EXPERIENCED PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER SERVING ALL OF TEXAS
Written by Geoffrey Dashner. Read more about the author.
Most dog bite victims in Arlington sign with the first lawyer they meet, often right after a traumatic attack when they’re in pain and just want someone to take over. That’s understandable. But a few months into the case, some of those same clients start wondering whether they made the right call. Maybe communication has stalled. Maybe they don’t understand what’s happening with their claim. Maybe they’ve learned that another attorney handles these cases more aggressively.
If that sounds familiar, you have options. At Dashner Law Firm | Arlington Injury & Accident Attorney, I’ve handled Texas dog bite cases at every stage — including taking over cases that were already in progress. What follows is a practical breakdown of the most common questions I hear from dog bite victims across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, starting with the big one.
Can I Switch Lawyers in a Dog Bite Case in Texas in Arlington?
Yes, you can switch lawyers in a dog bite case in Texas at almost any point before your case is resolved. Texas law gives you the right to discharge your attorney at any time, for any reason. That right applies whether you’re still in the claims process with an insurance company or already in active litigation.
The main practical concern is your original attorney’s fee. Most Texas dog bite injury attorneys work on a contingency basis — meaning they get paid a percentage of your settlement or verdict. When you switch attorneys, your original lawyer typically has a right to a portion of that fee based on the work they performed. This is resolved between the two attorneys through what’s called a fee-splitting arrangement or quantum meruit claim. You generally don’t pay out of pocket. The attorneys divide the contingency fee between themselves based on proportional contribution to the case.
Your case file belongs to you. Upon discharge, your former attorney must turn over all documents, evidence, correspondence, and records. In my experience, most attorneys cooperate once they receive a formal discharge letter. Occasionally, there’s a dispute about unpaid costs the attorney advanced — like filing fees or medical record costs — but that is handled at the end of the case, not upfront.
The best time to switch is before litigation begins, because procedural deadlines and court-imposed schedules add complexity. That said, I’ve stepped into cases that were already in discovery. It takes more effort to get up to speed, but it’s doable. What matters most is acting before Texas’s two-year statute of limitations expires under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003. If that deadline passes before your new attorney can file, your case is gone regardless of how strong the facts are.
If you’re questioning whether your current representation is working for you, contact us for a second opinion. That conversation costs you nothing.
Do Lawyers Take Dog Bite Cases Without Insurance in Texas?
This question comes up often, and the honest answer is: it depends on the assets of the dog owner, not just whether they have insurance.
Homeowner’s or renter’s insurance covers most dog bite claims in Texas. According to the Insurance Information Institute, dog bite claims account for roughly one-third of all homeowner’s liability payouts nationally — so insurers take these cases seriously. But not every dog owner in Texas carries that coverage. Some rent without a policy. Some own their home outright and never maintained liability insurance.
When there’s no insurance, a Texas dog bite lawsuit attorney has to evaluate whether the dog owner has collectible assets — equity in a home, a car, a savings account, a paycheck that could be garnished through a judgment. Texas has strong debtor protection laws, including the homestead exemption, which can shield a primary residence from judgment collection. So even a valid judgment against an uninsured dog owner may be difficult to collect.
I won’t take a case I can’t collect on — that would waste your time and mine. But I don’t refuse cases simply because there’s no insurance. I look at the full picture. Some uninsured dog owners have real assets. Some attacks happen on commercial property where a business’s liability policy applies instead. Some bite incidents involve a landlord who knew the tenant kept a dangerous dog and did nothing — in those situations, the landlord’s property insurance may come into play under Texas premises liability theories.
If you’re not sure whether the dog owner in your case had insurance, that’s something we can investigate early. The answer shapes the strategy.
Do Personal Injury Lawyers Handle Dog Bite Cases in Texas?
Yes. Dog bite injuries fall squarely within Texas personal injury law, and personal injury attorneys are the right lawyers to handle them. These cases involve negligence, property owner liability, and sometimes strict liability under Texas’s “one bite rule” — all of which are standard personal injury frameworks.
Texas does not have a strict dog bite statute the way some states do. Instead, Texas uses a common law negligence standard. To win a dog bite claim, you generally need to show that the owner knew or should have known the dog had dangerous tendencies, and that they failed to exercise reasonable care to control the animal. This is sometimes called the “one bite rule,” though it doesn’t literally mean the dog gets a free first bite — prior aggressive behavior, growling, or jumping can be enough to establish that the owner knew the risk.
Personal injury attorneys who focus on these cases understand how to gather that prior-knowledge evidence: animal control records, neighbor statements, veterinary notes, prior incident reports from Tarrant County. That research is where a case is often won or lost, long before anyone sits down at a negotiating table.
The CDC reports that approximately 4.5 million dog bites occur annually in the United States, with roughly 800,000 requiring medical attention. In serious cases — deep puncture wounds, facial injuries, nerve damage — the medical bills alone can run into five or six figures. A personal injury attorney works to recover those costs, plus lost wages, pain and suffering, and scarring or disfigurement damages.
How Lawyers Respond to an Accusation About a Dog Bite in Texas?
If you’re the dog owner being accused of a bite, this section is for you. The situation is stressful, and the way you handle the first few days matters.
A Texas dog bite defense attorney’s first move is almost always to tell you to stop talking. Don’t give statements to the injured person’s lawyer. Don’t post about the incident on social media. Don’t discuss the dog’s history with anyone except your attorney. Anything you say can end up as evidence.
Next, your attorney will contact your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance carrier. If you have liability coverage, the insurer has both the right and the obligation to defend you — more on that in the next section. Your attorney coordinates that process.
