Dog Bites

The one-bite question

The search is almost always whether the owner gets a pass if the dog never bit anyone before. Pennsylvania’s dog law does not work like a simple one-bite rule. People still have to deal with provocation, where they were standing, and whether they know the owner’s name. Medical bills are the first damage people search. Scars and time out of work are the next.

Send the town, whether you know the owner, and whether you were treated. An animal-control report number helps. A bite in Philadelphia and a bite in a neighboring county are filed in different courts.

Related searches

“Dog knocked me down but did not bite” and “dog bit my child” are separate facts. Say which one it is.

Nothing on this page is a prediction of what a case is worth, and it is not legal advice. A message asks the desk to review the facts and refer them.

What to send

Dog bites and other animal attacks. Say the town, whether you know the owner, and whether you were treated.

The useful first facts are the place, the date, the court if there is one, and what happened. Records can wait until a lawyer asks for them.

How a referral works

A message asks the desk to read the facts and refer them to a lawyer who handles this work. It does not hire that lawyer, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship.

The lawyer who receives the introduction decides whether to take the matter and talks with you about deadlines and fees.

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