Who to call to report a dog bite
Report the bite to the local animal control office or the health department where it happened. If someone is badly hurt, call 911 first.
Local rules often make reporting a duty. In Orange County, California, for example, the county says you are required by law to report any bite or scratch from a domestic or wild animal.
The table at the end of this page names the office to start with in each state.
What to tell animal control
- The date, time and exact place of the bite.
- What the dog looked like and where it is now.
- The owner's name, address and phone, if you know them.
- Whether the owner said the dog's rabies shots are up to date.
- Your name and how to reach you.
Ask for the report number and later ask for a copy. The owner's insurer will want to see it.
Do you need a dog bite police report?
Usually the animal control report is enough. Call the police as well if the owner threatened you or refused to give a name. Call them too if someone set the dog on you.
A serious attack can also be a crime for the owner. See a serious dog attack.
What happens to the dog after a report
The officer checks the dog's rabies vaccine and decides where it will be watched. In California, a dog that bites a person must be quarantined for 10 days, at home or at a shelter, as OC Animal Care explains. If the dog stays healthy for those 10 days, it could not have passed on rabies through the bite.
A report does not mean the dog will be put down. Repeat bites or a severe attack can lead to a dangerous dog designation.
Ask your doctor about rabies shots either way. See dog bite rabies.
Where to report a dog bite in each state
Open your state for the office that takes the report and its own reporting page.
Open the list for all 51 states and DC
| State | Report the bite to |
|---|---|
| Alabama | The county health departmentAlabama Department of Public Health, Rabies |
| Alaska | Local animal control or police, since Alaska has no single statewide office for bitesAlaska Department of Health, Rabies |
| Arizona | County animal care and controlMaricopa County, Rabies |
| Arkansas | Your local animal control or health departmentCDC, rabies after an animal bite |
| California | Your local animal control agencyLos Angeles County Veterinary Public Health, animal bites |
| Colorado | Your local animal control or health departmentColorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Rabies |
| Connecticut | Your local health department or animal control officerConnecticut Department of Public Health, Rabies |
| Delaware | Delaware Animal Services, which enforces the state's rabies control lawsDelaware Office of Animal Welfare |
| Washington, DC | The District of Columbia health department (DC Health), on its animal bite report formDC Health, Rabies and Animal Exposures |
| Florida | The Florida Department of Health office or animal services in your countyMiami-Dade County, Animal Bites |
| Georgia | County animal control or the county health departmentGeorgia Department of Public Health, Rabies |
| Hawaii | The Department of Health or your doctorHawaii Department of Health, Rabies |
| Idaho | Your local animal control or health departmentIdaho Department of Health and Welfare, Rabies |
| Illinois | Local police or county animal controlCook County Animal and Rabies Control, Animal Bite Investigation |
| Indiana | Your local health department and to the animal control or police agency where it happenedIndiana Department of Health, Report an Animal Bite |
| Iowa | Your local animal control or health departmentIowa Health and Human Services, Rabies |
| Kansas | Your local animal control or health departmentCDC, rabies after an animal bite |
| Kentucky | Your local animal control or health departmentCDC, rabies after an animal bite |
| Louisiana | Your local animal control or health departmentLouisiana Department of Health, Rabies |
| Maine | Your local animal control officerMaine CDC, Rabies |
| Maryland | Your local health departmentMaryland Department of Health, Rabies |
| Massachusetts | Your town's Municipal Animal InspectorMass.gov, Rabies Protocols and Regulations |
| Michigan | Local animal control or the local health departmentMichigan.gov, Rabies |
| Minnesota | Your local animal control or health departmentMinnesota Department of Health, Rabies |
| Mississippi | Your local animal control or health departmentCDC, rabies after an animal bite |
| Missouri | Your local animal control or health departmentMissouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Rabies |
| Montana | Your local health departmentMontana DPHHS, Rabies |
| Nebraska | Your local animal control or health departmentNebraska DHHS, Rabies |
| Nevada | Your local animal control officeSouthern Nevada Health District, Rabies |
| New Hampshire | Your local animal control or health departmentCDC, rabies after an animal bite |
| New Jersey | Your local health departmentNew Jersey Department of Health, Rabies |
| New Mexico | Your local animal control or health departmentNew Mexico Department of Health, Rabies |
| New York | Your county health department or NYC Health inside the cityNYC Health, report an animal bite |
| North Carolina | County animal control or the county health departmentHenderson County, N.C., animal bites |
| North Dakota | Your local animal control or health departmentNorth Dakota Health and Human Services, Rabies |
| Ohio | The county dog warden or the local health districtOhio Revised Code chapter 955 (Animal Legal and Historical Center) |
| Oklahoma | Your local animal control or health departmentOklahoma State Department of Health, Rabies and Animal Bites |
| Oregon | Your local health departmentOregon Health Authority, Rabies |
| Pennsylvania | The Pennsylvania Department of Health at 877-724-3258Pennsylvania Department of Health, Rabies |
| Rhode Island | Your local animal control or health departmentCDC, rabies after an animal bite |
| South Carolina | The South Carolina Department of Public Health, which takes bite reportsSouth Carolina Department of Public Health, Rabies |
| South Dakota | Your local animal control or health departmentSouth Dakota Department of Health, Rabies |
| Tennessee | Your local animal control or health departmentTennessee Department of Health, Rabies |
| Texas | Your local rabies control authority, usually city or county animal controlTexas Department of State Health Services, Rabies |
| Utah | Your local animal control or health departmentUtah DHHS, Rabies |
| Vermont | Your town health officer, since Vermont requires every animal bite to be reportedVermont Department of Health, Rabies |
| Virginia | The local health departmentVirginia Department of Health, Animal Bite |
| Washington | Your local health jurisdictionWashington State Department of Health, Rabies |
| West Virginia | Your local animal control or health departmentCDC, rabies after an animal bite |
| Wisconsin | Your local animal control or health departmentWisconsin Department of Health Services, Rabies |
| Wyoming | Your local animal control or health departmentWyoming Department of Health, Rabies |
Where a city runs its own animal control, you can start there instead. Each state page has the rest of that state's rules.
