Michigan Dog Bite Lawyer

Practical help after a dog bite in Michigan

Dog-bite cases can look simple from the outside, but the real issues often show up quickly: puncture wounds, infection concerns, facial or hand injuries, scarring, treatment for a child, uncertainty about the dog owner, and questions about how the claim will be paid.

Baldori Law approaches these cases with a practical, client-facing focus. The immediate goal is to help you protect your health, preserve useful evidence, and understand whether the claim should be directed toward the dog owner, an insurer, or both.

Michigan's dog-bite statute: strict liability under MCL 287.351

Under MCL 287.351, a dog owner is liable for a bite without any showing that the dog was ever vicious before, as long as the injured person was in a public place or lawfully on private property and did not provoke the dog. There is no "one-bite rule" in Michigan — a first bite can create full liability. The two defenses you will most often hear from insurers are provocation and unlawful presence, and the filing deadline is generally three years. For the statute itself and how the deadline works, read our full statute text and deadline guide.

One boundary matters: MCL 287.351 covers dog bites specifically. A non-bite injury — for example, a dog knocking someone down — typically proceeds under ordinary negligence rules instead, where what the owner knew about the dog's behavior can matter.

Issues that often matter in these claims

• Whether the victim was lawfully on the property
• Whether anyone is claiming provocation
• Scarring, nerve damage, infection, and follow-up treatment
• Whether the injured person is a child
• Available homeowners or renters insurance coverage

Questions dog-bite clients ask us

What if the dog never bit anyone before?

That does not automatically end the case. Michigan dog-bite claims are not always limited to a prior-history argument. The first step is to review what happened, where it happened, and what evidence exists.

Who actually pays a Michigan dog-bite claim?

In most cases, the dog owner's homeowners or renters insurance — not the owner personally. That matters for two reasons: coverage is often available even when the owner is a friend or family member, and the claim is handled by an insurance company from day one, which is why early documentation and careful statements matter so much.

What if the dog was a stray, or nobody knows who owns it?

It is harder. A claim under MCL 287.351 runs against the dog's owner, so identifying the owner — through animal control reports, neighbors, or licensing records — is usually the first investigative step. If no owner or responsible party can be identified, there may be no one for a civil claim to reach, which is one more reason to report the bite to animal control right away.

What if a child was bitten?

Child dog-bite cases often require extra attention because scarring, emotional effects, and future treatment can be important parts of the evaluation. We take the time to understand the full picture instead of treating the matter as a quick insurance file.

What if the bite happened at a friend's or relative's house?

People are often uncomfortable raising the issue because they know the dog owner personally. In many cases, insurance coverage is a major part of the discussion. A consultation can focus on the practical options without making assumptions about how the matter has to proceed.

You can review a representative dog-related injury result or return to the broader personal injury hub.

Dog bite cases share ground with our other premises and owner liability work, including slip and fall claims and, in the most tragic cases, wrongful death claims. For the filing deadline and the statute itself, read our guide to Michigan's dog bite statute of limitations.