Dog bite in Los Angeles?Talk to a lawyer for free.

There are two reports. The bite goes to LA County Public Health, online or at (213) 288-7060: it starts the rabies check. A loose or dangerous dog goes to animal control: LA Animal Services in the City of Los Angeles, LA County Animal Care and Control in unincorporated areas and the cities that contract with it, and a city's own agency in places like Long Beach, Santa Monica and Burbank. Bitten in Long Beach, Pasadena or Vernon? The bite report goes there too: Long Beach Animal Control, (562) 570-7387; Pasadena Humane, (626) 792-7151; the City of Vernon, (323) 583-8811, asking for its Health Department. Not sure who serves an address? The County's locator can tell you.

If the bite broke the skin, California law requires it. Within 48 hours, the owner, or whoever had the dog, must give you their name, address and phone number, the dog's name and license tag number, and its rabies vaccination status (Penal Code §398). Report the bite to Public Health and say where the dog lives, if you know. In the County's service area, an animal control officer takes the bite report and contacts the other party. And call us: we can help find the owner and their insurer.

Not because of the bite report. Public Health tells owners that their dog won't be taken away for the quarantine and can usually finish it at home, and that if the dog dies during it, Public Health tests it for rabies at no cost. Restrictions on keeping a dog are a matter for a separate dangerous-dog case with animal control, which runs apart from your injury claim.

Not necessarily. Dog bite claims are often made against the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance policy, which exists for exactly this. A landlord usually isn't responsible for a tenant's dog, but California courts have held that a landlord can be when it knew the dog was dangerous and could have prevented the harm, for example by having the dog removed. Talk to us about who may be responsible.

Possibly. California's dog bite law covers bites, but if a dog knocked you down, jumped on you or chased you into the street, the owner can still be responsible if they were careless, for example by letting the dog run loose, or if they knew it was dangerous. The City and the County both require a leash off the owner's property, so a dog running loose can help show the owner was careless.

It depends on what happened. California's dog bite law doesn't apply when a police dog bites a suspect during an arrest or an investigation, but it can apply to a bystander who had nothing to do with it. A claim about an LAPD dog goes to the City of Los Angeles, and one about a Sheriff's dog to Los Angeles County; the deadline for those claims is much shorter, so call us early.

Children are more likely than adults to be bitten, and their injuries tend to be more severe, so get even a small bite checked. For a child, the two-year limit usually doesn't start until they turn 18, but a claim against a public agency still has the six-month deadline. Any settlement for a child has to be approved by a judge.

Most dog bite lawsuits must be filed within two years of the bite (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). If a public agency is responsible, for a police dog or a dog in a public shelter's care, a written claim is usually due within six months: to the City Clerk for an LAPD dog or a City shelter, online, by mail or at City Hall, or to the County's Board of Supervisors, 500 West Temple Street, Room 383, for a Sheriff's dog or a County shelter. We can file it for you.

Yes. Our office is in Woodland Hills, inside Los Angeles city limits, at 22440 Clarendon St, Suite 200, Woodland Hills, CA 91367, and our Palmdale office serves the Antelope Valley. Come in if you like, or we'll come to you. Call (800) 985-9565 any time, 24/7.

Nothing upfront. Your consultation is free, and no attorney's fees are owed unless we recover compensation for you. You may be responsible for case-related costs and expenses; we'll explain them before you sign.