized, in most cases it is quarantined for 10 days and then returned to its owner. A dog may be ordered destroyed only in limited situations: when a court declares it a “dangerous dog” under Chapter 822 and the owner fails to meet the law’s requirements, or after a serious or fatal unprovoked attack under Section 822.005 (“Lillian’s Law”). What happens to the dog is separate from your right to recover compensation for your injuries.
Settlement values depend on the severity of the injury, total medical costs, scarring or disfigurement, lost income, and the emotional impact of the attack. Mild cases with minimal treatment may settle in the low thousands. Cases involving serious injuries, permanent scarring, or ongoing psychological effects can reach six figures or more. Use our dog bite settlement calculator for a quick estimate, then reach out for a free case review.
Yes. Our Texas dog bite attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. There are no upfront costs and no fees unless your case settles or wins at trial.
"*" indicates required fields
"*" indicates required fields
Contact us via call, email, text, or chat to discuss your case.