To report a dog bite in Los Angeles, tell the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. You can do it online, by phone at 213-288-7060, or by email.
That report is about rabies, and it is separate from any claim against the owner. A dog you believe is dangerous gets a second report, to animal control.
Do you have to report a dog bite?
Yes. County Public Health says animal bites to people in Los Angeles County are legally reportable by anyone who knows about the bite.
Doctors and animal control officers file most of the reports, according to the county. If you saw a doctor, ask whether the office already filed one.
Who takes the report in Los Angeles?
Two agencies do, and each has its own job.
- County Public Health takes the bite report. Its Veterinary Public Health program watches the dog for signs of rabies.
- Animal control takes the dangerous dog report. In the City of Los Angeles that is LA Animal Services, through your nearest city shelter.
Pasadena, Long Beach and Vernon take their own bite reports. In Pasadena, the county sends callers to the Pasadena Humane Society.
What should the report say?
Public Health asks where the animal lives and where it is now. The county calls the dog’s current location one of the most important parts of the report.
Give what you have.
- The date, the time and the place of the bite.
- The owner’s name, address and phone number.
- What the dog looks like, and its name if you heard it.
- Where on your body you were bitten, and where you were treated.
What happens to the dog after a report?
The dog is watched for at least 10 days. Public Health says most of these quarantines happen in the dog’s own home.
Reporting can feel hard when the dog belongs to a neighbor or a relative. The county tells owners that a pet is not taken away for this quarantine. It calls the quarantine a safety measure to watch for rabies.
Does a report mean the dog is declared dangerous?
No. Public Health says a bite report does not mean the animal is deemed dangerous, and that it does not decide fault.
A dangerous dog case is a separate process with a hearing. Under Food and Agricultural Code section 31621, the owner gets notice and a chance to present evidence.
Civil Code section 3342.5 adds a duty for the owner. After a bite, the owner has to take reasonable steps to remove the danger to other people.
Why does the report help an injury claim?
It puts the date, the dog and the owner on record with a public agency, close to the day it happened. During the quarantine, the county also asks the owner for the dog’s rabies vaccination and license papers.
The report does not decide who pays. In California, the owner is liable for a bite in a public place, or in a private place you were lawfully in.
Our article on California’s dog bite law, Civil Code 3342 explains that rule.
What should you do for the wound?
County Public Health says to wash the bite with soap and clean water for 15 minutes. Then see a healthcare provider.
The county’s guidance says a provider checks the wound, the need for a tetanus shot and the risk of rabies. Photograph the wound before it is bandaged, and again over the next few days.
How long do you have to file a claim?
Two years from the bite, under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. That deadline is for a lawsuit against the owner.
File the bite report the same week, so the county can find the dog.
How this plays out in Los Angeles
The City of Los Angeles is inside the county, so one bite can involve both agencies. County Public Health watches the dog for rabies. LA Animal Services looks into whether the dog is dangerous.
LA Animal Services says an animal control officer investigates a reported dangerous animal. Its phone number is 888-452-7381.
What to do after a dog bite
- Wash the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes.
- See a doctor the same day.
- Get the owner’s name, address and phone number.
- Photograph the wound, the dog and the place it happened.
- Report the bite to County Public Health.
- Report a dangerous dog to animal control.
Ask us before you talk to the insurance company
We can help you file both reports and collect the records from each agency. Then we can tell you what the owner’s insurance is likely to ask for.
There is no fee to ask, and no fee unless we win. Here is how we work as a dog bite lawyer in Los Angeles, and how to reach our team in English, Spanish or Armenian.
