Any dog, from the biggest bull mastiff to the tiniest Chihuahua, could become aggressive and cause a person serious injuries. While big dogs could do more obvious damage with a single bite, small dogs may have access to more vulnerable parts of the body, like the throat and eyes, because people tend to hold them in their arms.



If you have recently been the victim of a dog bite, the breed of the animal could actually influence your options after the attack. Why would the breed of the dog matter when you need financial compensation?

Certain breeds have a known association with dog bite attacks

Experts track dog bite incidents and try to analyze that information for trends. Certain dog breeds, either due to their popularity or to the way that people treat them, have a stronger association with serious bite incidents.

For that reason alone, some insurance companies list certain dog breeds as dangerous or restricted. Rottweilers, pit bulls and Dobermans are among the so-called dangerous breeds. The insurance company may not cover property owners who have animals that belong to those breeds.

If a homeowner lies about the breed of their dog or doesn’t disclose the presence of the animal to the insurance company, their homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance might not actually pay for the losses someone else suffers when their dog attacks.

Those who can’t make a claim against insurance may have few options other than a civil lawsuit to recover medical costs, lost wages and other financial consequences of a vicious dog bite attack. The better a victim understand their rights, the easier it will be to stand up for them.