Your first priority is getting to a safe location away from the dog. Do not attempt to restrain or confront the dog — even a dog that has stopped attacking can bite again. Get yourself or the bite victim out of reach and call for help.

Dog bites carry serious infection risks — including Pasteurella, Staphylococcus, MRSA, and rabies — even when wounds appear minor. Seek emergency medical care the same day as the bite. A doctor will clean and assess the wound, prescribe antibiotics if needed, evaluate rabies risk, and document your injuries in a medical record. That same-day medical record is one of the most important documents in your legal claim.

Get the dog owner’s full name, address, and phone number. Ask whether the dog is up to date on rabies vaccinations and request proof. Note the dog’s breed, size, color, and any identifying features. If you do not know who owns the dog, ask neighbors, bystanders, or the property owner. Identifying the dog and owner is essential to pursuing a claim and to evaluating your rabies risk.

Photograph your bite wounds immediately and continue photographing them over the following days as bruising, swelling, and scarring develop. Dog bite injuries often look much worse 24 to 48 hours after the attack. A visual record of your injuries from the day of the bite through your recovery strengthens your claim and documents the full extent of your damages — including permanent scarring.

Report the dog bite to your local animal control agency. This creates an official record of the incident, triggers an investigation into the dog’s vaccination status and bite history, and may result in the dog being quarantined for rabies observation. An animal control report also documents that the bite occurred and corroborates your account. In Louisiana, dog owners whose animals have bitten before may face heightened liability.

Get the names and contact information of anyone who witnessed the dog bite or who has knowledge of the dog’s prior aggressive behavior. Witnesses who saw the attack can corroborate your account of how the bite occurred. Neighbors or others who know the dog had bitten or threatened people before may help establish the owner’s prior knowledge of the dog’s dangerous tendencies.

Keep copies of all medical records, bills, and prescription receipts. Preserve the clothing you were wearing during the attack — it may show bite and blood marks. Keep records of missed work, any psychological counseling sought, and all communications with the dog owner or their insurance company. Do not discard anything related to the incident.

If the dog owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance company contacts you, do not provide a recorded statement before speaking with an attorney. Adjusters will ask questions designed to suggest you provoked the dog, were trespassing, or otherwise share fault for the attack. Politely decline and refer them to your attorney.

Dog bite cases in Louisiana involve specific statutory liability rules that work differently from standard negligence claims. An attorney familiar with Louisiana dog bite law can evaluate your claim, identify all available insurance coverage, and fight to recover the full compensation you deserve — including damages for scarring and psychological trauma that are easily overlooked. The consultation is free and you pay nothing unless we win.

Under Louisiana Civil Code Article 2321, a dog owner is strictly liable for damages caused by their dog if the injured person did not provoke the dog and was not at fault. This means you do not have to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous or that the owner was negligent — the fact that the dog bit you is generally enough to establish liability. This is a stronger standard than many other states, which require proof of prior dangerous behavior.

A dog owner can reduce or eliminate their liability by proving the bite victim provoked the dog. Provocation can include teasing, hitting, cornering, or startling the dog. Accidentally stepping on a dog or approaching a dog sleeping in an unexpected location generally does not constitute provocation under Louisiana law. If the owner raises provocation as a defense, the specific facts of the encounter determine how it applies.

Dog owners in Louisiana may have a reduced duty of care toward trespassers. If you were bitten while unlawfully on someone’s property, the owner may argue you assumed the risk or that they owed you no duty of protection. However, if you were lawfully on the property — as an invited guest, a mail carrier, a utility worker, or in a public area — the strict liability standard fully applies.

If the dog had a known history of aggression or had bitten before, the owner’s liability may be even stronger. Prior bite history can be used to establish the owner’s knowledge of the dog’s dangerous tendencies, which can support additional claims and may affect damages. Animal control records, neighbor statements, and veterinary records can all establish prior dangerous behavior.

Most dog bite claims are paid through the dog owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy. These policies typically provide liability coverage for dog bite injuries. Some policies exclude certain breeds — if the dog owner’s insurer denies the claim on those grounds, an attorney can evaluate whether that exclusion is enforceable and identify other avenues of recovery.

No. Louisiana does not follow the “one bite rule” that applies in some states — which requires proof that the owner knew the dog had bitten before. Under Louisiana Civil Code Article 2321, dog owners are strictly liable for bites without requiring proof of prior dangerous behavior. You do not have to show the owner knew the dog was dangerous. This makes Louisiana’s dog bite law significantly more favorable to bite victims than the law in many other states.

Children are the most frequent victims of serious dog bites, and their claims include all the same damages as adult victims — plus potentially greater damages for scarring, emotional trauma, and the long-term psychological impact of the attack. Louisiana’s strict liability standard fully applies to bites on children. If a child is the victim, an attorney should be involved to ensure the claim is properly valued and that any settlement accounts for future psychological treatment and permanent scarring.

Scarring and permanent disfigurement are recoverable damages in a Louisiana dog bite claim. These are non-economic damages — separate from medical bills and lost wages — that compensate for the lasting physical and psychological impact of visible scarring. Children and young adults typically recover more significant amounts for scarring because they will live with it longer. Document your injuries thoroughly from the day of the attack through your full recovery.

Neighbor dog bite claims are among the most common — and most uncomfortable — cases. Louisiana law applies the same strict liability standard regardless of your relationship with the dog owner. The claim is typically paid through the neighbor’s homeowner’s insurance, which means you are not necessarily coming out of your neighbor’s pocket directly. An attorney handles all communications with the insurer so you do not have to navigate that relationship yourself.

In Louisiana, you generally have two years from the date of the dog bite to file a personal injury lawsuit. Missing this deadline means losing your right to recover compensation. Do not wait — medical records, animal control reports, and witness accounts are all easier to obtain close to the time of the incident.

You may be entitled to economic damages — emergency medical care, ongoing treatment, surgery, antibiotics, rabies prophylaxis if required, lost wages, and future medical costs — and non-economic damages including pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent scarring and disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. In cases involving egregious owner conduct, additional damages may be available.

Nothing upfront. Mansfield Melancon handles dog bite cases on a contingency fee basis — you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. If we win your case or reach a settlement, you pay an agreed percentage of the recovery. If we do not win, you owe us nothing.