# Dog Bite Lawyer - Springfield & Westfield, MA | Dunn & Phillips, P.C. > Springfield dog bite lawyers. Massachusetts strict-liability law means the owner is responsible even if the dog never bit before, and homeowner's insurance usually pays. Free consultation; pay nothing unless we win. 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The claim is usually against insurance, not your neighbor. [New injury? Call or text (413) 426-8657](tel:+14134268657) [Request a free consultation](https://www.dunnandphillips.com/contact/?practiceArea=Personal%20Injury) Not sure you have a case? [Try the quick size up](https://www.dunnandphillips.com/consult/). A few quick taps. Have the firm call you Free. A real person calls you back. Phone That phone number looks too short. Please check it so we can call you back. What happened? (one line is fine) Have the firm call me Short version is fine. Save the details for the call. Sending this does not make us your lawyers yet. Something went wrong. Please call or text the 24-hour injury line at [(413) 426-8657](tel:+14134268657) instead. Thanks. We have it. A real person will call you back. If this is urgent, call or text [(413) 426-8657](tel:+14134268657). Dog attacks happen close to home - a neighbor's yard, a relative's kitchen, a sidewalk in Forest Park or a trail in Stanley Park. That closeness is exactly what makes people hesitate to make a claim, and exactly why Massachusetts law and ordinary homeowner's insurance are built the way they are. We represent bite and attack victims across Western Massachusetts from our offices in [Springfield](https://www.dunnandphillips.com/locations/springfield/) and [Westfield](https://www.dunnandphillips.com/locations/westfield/). A new injury intake reaches a real person 24 hours a day at [(413) 426-8657](tel:+14134268657); the first conversation is free. ## Strict liability: what it means in plain terms Massachusetts law makes a dog's owner or keeper responsible for the damage the dog does. You do not have to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous, and you do not have to prove carelessness. The gentle dog that had never growled at anyone answers to the same rule as the one with a bite history. The narrow exceptions: the law does not protect someone who was trespassing, committing another wrong, or teasing, tormenting, or abusing the dog. And when the victim is a **child under seven, the law presumes none of those apply** - if the owner wants an exception, the owner has to prove it. Strict liability is not limited to bites. A large dog that jumps on an elderly visitor, chases a cyclist into traffic, or knocks a child off a porch step creates the same responsibility. ## The claim is against insurance **Homeowner's and renter's policies cover dog injuries**, and that coverage is what a claim pursues. People suffer serious, scarring injuries and never make a claim because the dog belongs to a brother-in-law or a neighbor of twenty years. What they are declining is the insurance coverage that household has paid for all along. We handle these claims with that reality in view - professionally, against the carrier, with the personal relationship left as intact as the situation allows. ## What a serious bite costs Dog attacks produce a distinctive set of harms: puncture and crush wounds that need repair, infection risk that extends treatment, **scarring - often facial, often on children** - that may need revision surgery years later, and a fear of dogs that changes how a kid walks to school. Emergency treatment is the smallest line on the list. Valuing a scar on a growing child is its own discipline; sometimes the right move is to document, treat, and let the scar mature before the claim is priced, and Massachusetts's three-year filing deadline - which runs differently for minors - usually allows that patience. We will tell you honestly what the right timing looks like for your family. ## What to do after a bite Get medical care the same day; puncture wounds are infection-prone even when they look small. Photograph the injuries as they heal - the record of the worst days matters later. Report the bite to the local animal control officer; the report both documents the attack and protects the next person. Identify the dog and its owner, and confirm rabies vaccination. Then talk to us before an insurance adjuster calls you, because they will call, and their first offer is priced for a claim without a lawyer. The first conversation is free. If the claim is small enough to handle yourself, we will tell you exactly that. Free worksheet - PDF ## Get the Massachusetts After-an-Accident