Claiming for a dog attack

If you’re thinking about making a dog bite claim there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

Firstly, to make a claim your accident must:

• Have happened in the last three years
• Been somebody else’s fault
• Caused you an injury

If your dog bite sounds like the above then you could have a claim, and we recommend you call us to find out how we can help.

To help us with your dog bite claim it’s useful to have the following information to hand when you call us:

• The name and address of the dog owner
• The police details, if the police were contacted
• And if possible, whether the owner has pet or home insurance

We also recommend that you report a dog bite or dog attack to the police. The police can then make sure the owner takes the right safety measures to keep everybody safe. Your local police will keep a record of potentially dangerous dogs, which means you may be able to prevent others being injured by flagging this to them.

If the dog that attacked you is a known dangerous dog, then your claim is more likely to be successful; especially if the dog’s owner has not used advised safety measures. This could be the dog owner choosing not to use a muzzle or lead, despite being advised to by the police.

After a series of newspaper articles in 1991 about the rise of dog attacks, the government introduced The Dangerous Dog Act 1991.

The Dangerous Dog Act is legislation designed to try and protect the public from dangerous dogs.

As part of the Act, several dogs were highlighted as dangerous breeds.

These were:

• Pit Bull Terriers
• Japanese Tosa (also called a Japanese Mastiff or Fighting Dog)
• Dogo Argentino (Argentinean Mastiff)
• Fila Braziliero (Brazilian Mastiff)

Owning one of these dogs means the owner has to meet strict requirements designed to keep you safe. These requirements include keeping the dog on a lead and muzzled when in public. They also require the dog to be tattooed, chipped, insured and registered on the Index of Exempted Breeds.

If you’ve suffered an injury from one of these breeds of dog, then dog attack compensation could be payable; even if there is no history of aggression.

It’s also important to remember that any dog can be a dangerous dog. If your injury was caused by a dog breed not listed above, you might still be able to make a compensation claim.

If you’ve been bitten or attacked by a dog, we recommend seeking medical attention for your injury. Dog bites can easily become infected and commonly appear less serious than they are. By seeking medical attention, you can be given the peace of mind that your injury isn’t going to get worse.

Also, once you’ve sought medical attention, your medical records can be used to support your dog bite claim if you choose to pursue one.

We also recommend making a note of the dog owner’s details, such as their name and address. Your solicitor will need these details to carry out your claim.

Dog bites while on holiday

If you were bitten by a dog whilst on holiday, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Dogs abroad can carry rabies or other viruses that can be harmful or fatal to humans.

For more information about accidents while abroad, visit our holiday accidents page.

Children and dog attacks

We know how hard it can be to see a loved one suffer an injury. If your child has been injured as the result of a dog attack, we’re sorry. We can’t take away what happened to them, but we can help them get the support they need to make a recovery.

We can help you make a compensation claim for the injury your child has suffered, as well as the psychological impact it might have had.

Please visit our claiming on behalf of a child page for more information. Or you can give us a call on 0800 540 4258 0800 540 4258 to discuss your child’s experience and how we could help them get compensation for their dog bite.

With 20 years’ experience, we can help you make it right by guiding you through the first steps of claiming the compensation you’re entitled to.

Contacting us is simple. We’re online and on the phone and we can always call you back to discuss your experience. Plus, your call with us is completely obligation free – meaning you’ll never be rushed, pressured or forced into starting a claim, because that’s just not us.

So if you’re looking for advice, have questions or want to start your claim, contact us for free today on 0800 540 4258 0800 540 4258 and find out how we can help.