A dog bite from a neighbor’s pet or a stranger’s dog leaves you with more than a wound: medical bills, scarring, and an awkward question about whether to hold someone you actually know responsible.
Texas’s so-called “one bite” rule isn’t the only way to win a case, whatever you’ve heard about it. George Salinas Injury Lawyers helps Austin families sort out which path applies, in English or Spanish, with no fee unless we win.
Free consultation, no fee unless we win, in English or Spanish.
Call (512) 851-1004 today to talk to an Austin dog bite lawyer about your case.
Resources On This Page
- Do You Need a Lawyer After a Dog Bite in Austin?
- Texas’s “One Bite” Rule and Who Can Be Held Liable
- Common Injuries From a Dog Bite
- What Happens to a Dangerous Dog in Austin After It Bites Someone?
- What to Do After a Dog Bite in Austin
- Compensation You Can Recover After a Dog Bite
- What Does It Cost to Hire an Austin Dog Bite Lawyer?
- How Long Do You Have to File a Dog Bite Claim in Texas?
- Why Austin Families Trust George Salinas Injury Lawyers With Dog Bite Cases
- Ask George Salinas Injury Lawyers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Schedule Your Free Consultation
Do You Need a Lawyer After a Dog Bite in Austin?
Often, yes, especially if your injury needed medical care or left a scar. Texas dog bite law isn’t written into a single statute. It comes from court decisions, which makes it easy to assume you have no case if the dog has never bitten anyone before. That assumption is usually wrong.
You can still recover compensation if you can show the owner was negligent, separately from the rule about a dog’s bite history. A free consultation can tell you which path applies to your case before you decide anything.
Texas’s “One Bite” Rule and Who Can Be Held Liable
Texas follows what’s commonly called the “one bite” rule. It comes from a 1974 Texas Supreme Court case, Marshall v. Ranne. Here’s a detail most people don’t expect: that case was actually about a hog attack, not a dog.
The court’s reasoning about when an owner of a domestic animal can be held liable was later applied to dog bite cases, and it’s still the rule Texas courts use today.
Under that rule, you generally have two ways to hold a dog’s owner responsible:
- Strict liability. The owner knew, or should have known, that the dog had bitten someone before or had shown aggressive behavior. You don’t have to prove the owner did anything wrong, just that they had reason to know the dog was dangerous.
- Negligence. Even with a dog that’s never shown aggression, you can recover damages if the owner failed to use reasonable care, like letting the dog run loose in violation of a local leash law, and that failure caused your injury.
A few other situations can also create liability. An owner or bystander who watches a dog attack happen and doesn’t make a reasonable effort to stop it can be held responsible too, under a 2008 Texas Supreme Court case called Bushnell v. Mott.
A landlord who knew about a dangerous dog on the property and did nothing can also share responsibility in some cases.
Not sure if your case fits one of these? Call (512) 851-1004 and we’ll walk through it with you, free of charge.
Common Injuries From a Dog Bite
Dog bite injuries range from minor to life-altering. Common injuries include:
- Deep lacerations, puncture wounds, and torn tissue
- Nerve or tendon damage, especially in bites to the hands or face
- Infections, including from bacteria carried in a dog’s mouth
- Scarring and disfigurement, which can require reconstructive surgery
- Psychological trauma, which is especially common in children
What Happens to a Dangerous Dog in Austin After It Bites Someone?
If Austin/Travis County Animal Services determines a dog is “dangerous”, the owner faces real legal requirements, not just a warning. Under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 822, the owner must register the dog, keep it in a secure enclosure or on a leash at all times, and carry at least $100,000 in liability insurance or show equivalent financial responsibility.
A second attack can result in a court ordering the dog destroyed.
This process runs alongside your civil claim, not instead of it. Pursuing a dangerous dog designation can also become useful evidence in your case, since it documents the owner’s knowledge of the dog’s behavior going forward.
What to Do After a Dog Bite in Austin
What you do in the first hours and days after a dog bite can affect both your health and your claim. Here’s what matters most:
- Get medical care right away. Even a small-looking bite can carry a serious infection risk, and a doctor’s records help document your injury.
- Get the dog’s rabies vaccination status, if you can, from the owner. Rabies has a real presence in Travis County, and bite victims are sometimes advised to get a rabies vaccine if the animal’s status is unknown.
- Report the bite. Call 911 if it’s a serious attack. Otherwise, file an Animal Bite Report with Austin Animal Services.
