Michigan Dog Bite Lawyer

Are you looking for a dog bite lawyer in Michigan?

At Ronald S. Weiss, Attorney & Counselor, we are trusted dog bite lawyers serving clients across Michigan for over 50 years.

Michigan ranked ninth among all states for dog attacks on Postal Service employees in 2025, with 174 reported incidents, according to the U.S. Postal Service. Children, neighbors, delivery drivers, and houseguests are also bitten across the state each year.

If you or your child was bitten by a dog in Michigan, an attorney can help you hold the owner accountable and pursue compensation for your injuries. Michigan law places responsibility for most dog bites on the dog’s owner.

Our Michigan dog bite lawyer offers a free consultation to review what happened and explain your options. Contact our office to set up a meeting.

Types of Dog Bite Cases We Handle in Michigan

Dog bite cases vary with the victim, the setting, and the severity of the injury. As Michigan dog bite attorneys, we handle claims arising from attacks in homes, yards, parks, sidewalks, and workplaces.

• Bites to children. Young children are often bitten on the face, head, and neck because of their height. These injuries can leave permanent scars and lasting fear of dogs. We account for future medical care, including scar revision, when we value a child’s claim.

• Attacks by a neighbor’s dog. Many bites happen close to home, by a dog the victim has seen many times before. A prior friendly relationship does not prevent a claim. We pursue the owner’s insurance coverage so that compensation comes from the policy rather than from the neighbor personally.

• Bites to delivery workers. Delivery drivers and mail carriers enter yards and porches every day as part of their jobs. These cases can involve both a workers’ compensation claim and a separate claim against the dog owner. We coordinate the two so that you recover what each allows.

• Bites in public places. Parks, sidewalks, and apartment common areas are frequent locations for attacks. Owners who let a dog roam or fail to control it on a leash can be held responsible. We gather witness statements and any available video quickly, before it disappears.

• Disfiguring injuries. Deep punctures, torn tissue, and nerve damage may require reconstructive surgery. Some victims need several procedures over many months. We work with your treating physicians to document the full extent of the harm.

• Knockdown injuries. A large dog can cause a fall without ever biting, leading to broken wrists, hip fractures, or head injuries. These claims are handled differently from bite claims. We evaluate whether the owner’s carelessness caused the incident.

• Infected bite wounds. Dog bites carry bacteria, and some wounds become infected days after the attack. Rabies exposure may require a series of injections. We include the cost of that treatment in the claim.

Why Choose Ronald S. Weiss, Attorney & Counselor as my Dog Bite Lawyer in Michigan?

More Than Five Decades of Injury Representation in Michigan

Gerald L. Weiss earned his law degree from Wayne State University in 1967 and has represented injury victims against wrongdoers and their insurers for more than five decades. He handles all types of animal attacks and is a member of the State Bar’s Negligence Law Section.

Ron Weiss earned his J.D. from Wayne State University in 1993. Since then, Ron has represented thousands of injury victims and consumers. He’s admitted to practice in Michigan state courts and in the federal courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan.

A Free Consultation and Direct Attention

Your first consultation costs nothing. Ron and Gerald offer a free, one-on-one case evaluation, and Ron handles the claims he takes on from beginning to end. You will know who is working on your case and how to reach him.

What Is Important To Understand About Dog Bite Cases?

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Dog Bite Cases

Michigan’s dog bite statute makes the owner liable when a dog bites someone without provocation, as long as the victim was on public property or lawfully on private property. The owner is responsible even if the dog had never bitten anyone before. Compensation in these cases generally falls into a few categories.

• Medical expenses include emergency care, surgery, rabies treatment, therapy, and future procedures such as scar revision.

• Lost income covers the wages you missed while recovering and any reduction in your ability to earn in the future.

• Pain and suffering accounts for physical pain, emotional distress, anxiety around dogs, and the effect of visible scarring.

• Comparative fault can reduce an award. Under Michigan’s comparative fault law, damages drop by your share of fault, and noneconomic damages are barred if your fault exceeds the combined fault of everyone else.

Provocation is the most common defense insurance companies use to lessen their payouts. They also often argue that the victim was trespassing or that someone other than the owner was keeping the dog. Our firm knows what evidence to secure to fight these and other common defenses and preserve your claim for fair compensation.

What Are Important Aspects of a Dog Bite Case?

Although the owner is liable under Michigan law, insurance companies still dispute the value of many claims. The evidence gathered in the first days after the attack often determines the strength of a case.

• Identifying the owner matters, because the claim runs against the owner and the owner’s insurance policy.

• Prompt treatment creates a medical record that ties your injuries to the bite, and detailed medical records often drive the value of a settlement.

• Photographs of the wounds, taken at each stage of healing, show the severity in a way that written notes cannot.

• Where the attack happened affects the claim, especially when the dog was off its owner’s property and not under control under Michigan’s leash rules.

Giving a recorded statement to the owner’s insurer is one of the common mistakes bite victims make. It's important to talk things over with a lawyer before you give one.

What Is The Dog Bite Case Timeline?

The length of a dog bite claim depends largely on how long medical treatment lasts. Our MI dog bite lawyers generally do not settle until your doctors can describe the full extent of your injuries.

• You receive treatment, and the bite is reported to animal control or the local health department.

• We identify the owner and the insurance policy that covers the dog.

• Medical records and bills are collected as your treatment continues.

• Once treatment ends or stabilizes, we send a demand package to the insurer.

• Negotiations follow, and a lawsuit is filed if the insurer will not offer a fair amount.

In Michigan, an adult generally has three years from the injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. A child who was bitten has additional time, because Michigan’s tolling rule allows a claim to be filed up to one year after the child turns 18. Some claims resolve within months. The settlement timeline depends on the length of treatment, the available insurance, and whether the owner disputes responsibility.

What Should You Bring to Your Dog Bite Consultation?

The following documents help us evaluate your claim. If you do not have all of them, our office can request the missing records.

• Medical records, bills, and discharge papers show the treatment you received.

• Photos of your injuries and the location of the attack help us understand what happened.

• An animal control report or case number confirms that the bite was documented.

• The owner’s name and address, along with any witness contact information, helps us identify the right insurance policy.

The meeting gives you a clear sense of whether you have a claim and what the next steps are. We also explain how we would approach the insurance company.

Michigan Animal Control, Health Departments, and Courts

Several public agencies play a role after a dog bite in Michigan. Their records often become evidence in the claim.

• County animal control. In Oakland County, health care providers send bite reports to Animal Control, and bites that did not receive medical care are reported to the Health Division.

• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The state publishes a rabies exposure flowchart that doctors use to decide whether a bite victim needs rabies treatment.

• Your treating physician. Michigan has its own rules on whether doctors must report the bite, and those reports can confirm when and where the attack happened.

• Michigan circuit courts. Most dog bite lawsuits involving significant injuries are filed in a Michigan circuit court.

Our West Bloomfield office handles dog bite claims from across the state, and our dog bite lawyers in Michigan regularly work with records from these agencies.