Bitten by a Dog in St. Louis?

Your first priority is 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.

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. St. Louis Metropolitan Police (SLMPD) and St. Louis City Animal Care both respond to dangerous dog situations.

Once you're safe, take a breath. Dog bites are traumatic — even a seemingly 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 carry 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. Barnes-Jewish Hospital at 1 Barnes Jewish Hospital Plaza is St. Louis's premier Level I trauma center. SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital at 1201 South Grand Boulevard is a second Level I trauma center in the city. For children, St. Louis Children's Hospital at One Children's Place is the region's only ACS-verified Level I Pediatric Trauma Center.

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, St. Louis Animal Care may require the animal to be quarantined for observation. If the dog can't be located, you may need post-exposure rabies prophylaxis, a series of shots given over two weeks.

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 St. Louis City, animal bites that break the skin should be reported to St. Louis City Animal Care and Control, which operates under the City of St. Louis Department of Health. Call (314) 657-1500 during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM) or (314) 231-1212 after hours and weekends. For bites that occur in St. Louis County, contact St. Louis County Animal Care and Control at 10521 Baur Boulevard, Olivette, MO 63132, phone (314) 615-0650 (Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM) or (636) 529-8210 after hours.

Provide 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. Animal control will place the dog under a mandatory 10-day quarantine to observe for signs of rabies.

This report does two things for you: it triggers a rabies observation period for the dog, and it creates an official government record of the bite. That record matters — if this dog has bitten before or bites someone in the future, the documented history strengthens future claims and establishes a pattern of dangerous behavior.

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 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 Missouri law works in your favor. Under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 273.036, a dog owner is strictly liable for any injuries caused by their dog biting someone. Strict liability means you don't have to prove the owner was negligent. You don't have to prove the dog had a history of aggression. You don't have to prove the owner should have known the dog was dangerous.

The dog bit you. The owner is liable. That's it.

Some states use a 'one bite rule' — the dog essentially gets a free first bite before the owner can be held responsible. Missouri specifically rejected that approach. The owner is on the hook from bite number one.

Missouri's strict liability statute applies when the bite happens while the victim is on public property or lawfully on private property — including being on the owner's property as an invited guest or while performing a duty imposed by law (such as mail carriers or delivery workers). The statute does not protect trespassers.

What this means in practice: your case doesn't hinge on proving the owner was careless. The legal question is simply whether the dog caused your injuries while you were lawfully present. If it did, the owner pays. The only real disputes are about the extent of your damages and whether any defenses apply.

Dog bite injuries often go well beyond the initial wound. Missouri law allows you to recover compensation for the full range of damages caused by the bite.

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. If the bite gets infected (which is common with puncture wounds), the costs climb fast.

Lost wages cover time missed from work while recovering, and any reduction in your ability to earn income going forward. If a hand or arm injury affects your ability to do your job, that lost earning capacity has real value.

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 matter significantly in dog bite cases. Bites frequently leave permanent scars, especially on the face, hands, and arms. Courts take facial scarring in children particularly seriously because scars stretch as a child grows, potentially requiring multiple corrective surgeries through adolescence.

You can also recover for property damage (torn clothing, broken glasses, damaged items) and out-of-pocket costs like travel to medical appointments or hiring help at home during recovery. Missouri has no cap on non-economic damages in most personal injury cases.

Strict liability doesn't mean automatic full recovery. The dog owner (or their insurance company) can still raise defenses to reduce or eliminate what they owe you.

Provocation is the most common defense. If the owner can show you were teasing, hitting, or otherwise provoking the dog before the bite, your recovery may be reduced. 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. Missouri's strict liability statute specifically requires that the victim be lawfully present — on public property or lawfully on private property. If you were trespassing when bitten, the strict liability statute may not apply, though you might still have a negligence claim.

Missouri's pure comparative negligence rule (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 537.765) also 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. But unlike many states, Missouri has no threshold that bars recovery. Even if you're found 60% at fault, you can still recover 40% of your damages.

Most dog bite claims are paid through the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance policy. The average dog bite insurance claim nationally is approximately $69,272 — but serious bites involving surgery, infection, or facial scarring can be worth significantly more.

Insurance companies will try to settle quickly and cheaply. They know strict liability puts them in a weak position, so they'll push for a fast resolution before you understand the full extent of your injuries. Don't accept an early offer before you know your total medical costs and whether scarring will be permanent.

A personal injury attorney can evaluate your case under Missouri's strict liability statute, handle all communication with the insurance company, gather evidence (including animal control records and prior bite history), and negotiate a settlement that accounts for your full damages — not just current medical bills, but future treatment, lost income, pain and suffering, and scarring.

St. Louis City is an independent city — not part of St. Louis County. Your case will be filed in either the 22nd Judicial Circuit (city) or the 21st Judicial Circuit (county) depending on where the bite occurred. An experienced St. Louis attorney will know the correct jurisdiction. Most dog bite attorneys work on contingency — no upfront cost, and they only get paid if you recover.