A dog bite can happen in seconds and leave you dealing with the aftermath for months — medical bills, missed work, scarring, and sometimes real psychological trauma. I’ve seen clients walk into our office with wounds that needed surgery, and others who looked fine on the outside but couldn’t sleep because of anxiety triggered by what happened. Both situations are valid, and both can support a legal claim.
If you’re in Lubbock and wondering what your options are after a dog bite, this post walks you through the type of attorney you need, what Texas law says, how the process works, and what to watch out for. At Malone Injury Lawyers, we handle dog bite cases throughout Texas, and I want to give you a straight answer to every question I hear most often on this topic.
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What Kind of Attorney Do I Have to Go to if a Dog Bites Me and I Want to Sue Their Owner in Lubbock?
You need a personal injury attorney — specifically one with experience handling dog bite claims. Dog bite cases fall under personal injury law, which covers situations where someone else’s negligence or failure to control their animal causes you harm. You don’t need a criminal attorney, a general practice attorney, or a family lawyer. Personal injury is the right practice area.
More specifically, look for an attorney who has handled premises liability and dog bite cases before. Many personal injury attorneys in Texas handle a range of cases — car accidents, workplace injuries, slip and falls — but dog bite law has some quirks under Texas statute that a generalist might not know as well. Texas follows a “one bite rule” in many circumstances, which I’ll explain in detail below. Understanding how that rule interacts with local ordinances and negligence theories takes experience with this specific type of claim.
When I sit down with a new dog bite client, the first things I ask are: Did you know this dog before? Has the dog ever shown aggression before? Did animal control get involved? Those answers shape the entire legal strategy. A lawyer who hasn’t handled these cases before might not even know what to ask.
In Lubbock, Texas, you have two years from the date of the bite to file a lawsuit under the Texas statute of limitations for personal injury (Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003). That window sounds long, but evidence disappears fast — witnesses forget details, animal control records get archived, and medical records become harder to compile. Call an attorney quickly.
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What Is a Dog Bite Attorney?
A dog bite attorney is a personal injury lawyer who represents people injured by dog attacks. That representation covers the full arc of your case: gathering evidence, calculating your damages, negotiating with the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance, and filing a lawsuit if the insurance company won’t pay fairly.
The American Bar Association recognizes personal injury as a broad practice area, and dog bite law sits squarely within it. What separates a dog bite attorney from a general personal injury lawyer is familiarity with the specific legal theories used in these cases — negligence, negligence per se (when a local leash law or animal ordinance was violated), and the Texas one bite rule.
Here’s something most people don’t know: homeowner’s insurance covers dog bites in most cases. The Insurance Information Institute estimated that dog bite claims accounted for about one-third of all homeowner’s insurance liability claims nationally. If the dog owner has a policy, there is an insurance company on the other side of your claim, and that company has lawyers and adjusters whose job is to minimize what they pay you. You need someone who knows how to deal with them.
A dog bite attorney also knows how to document injuries properly. Photographs taken at the right time, medical records pulled in the right sequence, and expert testimony on future scarring or reconstructive needs — these details can double or triple the value of a claim compared to what an unrepresented person typically recovers.
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Should I Call an Attorney About a Dog Bite?
Yes. Call one before you talk to the dog owner’s insurance company.
This is the single biggest mistake I see. Someone gets bitten, the dog owner’s insurance adjuster calls within a day or two sounding very sympathetic, and the bite victim gives a recorded statement or accepts a quick settlement. Once you accept that settlement and sign the release, your claim is over — even if you later need surgery, develop an infection, or find out the psychological effects are worse than you thought.
Insurance adjusters are trained to settle claims fast and cheap. They are not on your side.
Even if your bite seems minor, call an attorney for a consultation. Most dog bite attorneys — including our team — offer free consultations. You can learn what your case might be worth before making any decisions. If the bite truly is minor and the insurance offer is fair, an attorney will tell you that too. But you should hear it from someone whose job is to protect your interests, not minimize the payout.
Dog bites also carry infection risks that don’t always show up immediately. Capnocytophaga, pasteurella, and in rare cases rabies are all documented risks from dog bites, according to the Centers for Disease Control. A wound that looks manageable at day one can require hospitalization by day five. An attorney helps you keep the claim open while your medical picture becomes clearer.
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How Texas Law Applies to Your Dog Bite Claim?
Texas uses what’s commonly called the “one bite rule.” Under this doctrine, an owner can be held liable if they knew or should have known their dog had dangerous tendencies — prior biting history, growling at people, lunging on a leash. If the owner had no reason to believe the dog was dangerous, proving liability is harder.
But the one bite rule isn’t the only path. Texas also allows negligence claims, meaning if the owner was careless in handling the dog — letting it run loose in violation of Lubbock city ordinance, for example — you can pursue them on that basis even without prior bite history. Lubbock has leash laws and animal control regulations that, when violated, can support a negligence per se argument. That’s a meaningful avenue that gets overlooked when someone tries to handle their own claim.
Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute provides a solid overview of how one bite rule states differ from strict liability states if you want to read the doctrine in more detail.
For a deeper look at Texas negligence law and how courts apply it to premises and animal cases, Justia’s legal resources are also a useful reference.
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What a Letter from an Attorney About a Dog Bite Means?
If you received a letter from an attorney about a dog bite — whether that means you got a letter from the other side, or you’re wondering what a letter from your own attorney looks like — here’s what you need to know.
A letter from a plaintiff’s attorney (the bite victim’s lawyer) to the dog owner or their insurance company is called a demand letter. It formally notifies the responsible party of the claim, describes the injuries and losses, and states a dollar figure the injured person will accept to settle. This letter typically comes after your medical treatment is complete or near complete, so the damages are fully documented.
A well-written demand letter covers medical expenses, lost wages, future medical needs like scar revision surgery, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. It references the evidence — photographs, medical records, animal control reports, witness statements. It gives a deadline for response.
If you’ve received a letter from an attorney representing someone who was bitten by your dog, do not ignore it. Contact your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance company immediately and let them assign a defense attorney. Do not respond directly to the plaintiff’s attorney on your own.
If you’re the injured person and want your attorney to send a demand letter, that process starts with a consultation and ends when your treating physician confirms your maximum medical improvement — meaning the doctors know what your total treatment cost will be.
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Finding a Dog Bite Attorney: What to Look For
Whether you’re searching in Lubbock, Alabaster, Augusta, or anywhere else in the country, the process for finding a qualified dog bite attorney is roughly the same. Here’s what I’d tell a friend to look for.
Track record in personal injury. Not every personal injury firm handles dog bite cases regularly. Ask specifically how many dog bite cases they’ve handled and what outcomes they’ve achieved. FindLaw’s attorney directory lets you filter by practice area and location, which is a reasonable starting point.
Contingency fee structure. A reputable dog bite attorney takes cases on contingency — meaning you pay nothing unless they recover money for you. If an attorney asks for upfront fees to take your personal injury case, walk away.
Communication. The biggest complaint I hear from people who’ve worked with other firms is that they couldn’t get their attorney on the phone. From day one, ask how the firm communicates with clients and who your primary point of contact will be.
Local knowledge. An attorney who knows Lubbock courts, local judges, and Lubbock County’s animal control processes has a practical advantage. That’s not just a marketing line — local familiarity affects how efficiently your case moves through the system.
Free consultation. Use it. Bring your photos, your medical records or bills, and any animal control report number you received. Come prepared and you’ll get a much more useful assessment of your case.
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Damages You Can Recover in a Texas Dog Bite Case
Clients often underestimate what they’re entitled to recover. In Texas, dog bite damages can include:
Medical expenses — emergency room visits, wound care, antibiotics, surgery, reconstructive procedures, physical therapy. These are documented through your medical bills and records.
Lost wages — if the injury kept you from working, you can claim those lost earnings. Self-employed individuals can document this through tax returns and client records.
Pain and suffering — this is a non-economic damage, meaning there’s no receipt for it. Texas law allows juries to award reasonable compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. In cases involving significant scarring to the face or hands, these awards can be substantial.
Future medical costs — if you’ll need additional surgeries, ongoing therapy, or psychiatric care for PTSD related to the attack, those projected costs belong in your claim.
In cases involving extreme negligence or intentional misconduct, Texas law may also allow exemplary (punitive) damages, though these are harder to obtain and require clear and convincing evidence.
If a dog bite results in death — rare, but it happens — surviving family members may have a wrongful death claim under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 71.002.
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What Our Team at Malone Injury Lawyers Does Differently?
Our team has handled personal injury cases in Texas for years, and dog bite cases make up a real portion of our caseload. We know the difference between a bite that will settle quickly and one that needs to go to litigation. We know when an insurance company’s first offer is reasonable and when it’s an insult. We don’t push clients toward quick settlements that don’t cover their actual losses.
When a client comes to us with a dog bite case, we start by getting the full picture — not just the injury, but the circumstances. Was the dog loose on the street? Did the incident happen at the owner’s property? Were children involved? Was there a prior incident with the same dog? All of that changes the strategy.
We also work with medical professionals who can document long-term scarring, psychological effects, and future treatment needs. That documentation is what separates a $15,000 settlement from a $75,000 one in cases involving serious injuries.
We serve clients across Texas, and our office is located right here at 3206 140th St #200, Lubbock, TX 79423, United States.
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Ready to Talk to a Dog Bite Attorney in Lubbock
If you’ve been bitten by a dog in Lubbock or anywhere in Texas, don’t wait. Evidence fades, and the statute of limitations is real. Malone Injury Lawyers offers free consultations with no obligation. You can call us directly at (806)-642-6001, contact us online to schedule a consultation, or visit our Lubbock office at 3206 140th St #200, Lubbock, TX 79423, United States.
You pay nothing unless we recover for you. That’s how we operate every case.
Written by Valeri Malone. Read more about the author.
