Dog Bite Lawyers in Lafayette

A dog attack is terrifying — and the aftermath can be worse. Bite wounds often mean emergency care, stitches or surgery, rabies protocols, scarring, and real trauma, especially for children. Meanwhile, the dog's owner may be a neighbor, a friend, or a family member, which makes even asking about compensation feel complicated.

Here's what most people don't realize: dog bite claims are almost always paid by the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance — not out of the owner's pocket. The Lafayette dog bite lawyers at Brandt & Sherman have spent more than 50 years combined standing up to insurance companies for injured people across Acadiana, and we can handle the entire claim while you focus on healing. You pay nothing unless we win.

Call (337) 800-4000 for a free, no-pressure consultation.

Louisiana Dog Bite Law: The Owner Is Strictly Liable

Louisiana Civil Code article 2321 gives dog bite victims one of the stronger rules in the country. For dogs specifically, the owner is strictly liable for injuries the owner could have prevented — the victim does not have to prove the dog had bitten anyone before or that the owner knew it was dangerous. To recover, you generally must show:

1. The owner could have prevented the injury (for example, by restraining or containing the dog), and
2. You did not provoke the dog.

For animals other than dogs, a different standard applies: the owner is liable only if he knew or should have known the animal posed a risk and failed to use reasonable care. That distinction is exactly why the "first bite free" myth doesn't protect dog owners in Louisiana — and why insurers who claim otherwise are wrong.

Local leash and restraint ordinances in Lafayette Parish also matter: an owner who let a dog roam in violation of an ordinance has a hard time arguing the attack wasn't preventable. We've answered the most common liability questions in our post: Are dog owners always liable for dog bite injuries in Louisiana?

How Long Do You Have to File a Dog Bite Claim in Louisiana?

For injuries occurring on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana generally allows two years from the date of the attack to file suit (La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1). Don't wait, though — animal control reports, witness statements, and photos of your injuries are far easier to gather early, and insurance negotiations take time.

What to Do After a Dog Bite

1. Get medical care immediately. Bite wounds carry high infection risk, and documentation starts your claim.
2. Report the attack to Lafayette Animal Control (or your parish's animal control). The report creates an official record and rabies-vaccination verification.
3. Identify the dog and its owner — name, address, and any witnesses.
4. Photograph everything: your injuries as they heal, torn clothing, and the location of the attack.
5. Don't negotiate directly with the owner or their insurer before you understand what your claim is worth.

Common Dog Bite Injuries — and Why Children's Cases Are Different

We handle claims involving puncture wounds and lacerations, nerve and tendon damage, facial injuries and permanent scarring, infections, crush injuries from large breeds, and injuries from being knocked down — plus the anxiety and post-traumatic stress that commonly follow an attack.

Children are the most frequent victims of serious dog bites, and their injuries are disproportionately to the face and head. Louisiana law treats claims for injured minors differently — including how settlements are approved and structured — and scarring on a growing child requires medical opinions about future revision surgery. Our child injury lawyers build those future damages into the claim from the start.

What Compensation Can Dog Bite Victims Recover?

• Emergency care, surgery, and all future treatment — including scar revision
• Counseling for trauma and anxiety (especially for child victims)
• Lost wages while you recover
• Pain, suffering, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life
• In severe maulings, catastrophic injury damages

Who Actually Pays — and What If the Owner Is Someone You Know?

In most cases, the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance policy pays the claim. That means pursuing compensation usually does not mean suing a friend or neighbor personally — it means making an insurance claim against a policy they've been paying for. If the attack happened on someone else's property (an apartment complex, a business), premises liability may also apply.