PEI Dog Bite Lawyers

Prince Edward Island is the one Maritime province with a Dog Act, and that matters to a bite claim. The Act regulates dogs running at large and makes the owner responsible for a dog that is not under control. A PEI dog bite lawyer pleads the Act alongside the common law, collects from the owner’s home insurance, and sues within two years.

The Limit Is Two Years, Postponed for a Child

Section 2(1)(d) of the Statute of Limitations, RSPEI 1988, c S-7 gives two years from the bite. A child’s claim is postponed until adulthood, which lets a family wait for a facial scar to mature before valuing it. The evidence does not wait. The dog control officer’s report, the owner’s admissions and the photographs of the wound in the first week are the case.

The Dog Act, Scienter and the Occupiers’ Liability Act Make the Owner Liable

The Dog Act, RSPEI 1988, c D-13 and the municipal dog control bylaws in Charlottetown, Summerside and Stratford set the rules an owner has to follow. A dog off the owner’s property must be under control. A dog that has bitten can be ordered destroyed. A breach is strong evidence of negligence. The common law adds scienter. An owner who knew the dog was dangerous is liable without proof of carelessness. Where the bite happened on the owner’s property, the Occupiers’ Liability Act, RSPEI 1988, c O-2 adds a statutory duty to keep a visitor reasonably safe.

What a PEI Dog Bite Lawyer Recovers

Pain and suffering. Scarring, and the revision surgery a growing child will need. Infection and nerve damage in a hand. Counselling for the fear that follows. Lost income. No cap applies. Health PEI recovers its cost of care inside the claim. The owner’s homeowner’s or tenant’s liability coverage pays, which is why a claim against a neighbour or a relative is a claim against an insurer.

Small Bites Go to the Small Claims Section and Serious Ones to the Supreme Court

A claim within the Small Claims Section’s limit can go there. A bite that needed surgery or left a scar goes to the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island. Most settle with the owner’s insurer once the medical evidence and the scar photographs are complete.

The Charlottetown office handles bite claims across the Island.

The Dog Was on a Leash When It Bit Me. Is the Owner Still Liable?

A leash controls where the dog is, not what it does. An owner who let a dog they knew to be aggressive get within reach of a child is negligent, leash or not.

The Owner Is My Sister.

Her home insurer pays the claim, not her. Families bring these claims because a child’s scar gets paid for once or not at all.

Will the Dog Be Destroyed If I Claim?

That decision belongs to the municipality under the bylaw, and it is made separately. A civil claim asks for money and nothing else.

Was I Trespassing on the Owner’s Driveway?

A visitor with a lawful reason to be there, whether a delivery, a neighbour or a child fetching a ball, is owed the Occupiers’ Liability Act duty.

Read the firm’s dog bite guide. Past results appear on the results page. Other claim types are listed 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. The Charlottetown office opens the file. Contact the firm, or read what the firm can do.