Bitten by a Dog in Little Rock?

Your first priority is putting distance between yourself and the animal. If the dog is still loose or aggressive, move to a car, a building, or behind a fence. Don’t run — back away slowly and avoid direct eye contact if the dog hasn’t been secured yet.

If someone else is being attacked, don’t try to physically separate a biting dog with your hands. Use a barrier — a jacket, a bag, a trash can lid, anything between the dog and the victim. Call 911 if the attack is serious or ongoing. Little Rock Police and Little Rock Animal Services both respond to dangerous dog situations.

Once you’re safe, take a breath. Dog bites are traumatic — even a “minor” one — and your adrenaline is running. What you do in the next few hours matters for both your health and any future claim.

Dog bites are puncture wounds. They drive bacteria deep into tissue and have a high infection rate — much higher than cuts or scrapes. Even a bite that looks small on the surface can cause serious damage underneath: torn muscle, damaged tendons, nerve injury, and crushed tissue.

Go to an emergency room or urgent care within hours of the bite. In Little Rock, UAMS Medical Center (4301 W. Markham St.) is the state’s only adult Level I Trauma Center. CHI St. Vincent Infirmary (2 St. Vincent Circle) and Baptist Health Medical Center (9601 Baptist Health Dr.) also have emergency departments. For children, Arkansas Children’s Hospital (1 Children’s Way) is the state’s only Level I pediatric trauma center and treats a high volume of pediatric dog bite cases — a study of 740 dog bite patients at Arkansas’s two Level I trauma centers found that 574 presented to Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

The doctor will clean the wound, assess for deep tissue damage, and decide whether you need stitches, antibiotics, or a tetanus booster. They’ll also evaluate rabies risk — if the dog’s vaccination status is unknown, a 10-day quarantine will be ordered. If the dog can’t be located, you may need post-exposure rabies prophylaxis.

Get the medical visit documented. The records linking your injuries to the bite on a specific date are the backbone of any claim you file.

In Little Rock, any animal bite that breaks the skin must be reported. Contact Little Rock Animal Services (also known as the Animal Village) at (501) 376-3067 during business hours (Tuesday through Saturday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM). Their facility is at 4500 Kramer Street, off the 4600 block of South University Avenue.

Give them the address where the bite happened, the dog owner’s name and contact info if you have it, a description of the dog, and what happened. They’ll order a mandatory 10-day quarantine — the dog must be quarantined with a licensed veterinarian at the owner’s expense, regardless of vaccination status.

This report does two critical things for you. First, it triggers a rabies observation period for the dog. Second, it creates an official government record of the bite. That record matters enormously in Arkansas, because the “one-bite rule” requires proof that the owner knew or should have known the dog was dangerous. An animal control report documenting a prior incident is exactly the kind of evidence that establishes that knowledge.

Pull out your phone and photograph your injuries before they’re cleaned or bandaged. Take photos from multiple angles, including close-ups that show the depth and extent of the wounds. Photograph torn or bloody clothing. If you can safely do so, photograph the dog and the location where the attack happened.

Write down what happened while it’s fresh. Where were you? What were you doing? Was the dog on a leash? Was it on the owner’s property or running loose? Did the owner say anything after the bite? Were there witnesses? Get their names and phone numbers.

Keep photographing your injuries as they heal — or as they get worse. Infections, scarring, and surgical outcomes all unfold over days and weeks. A photo timeline of your wound from day one through recovery is powerful evidence of the harm you suffered.

Save every medical bill, prescription receipt, and record of time missed from work. If you need help at home because you can’t use a hand or arm, document those costs too.

This is where Arkansas law differs from many other states. Arkansas is one of only four states without a comprehensive civil strict liability statute for dog bites on humans. Instead, liability is established through one of three legal theories.

The first is the “one-bite rule” (scienter). If you can prove the dog has previously bitten or acted aggressively, and the owner knew about it, the owner is liable for your injuries. The animal control report from a prior incident is the clearest way to establish this knowledge.

