I’m sorry that your daughter had to experience something like this. What you’re describing raises several concerns under Pennsylvania law.

• Dog bite liability: PA has strict liability for dog bites. The party responsible for the dog (including a kennel) can be liable for injuries even if the dog had no prior history. Scratches that bled and bite marks still count, and anxiety/emotional distress can matter too.

• Workplace injury: Because this happened on the job, it likely falls under workers’ compensation, which covers medical care and related losses regardless of fault. The lack of any incident report or medical referral is unusual.

• Cutting her hours: Reducing her hours right after she reported the injury is concerning. PA law generally prohibits retaliation for reporting a workplace injury or pursuing workers’ comp.

Next steps:
Get medical care, take photos of the injuries, save the text cutting her hours, write down what happened, and request an incident report in writing.

Bottom line: This isn’t just “part of the job.” Given the injury, lack of training, and sudden cut in hours, it would be reasonable to speak with a PA attorney about workers’ comp, dog bite liability, and possible retaliation.

Thank you for this explanation @mmuley. If my daughter hasn’t sought medical treatment yet and the kennel never filed an incident report, does that hurt her ability to file a workers’ compensation or dog bite claim? Also, is there a time limit in Pennsylvania for taking action in a situation like this?

Short answer: No, it does not automatically hurt her claim, but timing matters.

Medical treatment:
Not getting medical care right away does not bar a workers’ compensation or dog bite claim in Pennsylvania. That said, she should seek treatment as soon as possible. Medical records help connect the injuries (including anxiety) to the incident and protect against arguments that the injuries weren’t serious or were caused later.

No incident report:
The employer’s failure to create an incident report does not eliminate her rights. Workers’ comp claims are based on whether the injury occurred in the course of employment, not on paperwork the employer chose not to do. It can raise credibility issues later, which is why documenting everything now is important.

Time limits in PA:

• Workers’ compensation: The injury must be reported to the employer within 120 days, but benefits are best protected when it’s reported as soon as possible. A formal claim generally must be filed within 3 years of the injury.

• Dog bite/personal injury claim: The statute of limitations in PA is typically 2 years from the date of the incident.

Bottom line:
She hasn’t lost her rights, but she should act promptly—get medical care, document everything, and preserve evidence. Delays don’t automatically kill a case, but they can make it harder if too much time passes.