Your best friend’s dog bit you at their backyard barbecue. Your sister’s rescue attacked your child during a family gathering. Your neighbor’s pet lunged at you on your morning walk.
The injury is real. Medical bills are piling up. But the thought of filing a claim against someone you care about feels wrong.
We get it. At Antezana & Antezana, LLC., we handle dog bite cases involving friends and family members all the time, and we know exactly why people struggle with this decision. But you need to understand something important about how these claims actually work.
You’re Not Suing Your Friend Or Family Member
This is the biggest misconception about dog bite claims.
When you file a claim after being bitten by a friend or family member’s dog, you’re not taking money directly from them. You’re filing a claim against their homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy. That’s a huge difference.
Insurance exists specifically for situations like this. Your friend or family member pays premiums every month so that if their dog injures someone, the insurance company handles the financial responsibility. That’s literally what the policy is for.
Filing a claim doesn’t make you a bad friend or ungrateful family member. It means you’re using the system exactly as it was designed to be used.
How Insurance Companies Handle Dog Bite Claims
When a dog bite occurs, the owner’s homeowner or renter insurance policy typically covers personal liability. This includes injuries caused by their dog, whether the bite happened at their home, in a park, or anywhere else.
The insurance company investigates the claim. They evaluate the damages. They either offer a settlement or deny coverage based on their findings.
Your friend or family member isn’t writing a check from their personal bank account. The insurance carrier handles everything.
Their premiums might increase after a claim, just like car insurance rates can go up after an accident. But that’s a consequence of owning a dog that bit someone, not a consequence of you seeking medical compensation for your injuries. There’s a difference.
What Happens If They Don’t Have Insurance
Some dog owners don’t carry homeowner or renter insurance. Others have policies that specifically exclude certain breeds or have opted out of animal liability coverage.
In these situations, you would be filing a claim directly against the owner’s personal assets.
This is where things get more complicated from a relationship standpoint, because now you’re potentially seeking payment from their savings, wages, or property. For a Rockville dog bite lawyer, we walk clients through these scenarios carefully. Sometimes the relationship matters more than the compensation, and that’s a decision only you can make.
Other times, the injuries are severe enough that pursuing the claim becomes necessary regardless of the personal connection.
Why People Hesitate To File Claims
The reasons people don’t want to file dog bite claims against friends or family are understandable and deeply personal.
Fear of Damaging the Relationship
You don’t want to create tension, start arguments, or lose someone important to you over money. Family dinners become awkward. Friendships cool off. The relationship changes.
But often, the damage comes from not communicating honestly about what you’re facing. Medical bills, lost work time, ongoing treatment. These create real financial stress. When you’re suffering in silence while the dog owner goes on with life as normal, resentment builds anyway.
Guilt About “Getting Them in Trouble”
You care about this person. You don’t want their dog taken away, their insurance rates to spike, or their finances affected.
You feel like filing a claim makes you the bad guy. Remember that their dog caused real harm. Maryland law holds dog owners strictly liable for injuries their animals cause. That’s not your fault. That’s the law recognizing that people who choose to own dogs accept responsibility for what those dogs do.
Pressure From the Owner
Sometimes dog owners minimize the injury, promise to pay medical bills directly, or ask you not to file a claim “as a favor.” They might make you feel selfish or ungrateful for even considering legal action.
Direct payment arrangements rarely work out.
Medical costs add up faster than expected. Owners who promised to pay suddenly can’t afford it or dispute what they owe. Meanwhile, your statute of limitations clock is ticking, and once that deadline passes, you’ve lost your right to compensation permanently.
How Attorneys Handle These Sensitive Situations
When you hire a Rockville dog bite lawyer, we become the primary contact for all claim communications. You don’t have to have awkward conversations with your friend or family member about settlement amounts, liability, or insurance coverage.
We deal with the insurance company directly. We handle negotiations. We gather evidence. We communicate updates.
The dog owner typically hears from their insurance adjuster, not from you demanding money. This professional buffer helps preserve relationships by removing the personal element from the financial transaction. You’re not calling your sister asking for $50,000. Our firm is handling a standard insurance claim through the proper legal channels.
Medical Bills Don’t Wait For Comfort Levels
Dog bites can cause serious injuries. Deep wounds need stitches or surgery. Infections require antibiotics and sometimes hospitalization. Nerve damage needs specialist care. Facial scars may need plastic surgery.
Psychological trauma requires therapy.
These treatments cost money. If you don’t have health insurance, or if you have high deductibles and copays, those costs come out of your pocket. Lost work time compounds the financial pressure.
Your friend or family member’s dog caused these expenses. Their insurance exists to cover exactly this situation. Choosing not to file a claim means you’re absorbing costs that legally should be covered by their policy.
Making The Decision That’s Right For You
Only you can decide whether filing a dog bite claim against a friend or family member’s insurance makes sense for your situation.
We help clients think through the decision by providing honest information about what to expect, how the process works, and what outcomes are realistic. If you’ve been bitten by a dog belonging to someone you know and you’re struggling with whether to pursue compensation, reach out to our team. We’ll explain your rights, how insurance claims work, and how we can handle the legal process while helping you maintain important relationships.