Attorneys are only interested in recovering money from insurance companies. Attorneys are not in the business of trying to collect money from a person directly because it's very hard to collect. It could be more expensive and time-consuming to try to collect from an individual than a case might be worth. Plus, bankruptcy protection exists for many people who have no insurance for dog attacks. You definitely shouldn't feel bad about bringing a case to recover for your injuries just because it's your neighbor's dog. Your lawyer is only trying to get money from the neighbor's homeowner's insurance policy.