- Photograph your injuries and the scene, and get contact information for any witnesses.
- Talk to a lawyer before agreeing to anything with the dog’s owner or their homeowner’s insurance company.
Compensation You Can Recover After a Dog Bite
A successful dog bite claim can cover both your medical costs and the harder to measure parts of your recovery. This typically includes:
- Medical bills, including emergency care, surgery, and follow-up treatment
- Future medical costs, especially for reconstructive or scar-revision surgery
- Counseling or therapy costs, which are common after bites involving children
- Lost wages and any long-term loss of earning capacity
- Pain and suffering and emotional distress
In the rare case of a fatal attack, surviving family members may be able to recover funeral and burial costs through a wrongful death claim.
What Does It Cost to Hire an Austin Dog Bite Lawyer?
Nothing upfront. We handle dog bite cases on a contingency fee, which means you pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for you. Your initial consultation is free, with no obligation to hire us afterward.
How Long Do You Have to File a Dog Bite Claim in Texas?
Texas generally gives you two years from the date of the bite to file a personal injury lawsuit. Waiting also makes it harder to prove the owner knew about the dog’s behavior, since witnesses and records become harder to track down the longer you wait.
Why Austin Families Trust George Salinas Injury Lawyers With Dog Bite Cases
Dog bite cases are often more personal than other injury claims. The dog might belong to a neighbor, a friend, or a family member, and a lot of clients worry about what pursuing a claim will do to that relationship. We handle these cases with that in mind, working directly with you to decide how to approach the owner and their insurance company in a way you’re comfortable with.
With over 110 years of combined experience and $100M+ recovered, we don’t settle for quick offers. We use our insider knowledge of the insurance sector to build cases that demand maximum compensation.
Our Austin team handles your case in English or Spanish, and we work with medical and mental health professionals to document injuries, like scarring or a child’s psychological trauma, that are easy for an insurance company to undervalue.
You’ll work directly with people who know your case, not a call center reading from a script.
Ask George Salinas Injury Lawyers
Q: Can the dog’s owner blame me for the bite, like saying I provoked the dog or was somewhere I shouldn’t have been?
A: They can try, and it’s a real defense in Texas. But the owner has to prove you actually provoked the attack or were trespassing, not just claim it. Simply being nervous around a dog, or being a guest in someone’s home, doesn’t count as provocation.
Q: Can I sue if I was bitten by a friend’s or family member’s dog?
A: Yes, and most homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policies are designed to cover exactly this situation. A claim against someone’s insurance policy isn’t the same as suing them personally, which is worth keeping in mind if you’re worried about the relationship.
Q: What if the dog bit me in a public park or on a sidewalk, not on the owner’s property?
A: Location doesn’t change the basic rule. What matters is whether the owner knew the dog was dangerous or failed to use reasonable care, like keeping the dog leashed as Austin’s leash laws require, regardless of where the bite happened.
Q: Does homeowner’s insurance cover dog bite claims in Texas?
A: Usually, yes, though some insurers exclude certain breeds or have denied a renewal after a prior bite. Identifying which policy applies, and whether it actually covers the claim, is one of the first things we check.
Meet Our Top-Rated Austin Dog Bite Attorneys
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I don’t know who owns the dog that bit me?
Animal Services can often help identify the owner, especially if the dog is licensed or microchipped. A witness, a neighbor, or even a description of the dog can be enough to start an investigation.
Will I have to testify against a neighbor or family member?
Most dog bite claims settle through an insurance claim and never go to court, so testifying is uncommon. If your case does go further, we’ll walk you through exactly what to expect well before it happens.
What if my child was bitten while visiting someone else’s home?
Children are bitten more often than adults, and Texas courts hold dog owners to the same standard regardless of the victim’s age. You can pursue a claim on your child’s behalf, and a doctor’s documentation of the injury matters even more when the victim is a child.
The dog’s owner already apologized and offered to cover my medical bills. Do I still need a lawyer?
It’s worth a free conversation first. Informal offers often don’t account for future medical needs, scarring, or emotional impact, and once you accept money and consider the matter closed, it can be hard to ask for more later.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
If a dog bite left you or your child hurt in Austin, you don’t have to navigate Texas’s one-bite rule alone. Call George Salinas Injury Lawyers at (512) 851-1004 for a free consultation in English or Spanish. There’s no fee unless we win. Available 24/7.