Child Dog Bite Injuries in Georgia: Facial Scarring and Lasting Trauma

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A dog bite to a child’s face leaves a family with questions that play out over years: how the scar and the fear will change as the child grows, and how long there is to bring a claim. MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, states that dog bites “most often happen to children” and that “[c]ompared with adults, children are much more likely to be bitten on the face, head, or neck.” Georgia gives the child’s own claim extra time, but a parent’s claim for a child’s medical bills has been held to the ordinary two-year period.

The Injury and the Scar

MedlinePlus lists among the results of an animal bite “[c]rushing injuries that can cause severe tissue tears and scarring,” and states that “[d]eep or extensive wounds may result in significant scarring.” It describes a scar as “a permanent patch of skin that grows over a wound,” whose look depends on the size and depth of the wound, where it is, how long it takes to heal, the person’s age, and an inherited tendency to scar. “Scars usually fade over time but never go away completely.” Treatments that might minimize a scar include surgical revision, dermabrasion, laser treatments, injections, chemical peels, and creams.

Scar revision “is surgery to improve or reduce the appearance of scars. It also restores function, and corrects skin changes (disfigurement) caused by an injury, wound, poor healing, or previous surgery.” Its timing can be well after the bite: “When to have scar revision done is not always clear. Scars shrink and become less noticeable as they age.” Waiting for a scar to lighten “can be several months or even a year after the wound has healed,” and “[f]or some scars, it is best to have revision surgery 60 to 90 days after the scar matures or longer. Each scar is different.”

Fear After the Bite

For a child who has been through a traumatic event, MedlinePlus lists signs of traumatic stress: temper tantrums; feeling nervous, worried about safety, withdrawn, or scared of sleeping alone; stomachaches, headaches, trouble sleeping, and nightmares; and reliving the event. A child may also return to behaviors already outgrown, such as bedwetting, clinging, thumb sucking, or separation anxiety. MedlinePlus advises getting professional help for a child who is still having trouble recovering after one month.

The Child’s Claim Under Georgia Law

A person who owns or keeps a vicious or dangerous animal and, through careless management or by letting it go at liberty, injures someone who did not provoke the injury may be held liable to that person for the damages (OCGA 51-2-7). Vicious propensity can be shown through a local leash ordinance the dog was violating at the time (OCGA 51-2-7). A child of tender years is held to the due care that the child’s mental and physical capacities enable the child to exercise in the actual circumstances (OCGA 51-1-5).

For classifying a dog as dangerous or vicious, the Code’s definition of a “serious injury” includes “disfiguring avulsions” and injuries that “require[] plastic surgery or admission to a hospital” (OCGA 4-8-21(a)(5)). For purposes of the statute on arguing damages at trial, “disfigurement,” “mental anguish,” and “anxiety” are among noneconomic damages and “costs of therapy” among economic damages (OCGA 9-10-184(a)).

Two Clocks: the Child’s Claim and the Parent’s

The child’s own claim gets the benefit of age. Except as OCGA 9-3-33.1 provides, a person under 18 when a cause of action accrues has the same time after turning 18 as others have (OCGA 9-3-90(b)), and the period for an injury to the person is two years (OCGA 9-3-33).

The medical bills are different. In Brent v. Hin, 561 S.E.2d 212 (Ga. Ct. App. 2002), the Court of Appeals explained that the right to recover a minor’s medical expenses belongs to the parents, and it noted that “we concluded in Mitchell that the expiration of the two-year statute of limitation for personal injury barred the mother’s claims for medical expenses incurred by her daughter,” referring to Mitchell v. Hamilton, 228 Ga. App. 850 (1997).

For example, imagine a child bitten on March 1, 2027, at age six. The child turns 18 on March 1, 2039, and the child’s own claim can be brought until two years after that date. A parent’s claim for the medical bills, under Mitchell as Brent describes it, faces the two-year period for injuries to the person.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should a bitten child see a doctor?
MedlinePlus advises seeing a provider within 24 hours for any bite that breaks the skin, and contacting a provider or going to the emergency room if there is swelling, redness, or pus draining from the wound or if the bite is on the head, face, neck, hands, or feet.

Should the bite be reported to animal control?
MedlinePlus advises contacting animal control or the local police after a bite by an animal that behaves in an odd way, an unknown pet or a pet that has not had a rabies vaccination, or a stray or wild animal.

Does a settlement for a child need a court’s approval?
If the child has a conservator, only the conservator can compromise the claim (OCGA 29-3-3(b)). Otherwise it depends on the amounts. If the gross settlement is $25,000 or less, the natural guardian may compromise the claim without court approval. If the gross settlement is more than $25,000 but the net settlement is $25,000 or less, the settlement is submitted for approval to the probate court or, if a suit is pending, the court where it is pending. If both exceed $25,000, a conservator is required to compromise the claim and submits the settlement for approval (OCGA 29-3-3(c)).

  • MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, “Animal bites: self-care”; MedlinePlus, “Animal Bites”
  • MedlinePlus, “Scars” (last updated Aug. 23, 2026); MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, “Scar revision” (review date May 6, 2025)
  • MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, “Traumatic events and children” (review date Oct. 20, 2024)
  • OCGA 51-2-7; OCGA 51-1-5; OCGA 4-8-21(a)(5); OCGA 9-10-184(a)
  • OCGA 9-3-90(b); OCGA 9-3-33.1; OCGA 9-3-33; Brent v. Hin, 561 S.E.2d 212 (Ga. Ct. App. 2002), describing Mitchell v. Hamilton, 228 Ga. App. 850 (1997)
  • OCGA 29-3-3(b), (c)

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about child dog bite injuries and the Georgia rules that bear on them. It is not legal or medical advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. The medical descriptions come from general health pages and do not describe any individual child’s injury or recovery. A family dealing with a dog bite should seek medical care for the child and consult a licensed Georgia attorney promptly about the particular situation.

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