Were you or your child recently bitten by a dog in St. Catharines, ON? Dog bites can be incredibly traumatic, and you shouldn’t have to struggle with the consequences on your own. The dog’s owner has to be held accountable, and our St. Catharines dog bite lawyers are here to help you maximize your financial recovery.
For decades, Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers has been a passionate legal advocate for dog bite victims and families in St. Catharines and throughout the province of Ontario. Backed by over 92 years of combined legal experience, our award-winning trial lawyers have successfully recovered $100 million (and counting) for clients like you.
Focus on recovering from your painful dog bite injuries, and trust our top-rated litigators to handle your fight for compensation. We’re ready to do everything in our power to make things right. We offer a free consultation, so contact our law office serving St. Catharines to discuss your dog bite case today. Call us at 905-522-9799.
How Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers Helps Dog Bite Victims in St. Catharines, ON
Few injuries are more painful and traumatic than those inflicted by dogs. The resulting consequences can affect every aspect of your life. If a child is bitten, the physical and emotional damage can last a lifetime. By filing a personal injury claim against the dog’s owner in St. Catharines, Ontario, you can recover compensation to help you navigate the challenges that might arise.
Hiring an experienced St. Catharines personal injury lawyer can give you time to rest and increase the chances of winning your dog bite claim.
Choosing Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers means working with a team of honest, trustworthy Ontario trial lawyers with decades of collective experience handling cases just like yours. We can offer the experience, skills, and knowledge of Ontario dog bite law you’ll need to force the dog’s owner (and their insurance company) to do the right thing.
We’ll take charge of your legal claim, handling every aspect from start to finish on your behalf:
- Investigate the dog bite to understand how and why it happened
- Gather evidence, such as veterinary records, medical records, police reports, video footage, photographs of your injuries, and witness accounts
- Bring in expert witnesses and specialists to collaborate with our legal team as we build your dog bite case
- Determine if anyone other than the dog’s owner might be liable for your dog bite injuries
- Actively pursue a maximum settlement offer during negotiations with the dog owner’s insurance company and/or other liable parties
- Bring your dog bite lawsuit to trial, if necessary
Our lawyers have been recognized by the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association, The Advocates’ Society, and the Hamilton Medical Society.
Our dog bite lawyers in St. Catharines represent clients on a contingency fee basis. You’ll pay nothing to hire our law firm until we’ve recovered compensation for your dog bite claim. No win, no fee. That’s our promise to you.
There’s a limited time to take action, so contact our St. Catharines law office to arrange a time for a free dog bite case review today.
Understanding Ontario’s Dog Bite Laws
In Ontario, Canada, a dog owner is strictly liable for injuries caused by their dog. Liability for resulting injuries or deaths is automatic, regardless of the dog’s history (or lack thereof) of aggression or steps the owner may have taken to mitigate a dog attack.
When you file a dog bite lawsuit under Dog Owners’ Liability Act, you’ll have the burden of proving:
- You were bitten by a dog owned or possessed by the defendant,
- You were lawfully on the premises where the dog bite occurred, AND
- You sustained damages.
You don’t have to prove that the dog’s owner was negligent in any way. In fact, steps taken by the dog’s owner to protect you won’t limit their liability for your injuries. The fact that their animal bit you is enough for the courts to hold them accountable for your resulting damages.
The dog’s owner might try to argue that you provoked the animal or share responsibility for your dog bite injuries. In these situations, your contributory negligence could potentially limit your ability to recover compensation. So, it’ll be important to dispute these allegations and show that your negligence did not contribute to the dog attack.
Can a Property Owner Be Liable if I’m Bitten By a Dangerous Dog?
Maybe. A dog with a documented history of vicious behavior might be classified as a “dangerous dog” under Ontario law. When you’re bitten by a dangerous dog on someone else’s property, the owner or management of the premises might be financially responsible for your injuries, even if they’re not the dog’s owner.
That’s because property owners in Ontario assume a duty to protect visitors from foreseeable threats of harm. This can include an obligation to protect you from a dangerous dog they know is on or is likely on the premises. If they allow the dog to roam freely or take other steps that would protect you from getting bitten, they can be considered negligent and, in turn, liable for your injuries.
Helping You Seek Compensation For All of Your Dog Bite Injuries
Every year, an estimated 500,000 Canadians are bitten by dogs. In fact, it’s estimated that someone in Canada is bitten by a dog every 60 seconds. For many, these dog bites are catastrophic.
Victims can suffer a wide range of physical injuries, including:
- Nerve damage
- Soft tissue injury
- Cuts and lacerations
- Broken bones
- Degloving injury
- Amputation injury
- Eye injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Back injury
- Neck injury
- Infection and disease
- Puncture wounds
- Catastrophic injury
- Wrongful death
If you’ve been bitten by a dog in St. Catharines, Ontario, report the incident to the local police and seek immediate medical attention. The sooner you obtain medical care, the less likely it is you’ll develop an infection or that your injuries will get worse. Early intervention can also help to formally document your injuries and prove that they were inflicted by the dog.
What Damages Can I Recover After I’m Bitten by a Dog in St. Catharines?
Filing a dog bite lawsuit will give you the right to seek two types of monetary awards: pecuniary and non-pecuniary.
Pecuniary damages are awarded to help you handle the financial costs related to your dog bite injuries, such as:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Rehabilitation
- Disability
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Nursing care
- Funeral expenses if a dog bite is fatal
Non-pecuniary damages are intended to help you deal with the trauma and suffering associated with your dog attack, such as:
- Disfigurement
- Physical scarring
- Reduced quality of life
- Loss of consortium
- Pain and suffering
- Embarrassment
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Pecuniary damages can be awarded without limitation as long as your losses can be documented. However, Ontario limits awards for non-pecuniary damages to $400,000, adjusted for inflation. For 2025, the current cap is approximately $420,000.
The dog’s owner, their insurance company, and other liable parties will undoubtedly challenge your claim for damages. They might argue that you’ve exaggerated the severity of your injuries or that your life hasn’t changed markedly since being bitten by the dog. We won’t let these claims diminish the value of your personal injury claim. Instead, we’ll build a strong claim right out the gate, working hand-in-hand with reliable experts whose insight can help us force the defense to make things right.
If they refuse, our award-winning Ontario trial lawyers will be fully prepared to reject lowball offers and take your dog bite lawsuit to court.
How Long Will I Have to Seek Compensation After a Dog Bite in St. Catharines?
In Ontario, most dog bite lawsuits will be subject to a two-year statute of limitations. This gives you up to two years from the date you’re bitten by a dog to seek compensation for your losses. If you’ve experienced the wrongful death of a family member because of a dog bite in St. Catharines, you’ll have until the second anniversary of their death to take legal action.
Don’t let too much time pass by before putting a dog bite claim into motion. Once time expires, you’ll lose the right to hold the dog’s owner strictly liable for your injuries and trauma.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced St. Catharines Dog Bite Lawyer
Contact the top-rated legal team at Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers if you’ve been attacked by a dog in St. Catharines, Ontario. Whether you were attacked at the local park or while visiting the dog’s owner, you deserve compensation for your losses. Our St. Catharines dog bite lawyers are here to help you obtain a life-changing monetary award.
Choosing Findlay Personal Injury Lawyers puts a team with 92 years of collective legal experience and a multi-million-dollar track record of success in your corner. We know you have one shot at getting compensation for your dog bite injuries. We want to help you make the most of it.
There’s no charge for your initial case review. Contact our Ontario law office in St. Catharines to schedule a time to discuss your dog bite injury claim today.