Worksheet Every step after a crash, fall, or other injury, from the scene to resolving your claim, in one PDF worksheet. From a Western Massachusetts firm that handles the insurers so you can focus on healing. [Download the worksheet (PDF)](https://www.dunnandphillips.com/downloads/dunn-phillips-personal-injury-after-accident-worksheet.pdf) Saves to your device as a fillable PDF you can complete or print. It is free: no email required. Using this does not make us your attorneys. It is general information, not legal advice. Common questions ## Dog Bites FAQs The dog never bit anyone before. Does that matter? No. Massachusetts is a strict-liability state for dog injuries: the owner or keeper is responsible even for a first bite and even if they handled the dog carefully. There is no 'one free bite' rule here, and you do not have to prove the owner did anything careless. The dog belongs to a friend or family member. I don't want to sue them. This is the most common hesitation we hear, and the answer changes the conversation: dog bite claims are almost always paid by homeowner's or renter's insurance - the coverage the owner has been paying premiums for. The claim is against a policy, not a person's savings, and handling it that way protects both the relationship and your recovery. My child was bitten. Is the law different for kids? It is more protective. For children under seven, the law presumes the child was not trespassing, provoking, or teasing the dog - the burden falls on the owner to prove otherwise. Children also carry scars differently: a facial scar on a six-year-old is a decades-long injury, and the claim should be valued that way, sometimes after waiting to see how the scarring matures. What are the defenses to a Massachusetts dog bite claim? Essentially three: the injured person was trespassing, was committing another wrong, or was teasing, tormenting, or abusing the dog. For adult victims the insurer may try to stretch these; for children under seven the presumption runs the other way. Strict liability also covers more than bites - a dog that knocks someone down or causes a fall is the owner's responsibility too. What does a dog bite lawyer cost? Nothing up front and nothing out of pocket. Our fee is a percentage of the recovery, set in a written agreement before we start; we front the case costs, and if there is no recovery you owe no fee and no costs. New Personal Injury Direct A new injury intake reaches a real person 24 hours a day. Call or text, or start with the intake form and we will get back to you. [Call or text (413) 426-8657](tel:+14134268657) [Start the injury intake form](https://www.dunnandphillips.com/practice/personal-injury/#start-your-case) [Try the quick size up](https://www.dunnandphillips.com/consult/) Where we are Springfield, Main Office 185 Belmont Avenue, Springfield, MA 01108 [(413) 787-9955](tel:+14137879955) [Get directions](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=185%20Belmont%20Avenue%2C%20Springfield%2C%20MA%2001108) Westfield, Personal Injury Law Center 56 Washington Street, Westfield, MA 01085 [(413) 562-8300](tel:+14135628300) [Get directions](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=56%20Washington%20Street%2C%20Westfield%2C%20MA%2001085) Other injury case types we handle - [Car Accidents](/practice/personal-injury/car-accidents/) - [Truck Accidents](/practice/personal-injury/truck-accidents/) - [Motorcycle Accidents](/practice/personal-injury/motorcycle-accidents/) - [Slip and Fall](/practice/personal-injury/slip-and-fall/) - [Workers' Compensation](/practice/personal-injury/workers-compensation/) - [Medical Malpractice](/practice/personal-injury/medical-malpractice/) - [Wrongful Death](/practice/personal-injury/wrongful-death/) **“Pay nothing unless we win” applies to personal injury matters only.** If we win, our fee is a percentage of the amount recovered and is paid out of that settlement or verdict, along with case costs; if there is no recovery, you owe no fee or costs. The percentage and terms are set out in a signed written fee agreement. This promise does not apply to our other practice areas, whose fees are charged as described in your fee agreement. This page is general information only, not legal advice for any specific situation, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. Every matter depends on its own facts; for advice on your particular circumstances, talk to a licensed attorney. Published by Dunn & Phillips, P.C., 185 Belmont Avenue, Springfield, MA 01108. Responsible attorney: Cornelius W. Phillips, III. 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