The second is negligence. You must show the owner owed a duty of care, breached it, and that breach caused your injury. This does not require proof of prior incidents. If the owner let the dog roam without a leash, failed to secure a fence, or ignored obvious aggressive behavior, that’s negligence. Arkansas courts have held that allowing a dog to roam freely constitutes negligence because injury is foreseeable (Bergetz v. Repka, 1968).

The third is negligence per se. If the owner violated a local ordinance — like Little Rock’s leash law or pit bull regulations — that violation is itself evidence of negligence. This is often the strongest path for first-bite cases where the dog was off-leash or the owner failed to comply with breed-specific requirements.

Arkansas also has a criminal statute (Ark. Code § 5-62-125) making it a Class A misdemeanor if an owner negligently allows a dog they know to be dangerous to attack someone, causing death or serious physical injury. A court can order the defendant to pay restitution for medical bills.

Dog bite injuries often go well beyond the initial wound. Arkansas law allows you to recover compensation for the full range of damages caused by the bite, and because the Arkansas Constitution (Art. 5, § 32) prohibits damage caps, there is no artificial ceiling on your recovery.

Medical expenses are usually the largest component — emergency room visits, wound care, antibiotics, surgery, reconstructive procedures, physical therapy, and any future treatment related to the bite. The study of 740 dog bite patients at Arkansas’s Level I trauma centers found that 37% required some form of repair and nearly 7% needed surgery.

Lost wages cover time missed from work while recovering, and any reduction in your ability to earn income going forward. Pain and suffering accounts for the physical pain of the bite and recovery, plus the emotional and psychological impact — anxiety, fear of dogs, nightmares, PTSD. These are especially pronounced in children.

Scarring and disfigurement are significant in dog bite cases. Bites frequently leave permanent scars, especially on the face, hands, and arms. Children under 5 are more than 8 times as likely to require operative repair and more than 4 times as likely to be bitten on the head and neck, where scarring is most visible and stretches as the child grows.

The national average dog-related injury claim reached $69,272 in 2024, but serious bites involving surgery, infection, or facial scarring can be worth far more.

Because Arkansas doesn’t impose automatic strict liability, the owner has more room to argue they shouldn’t be held responsible. Understanding the defenses helps you build a stronger case.

Provocation is the most common defense. If the owner can show you were teasing, hitting, or otherwise provoking the dog before the bite, your claim may be weakened or defeated. This comes up often with children — a child pulling a dog’s tail or ears may be considered provocation, though courts weigh the child’s age and understanding.

Trespassing is another defense. If you were unlawfully on the owner’s property when the bite occurred, the owner may argue reduced liability. However, Arkansas courts have noted that if the owner knows people frequently trespass on their property, they must take reasonable steps to protect even trespassers.

Arkansas’s comparative negligence rule (Ark. Code § 16-64-122) applies to dog bite cases. If you’re found partially at fault — say you ignored warning signs or approached a chained dog that was clearly agitated — your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault. If you’re 50% or more at fault, you recover nothing. This is the strict 50% bar, not the 51% bar used in many states.

Most dog bite claims are paid through the owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy. The national average dog-related injury claim was $69,272 in 2024 — up 18% from the prior year — but serious bites involving surgery, infection, or facial scarring in children can be worth far more.

Because Arkansas requires proof of either prior knowledge or negligence (unlike strict liability states), building a strong case takes more work. An attorney can investigate the dog’s history, identify ordinance violations, gather witness statements, and negotiate with the insurance company from a position of evidence rather than a position of hope.

Most personal injury attorneys in Little Rock work on contingency — no upfront cost, and they only get paid if you recover. A free consultation gives you a clear picture of whether the owner’s negligence can be established and what your claim may be worth. The 3-year statute of limitations (Ark. Code § 16-56-105) gives you time, but evidence degrades — witnesses forget, animal control records get archived, and surveillance footage gets overwritten. Sooner is better.