California Dog Bite Law Quarantine

California dog bite law.

California dog bite law quarantine.

Newborns and infants are the most common victims of bite attacks from pet ferrets applegate 1998. The california health and safety code makes it a misdemeanor with a significant fine to fail to quarantine or produce an animal that might have rabies. Dog quarantine happens at home or offsite. The quarantine law is in place to protect the victim of the dog bite as well as the dog s owner and members of the community and general public.

California dog bite law imposes strict liability on owners. The dog that bit the person must be quarantined for 10 days to observe whether it is rabid or not. Most dog bites are inflicted by a known owned dog at or near the dog s home harris 1974. When the animal does not appear to be rabid it can be held in the dog owner s home.

This contrasts with the one bite rule in effect in other states by which the owner is only held liable if the. What happens after either of the parties files a. According to california dog bite quarantine law once a dog bite case was reported then the dog needs to be quarantined. The california health and safety code makes it a misdemeanor with a significant fine to fail to quarantine or produce an animal that might have rabies.

This law does not apply when the victim of the dog bite was another dog. Dog quarantine after a bite is required in the state to ensure there is no transmission of rabies from the animal to the injured human. Bites must be reported to local health officials triggering the quarantine process this mandatory quarantine process is to make sure the dog does not have rabies. Other times it will be at a vet s office or local animal shelter where the staff is trained to know what to look for in rabid animals.

Sometimes the quarantine will be with the owner. This means the owner of a dog who bites someone is liable in a civil lawsuit for the victim s injuries even if the animal has never bitten before and the owner had no reason to believe the animal was dangerous. Get the dog bite law app. California s laws on dangerous dogs.

Anyone can file a civil case. This initial report on the bite triggers the responsible agency to look into the matter and also proves liability as well as damages. This aims to assess the health risks of the bite and care needs for the victim as well as to provide info to help the authorities reduce the possibility. Lawyers for dog bites discuss california s quarantine law below.

Dogs are required to be quarantined for a minimum of 10 days after biting a person in california. Quarantine and damages when a dog bite occurs california law requires the victim and the dog owner to report the incident to a local health officer for investigation. While california s strict liability dog bite statute applies regardless of the animal s history another law makes owners responsible for taking reasonable steps needed to remove any danger of future attacks when their dogs have bitten someone in the past. Updated september 27 2020.