Dog Attacks on Children and Facial Scarring

When a dog attacks a child, the wounds are rarely just to the arm or leg. Kids are eye-level with a dog's mouth, and the face takes the worst of it. These are some of the most heartbreaking — and most valuable — cases we handle.

We're Big League Injury Lawyers, and we don't sugarcoat this: a facial scar on a five-year-old is not the same injury as a healed puncture on an adult forearm. It follows a child through school pictures, first dates, and job interviews for decades. Michigan law recognizes that, and so do we.

Why Children Are Hurt So Badly

The statistics are grim for a reason grounded in simple physics and behavior:

• Height. A small child's face is right at the level of a medium or large dog's head, so bites that would land on an adult's hand land on a child's cheek, lip, nose, or eye.
• Behavior. Kids run, squeal, hug dogs around the neck, and reach for food bowls — all things that can trigger a defensive dog.
• Familiarity. Most child bites come from a dog the family knows — a relative's or friend's pet — not a stray.
• Reaction time. Young children can't read warning signs or pull away in time.

The result is that children account for a hugely disproportionate share of serious, disfiguring dog-bite injuries, and the majority of those involve the head and neck.

Michigan's Strict-Liability Statute Applies to Kids Too

Michigan's dog-bite law, MCL 287.351, imposes strict liability on the owner: if the dog bites a person who was lawfully present and did not provoke it, the owner is liable regardless of the dog's prior history. For children this is especially powerful because the two main defenses insurers raise are far weaker when the victim is a young child:

• Provocation. Courts are reluctant to treat a small child's normal, innocent behavior — petting, hugging, approaching — as legal provocation. A toddler cannot form the intent an adult can.
• Comparative fault. Michigan's comparative-negligence rules assign fault based on what a reasonable person would do, and very young children are generally held to little or no standard of care.

Even where the statute might not reach, a common-law claim for a dangerous animal the owner knew about remains available.

Why Facial Scarring Claims Carry Real Value

Michigan personal-injury law allows recovery for disfigurement as its own category of non-economic damages, separate from pain and suffering. On a child, scarring damages are significant because the harm is:

1. Permanent and visible. Facial scars rarely disappear, even with the best surgery.
2. Lifelong. Damages are measured over a child's entire life expectancy — potentially 70+ years of living with the scar.
3. Psychological as well as physical. Anxiety, social withdrawal, and PTSD are common and compensable.
4. Surgically ongoing. Children often need staged procedures as they grow, because a scar fixed at age five may need revision at twelve and again in the teens.

The Special Rules for a Child's Claim

A minor cannot bring a lawsuit on their own, so a parent or guardian typically pursues the claim on the child's behalf. Two Michigan-specific points matter:

1. The Statute of Limitations Works Differently

Michigan's general injury deadline is three years, but for a minor the clock is affected by the child's age. Parents should never assume they have unlimited time — certain claims and notice requirements can run sooner, and evidence disappears fast. The safe move is to talk to a lawyer early.

2. Settlements for Minors Need Court Approval

To protect the child, a settlement of a minor's claim in Michigan generally requires court approval, and the funds are typically preserved for the child — often in a restricted account or structured settlement paid out when they reach adulthood. This is a safeguard, not a hurdle, and an experienced lawyer handles it routinely.

What Parents Should Do After a Dog Attacks Their Child

1. Get emergency medical care. Facial wounds should be evaluated by a plastic surgeon when possible — how the wound is closed affects the final scar.
2. Photograph everything from day one and at every stage of healing. Scar documentation over time is powerful evidence.
3. Identify the dog and owner, and get the dog's vaccination status for rabies concerns.
4. Report the bite to animal control or the county health department.
5. Keep every medical record and bill, including mental-health treatment.
6. Do not let the owner's insurer rush a settlement. A child's future surgeries can't be valued in the first month.
7. Call a lawyer before signing anything. Homeowners or renters insurance usually funds these claims — you're accessing coverage, not attacking a friend.

The Money Usually Comes From Insurance

Because most child bites involve a dog owned by family or friends, parents often hesitate to pursue a claim. Understand this: dog-bite recoveries almost always come from the owner's homeowners or renters liability coverage, not their personal savings. Declining to file doesn't spare the owner — it just leaves your child's future medical needs unfunded.

Bottom Line

A dog attack on a child is one of the few injury cases where Michigan law lines up strongly for the victim: strict liability, weak defenses against young children, and separate damages for disfigurement measured across an entire lifetime. If your child was bitten in Michigan, don't let the insurer or a well-meaning relative talk you out of protecting their future. Let us look at it first.

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