LAWSUIT: Is litigation (the necessity of filing a lawsuit) very common in a California dog bite case?

Many dog bite claims and resulting litigation (filing a lawsuit) from dog bites are not uncommon.   Sometimes I have to file a lawsuit because the dog owner fails to take responsibility for the dog bite in tendering over their home owner's insurance.  Sometimes it is difficult to ascertain the homeowner's insurance through other means, and a lawsuit will force a party to notify their homeowner's liability policy.