Legal Question in Health Care Law in California

You get a personal injury lawyer and sue the basset (hound's owner). Watch out for legal time limits.

I agree that the only way you will force them to pay, not only for medical costs, but for other damages, is through a lawyer. From a legal perspective, lawsuits about dog bites are pretty simple. This is because the owner faces something called "strict liability" if his dog bites someone. Usually, in a lawsuit, you have to prove that someone was either negligent or did something else wrong. Not so with strict liability. You only have to show who owns the dog, that the dog bit you, and that you suffered damages (such as medical expenses or scarring).