Personal Injury

Dog Bite Lawyers in Atlantic Canada

Michael Murphy, K.C. at his desk in the firm's Moncton office

None of the four Atlantic provinces has the strict-liability dog statute that Ontario has. A dog bite lawyer here proves the claim under the common law: the owner failed to control a dog they should have controlled, or knew the dog was dangerous and kept it anyway. The recovery comes from the owner’s home insurance, and the claim has two years.

What a Dog Bite Lawyer Proves in Every Province

Negligence and scienter are the two routes in every province, and we plead both. Municipal animal control bylaws set the leash and muzzle rules. A breach of them is evidence of negligence, and the animal control officer’s file is the foundation of the claim. Children are bitten more than anyone, on the face and hands. Every province stops the limitation clock for a minor, so a family can wait for a scar to mature before valuing it. No cap applies; the caps are confined to auto claims. The provincial health insurer’s costs are recovered inside the action.

PEI’s Dog Act and the Occupiers’ Statutes Differ by Province

Prince Edward Island has a Dog Act that adds statutory duties on an owner. Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland have Occupiers’ Liability Acts that add a duty to visitors bitten on the owner’s premises. New Brunswick relies on the common law alone. Small claims limits differ: $20,000 in New Brunswick, $25,000 in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and the Small Claims Section’s limit in PEI.

The Firm Runs Bite Claims in All Four Provinces

In New Brunswick the Moncton office pleads negligence and scienter in the Court of King’s Bench. In Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland the Halifax, Charlottetown and St. John’s offices add the Occupiers’ Liability Act count, and in PEI the Dog Act duties. On every file the first step is the same: the animal control file, the medical record and photographs of the wound as it heals. The claim then goes to the owner’s home insurer, and is filed in court before the two years run.

The Province Pages

A Claim Against a Friend or Relative Is Paid by Their Insurer

It is a claim on their homeowner’s or tenant’s policy, and the insurer pays it. Families bring these claims because a child’s scar is compensated once or not at all, and the relationship is a reason to handle the claim carefully, not to abandon it.

Will the Dog Be Destroyed?

That is the municipality’s decision under its bylaw. The civil claim asks for money and does not require it.

What Is a Facial Scar on a Child Worth?

It depends on the scar’s final appearance after the revisions a growing face will need, the child’s age, and the psychological effect. A dog bite lawyer values it when the evidence allows, not before.

Read the firm’s dog bite claim guide. Reported decisions appear on the results page, and the full list of claim types sits under injury law areas.

No Fee Unless the Claim Resolves

The first call is free and a lawyer takes it. There is no fee unless the claim resolves, and the firm carries the records and expert costs through the life of the claim. Contact the firm, or read what the firm can do.