From there, defense lawyers in Texas challenge two things most aggressively: whether the owner had prior knowledge of dangerous tendencies, and whether the injured person contributed to the bite through their own actions. Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule under Chapter 33 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. If the bite victim was trespassing, provoking the dog, or more than 50% responsible for what happened, that significantly affects or eliminates the owner’s liability.
Defense attorneys also scrutinize the injury itself — not to minimize suffering, but to separate which medical costs were caused by the bite versus pre-existing conditions. That distinction matters when damages are being calculated. According to FindLaw, dog bite defenses vary significantly by state, and Texas’s negligence-based framework gives defendants meaningful opportunities to contest liability that don’t exist in strict-liability states.
Will the Insurance Company Provide a Lawyer When You Are Being Sued Over a Dog Bite in Texas?
Generally, yes — if your policy includes personal liability coverage.
Most standard homeowner’s policies include a personal liability section, typically ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 in coverage. If you’re sued for a dog bite and you have that coverage, your insurance company has what’s called a “duty to defend.” That means they must hire and pay for an attorney to defend you in the lawsuit, up to your policy limits. You don’t choose that attorney — the insurer does — but the attorney’s obligation runs to you, the insured.
This is meaningful protection. A dog bite lawsuit can get expensive quickly, and defense attorney fees alone can run tens of thousands of dollars before a case resolves. Having that covered by your insurer removes a major financial burden.
What you need to watch for: insurers sometimes send what’s called a “reservation of rights” letter. This tells you they’re defending you for now but may deny coverage later if they determine the policy doesn’t apply. This often happens when the insurer argues the bite was intentional rather than negligent. If you receive one of these letters, get your own attorney — separate from the one the insurer assigned — to advise you on your coverage position.
Also note that some policies explicitly exclude certain dog breeds. If you have a breed on the exclusion list, the insurer may decline to defend at all. In that situation, you’re on your own unless you have a separate umbrella policy or can demonstrate the exclusion doesn’t apply.
The American Bar Association provides guidance on understanding attorney-client relationships in insurance defense scenarios, which can help you understand whose interests the assigned attorney actually represents.
Can a Dog Bite Cause Nerve Damage Requiring a Lawyer in Texas?
Yes, and nerve damage is one of the most consequential and often underestimated injuries from a serious dog attack.
Dog bites generate significant crushing and tearing force. A large dog can exert hundreds of pounds of pressure per square inch. That force doesn’t just break skin — it can compress or sever peripheral nerves, particularly in the hands, arms, and face. Radial nerve injuries, median nerve injuries, and damage to facial nerve branches are documented outcomes in serious bite cases. The Mayo Clinic notes that peripheral nerve injuries can result in chronic pain, numbness, weakness, and in severe cases, permanent loss of function in the affected area.
Nerve damage cases require a lawyer for several specific reasons. First, the full extent of nerve injury often isn’t apparent immediately after the attack. You may develop symptoms over weeks or months — burning sensations, loss of grip strength, muscle atrophy — that weren’t documented in your initial emergency room visit. An insurer will argue those symptoms aren’t related to the bite if your records don’t connect them clearly.
Second, nerve damage treatment is expensive. Nerve conduction studies, neurologist consultations, physical therapy, and potential surgery add up fast. According to the NIH, peripheral nerve repair surgeries can cost anywhere from $20,000 to over $100,000 depending on the procedure and facility. Insurers will push hard to minimize or exclude these costs from settlement offers.
Third, if nerve damage causes permanent functional loss — a hand that can’t grip properly, a face with partial paralysis — the long-term economic and quality-of-life impact is substantial. Calculating those future damages accurately takes expert witnesses and legal experience. I’ve worked with medical experts in Tarrant County to build the kind of evidence record that makes those future damages defensible at trial.
A nerve damage claim handled without an attorney almost always results in a settlement that doesn’t account for the full long-term cost. If you experienced anything beyond superficial wounds in your dog attack, get our team involved early.
What to Do After a Dog Bite in Arlington, Texas?
Regardless of where your case stands right now — whether you just got bitten, you’re considering switching lawyers, or you’ve been accused of a bite — the steps you take in the next few days shape your outcome.
Document everything. Photograph injuries from multiple angles on multiple days, because bite wounds often look worse as swelling develops. Get the dog owner’s contact information and ask whether animal control was notified. Under Arlington and Tarrant County ordinances, dog bites are typically required to be reported, and those reports become part of your case file.
Seek medical attention even if the wound looks minor. Bite wounds have high infection rates due to oral bacteria, and documentation of your injuries by a physician creates the medical record your attorney needs. If you develop symptoms consistent with nerve involvement — tingling, numbness, weakness beyond the wound area — tell your doctor immediately and ask for a referral to a neurologist.
If you’re the dog owner, notify your insurance carrier the same day and preserve any evidence that shows the dog’s prior behavior or lack of dangerous history.
And if your current legal representation isn’t giving you confidence, that’s worth addressing directly. You’re entitled to an attorney who returns your calls, explains your options clearly, and fights for the compensation you actually deserve.
Talk to a Texas Dog Bite Lawyer Today
At Dashner Law Firm | Arlington Injury & Accident Attorney, we represent dog bite victims across Texas — including clients in Arlington, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, Irving, and throughout the DFW area. We also handle cases referred from other parts of Texas when a client needs experienced representation.
We work on contingency. You pay nothing unless we recover for you. That applies whether you’re starting fresh with us or transferring from another firm.
See what our past clients have experienced — check our verdicts and settlements to understand how we’ve fought for people in situations like yours.
If you have questions about your rights after a dog attack — or if you’re ready to get a second opinion on a case already in progress — contact us to schedule a free consultation.
Call us at (817) 203-8018. Visit our Arlington office at 4275 Little Rd # 205, Arlington, TX 76016. We’re ready to hear your story and give you a straight answer about where your case stands.
