Harlene Labrum | September 16, 2025 | Dog Bites in Tennessee
What to Do After a Dog Bite in Nashville
Getting bitten by a dog isn’t something you plan for. One minute you’re walking through the neighborhood or visiting a friend, the next you’re dealing with blood, pain, and a whole lot of questions. Do I need stitches? Is this dog vaccinated? What happens if the medical bills start stacking up?
Here in Tennessee, there are clear rules about when a dog owner is responsible, but those rules don’t do you much good if you don’t know the steps to take right away. Let us walk you through what we’d tell a client sitting across from us after a dog bite in Nashville, TN.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
We’ve had people tell us, “It didn’t look that bad, so I just rinsed it with soap and water.” You’re taking a massive risk by choosing such an approach. Dog bites can get infected fast, even the tiny ones. We’ve seen folks end up in the hospital with IV antibiotics because they thought it was “just a scratch.”
Go to the ER or an urgent care. Let a doctor decide how deep the wound goes. Follow the treatment plan, take the antibiotics, keep the follow-up appointments. And keep every piece of paper they hand you—those medical records matter later if we’re building a claim.
Report the Dog Bite to Authorities
Getting treated should always be on top of your list. Once that’s done though, make sure the bite gets reported. Here in Nashville, reporting an animal bite usually involves Animal Control and sometimes law enforcement. We know it feels like a hassle, but it protects you and it protects other people as well.
A dog biting a person once means it isn’t far-fetched to say that it could bite another person again. Authorities will want to see vaccination records, maybe quarantine the animal, and they’ll create an official report. That report becomes a key part of your case down the road.
Identify the Dog and Its Owner
If you know who owns the dog, get their information right away. Name, phone, address, insurance details—whatever they’ll give you. Ask about rabies shots too. That’s one of the first things doctors and Animal Control are going to want to know.
Things get trickier if you have no clue who the owner is. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do anything though. Start looking around and asking neighbors. They’ll probably point you in the right direction and push you closer towards finding the owner. If it’s a stray, call Animal Control. Don’t try to chase it down yourself. They’re trained for that.
Document Everything
This is where we sound like a broken record with clients: take pictures of everything. Your wound, your torn jeans, the spot where it happened. Take them the day it happens and as it heals. A photo says a lot more than “it hurt for a while.”
Keep your receipts. Every co-pay, prescription, bandage, even parking if you’re driving to and from appointments. If someone saw the attack, ask them to jot down what they saw or shoot you a quick text. People forget details fast, but fresh statements can carry weight.
Understand Tennessee Dog Bite Laws
Here’s the short version of the law: dog owners in Tennessee are generally on the hook if their dog bites someone in public or on private property where the victim had a right to be. We call that “strict liability.” It doesn’t matter if the dog has never shown its teeth before. The owner may still be responsible.
There are exceptions though. If you were trespassing, teasing the dog, or if the animal was acting in a law enforcement role, things get more complicated. That’s usually when we step in to sort through the specifics and see how the law fits your case.
Avoid Common Mistakes After a Dog Bite
What’s the single biggest mistake we see most often? Waiting too long to get medical care, chatting with the insurance company without advice, and—believe it or not—posting about the whole thing on Facebook or Instagram.
Insurance adjusters dig through posts. A picture of you smiling at a barbecue a week later can be spun into “See, they weren’t really hurt.” It sounds silly but it happens. Keep it offline until the case is resolved.
When to Contact a Dog Bite Lawyer
So, when should you call a personal injury lawyer? The simple answer is sooner rather than later. The earlier we’re involved, the better we can gather evidence and deal with the insurance company on your behalf.
Bear in mind that compensation goes beyond paying off the ER bill. It can include time you missed from work, physical therapy, emotional distress, and yes, the pain you went through. Both physical and psychological scarring gets factored in too.
At Labrum Law Firm here in Nashville, we’ve seen enough of these cases to know how overwhelming they can get. If you’re dealing with this right now, call us at [phone]. We’ll sit down, talk it through, and figure out the best way forward.
Protect Your Health and Rights After a Dog Bite in Tennessee
Dog bites raise more stress than anyone expects. The smartest move you can make is to act quickly: Get the care you need, make the report, and then talk to someone who knows how these cases work.
Labrum Law Firm handles dog bite claims here in Nashville and across Tennessee and we know how to deal with the insurance companies when they start pushing back. If you’ve been bitten, contact us or call us at (615) 265-0000 today. Tell us what happened so we can explain your options and map out the next steps.
