What Happens After A Dog Bite Is Reported

What Happens After a Dog Bite is Reported – Enter The Zinda Law Group

Dogs and humans share a long, rich history of companionship. While a dog can be your best friend, it’s still an animal that must be properly loved and cared for. Consult a dog bite lawyer on our team to learn more about your next steps. 

An unhealthy dog is stressed and may act aggressively to the point of harming people, even when unprovoked.

That said, reporting a dog bite can be intimidating, whether the dog belongs to a family friend or is a victim of poor ownership. 

We want to hold the dog owner responsible for our medical bills and pain and suffering, but we don’t want to punish the dog. One of the questions we’re often asked is just what happens after a dog bite is reported?

What Happens After A Dog Bite Is Reported — Key Takeaways

• In Texas, after a dog bite is reported, the dog is quarantined for ten days while animal control analyzes its behavior. The dog is tested for illnesses, such as rabies.

• If the dog is healthy and has all its shots, the owner can quarantine it at home.

• If the owner is responsible for managing their pet and the dog is healthy, they’re free to go about their business as long as no future attacks occur.

• In many states, including Texas, dog owners are legally responsible for their pets’ behaviors. Victims can sue the dog owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance for any damages their dog causes.

• The victim may be owed compensation for any medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, or mental anguish the animal caused. 

• Dogs are typically only euthanized after severe or deadly attacks or if they attack multiple people.

Insurance companies will use your feelings about dogs against you to guilt-trip you into dropping your claim. Remember, you’re not punishing the dog, and you’re not suing the dog’s owner. You’re simply filing a claim with their insurance to compensate you and your family for the losses the incident caused.

This article details exactly what happens when you report a dog bite. We’ll also cover the benefits of a free attorney consultation and how a dog bite injury attorney can negotiate with ‌insurance companies and dog owners while you focus on healing. Finally, we’ll also cover what happens to a dog if it bites someone and how to report the bite.

How Is a Dog Bite Reported?

When a dog bites someone, you report the incident to your local animal control agency. You can do it in person or over the phone. We suggest you report the dog bite incident soon while the details remain fresh. That way, your side of the story is accurately recorded.

• Seek medical attention: Even if the dog bite seems minor, have a medical professional examine the injury while it’s still fresh to assess the severity. Follow their advice to prevent infections and to heal properly. 

• Document the incident: Snap some photos of the dog bite and any other injuries the incident caused. Photograph the place where it happened, and keep a record of the dog owner’s contact information. 

• Report the dog bite to animal control authorities: Call or visit the animal control agency in your area. Give them all the details of the events leading up to the dog bite. They’ll investigate the dog owner and make sure the animal’s aggression isn’t caused by abuse or neglect.

• Contact experienced dog bite lawyers: An experienced dog bite injury attorney can also investigate the dog owner and find out the type of insurance coverage they have. You may be entitled to financial compensation if you suffered damages from a dog bite. If the attack was unprovoked, you can recover medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, a loss of earning capacity, and mental or emotional anguish.

1. Let your dog bite lawyer negotiate with the dog owner’s insurance on your behalf: Insurance companies can get out of covering your expenses if they can prove you were trespassing, abusive, or teasing the dog or contributing to their aggressive behavior. Insurance will try to poke holes in your story to dispute the dog owner’s liability to pay less or nothing at all. Let one of our experts from Zinda Law Group handle the negotiations for you while you focus on recovery.

Now that we’ve discussed how a dog bite is reported, let’s look at what happens when you report a dog bite and what happens to a dog if it bites someone.

What Are the Next Steps?

If an unprovoked dog attacks you, the dog’s owner is held responsible, and the dog is quarantined for ten days or according to ‌state law. To get financial compensation, the victim has to prove that they weren’t trespassing, abusing, or teasing the dog leading up to the bite.

Authorities won’t assume the dog is violent or deranged after just one incident. The quarantine isn’t a punishment but an investigation. During the ten days, the housing veterinarian or humane society checks the dog for rabies and analyzes the animal’s behavior. They also track the owner’s management to make sure an abusive environment isn’t the cause of the aggression.

• Most dogs are friendly and loving toward humans as a part of their natural personality. 
• When a dog behaves in a threatening or harmful manner, it’s often because it’s been mistreated by its owner or has a past of abuse.
• Regardless, most state laws hold animal owners responsible for their dog’s behavior. 
• This means ‌negligent dog owners are liable for the damages their animal causes unless the victim brought the bite on through their own reckless actions. 

You can bet the dog owner’s insurance company will try to pin this on the victim in any way they can. If you were the victim of a dog bite caused by a negligent owner, a free consultation with our experienced team at Zinda Law Group can help you prove you didn’t provoke the animal.

What Happens to a Dog if it Bites Someone? Here’s the short answer: 

If a dog bites someone, it’s quarantined for ten days while animal control investigates the incident. They’ll check the dog for disease and health issues, including psychological harm caused by owner mistreatment. 

• Dogs are only “put down” or euthanized if the attack was deadly, the dog attacked multiple people, or the bite was severe enough to cause lasting bone or tissue damage.
• The goal is never to punish the dog. The investigation prevents more attacks and holds abusive dog owners accountable for mistreating a loving animal.

How Zinda Law Group Can Help Both You And The Dog After a Dog Bite is Reported

At Zinda Law Group, our Texas dog bite lawyers are experienced in guiding dog bite victims through the process of reporting a dog bite. We can help you recover the losses the injury caused you, including compensation for the emotional suffering and mental anguish.

Reporting a dog bite can prevent future attacks and mistreatment of a sweet and loving animal who might be stressed out by abuse. But you’ll have to prove you didn’t provoke the dog’s attack by teasing the animal.

Insurers staff lawyers whose only job is to save money by paying you as little as possible. They’ll do that by disputing your story and arguing that you brought the dog attack on yourself. 

A seasoned dog bite lawyer can help you file your claim for insurance compensation, investigate the facts, and negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf. Insurance companies often base settlement offers on the likely outcome of a trial. A dog bite lawyer may strengthen your case, and your bargaining position to gain more favorable settlement offers from the insurer.

At Zinda Law Group, we know the insurance companies’ game and how to beat them. Call (866) 695-6382 today for a free consultation with one of our personal injury attorneys. As one of our clients, you won’t pay anything unless we can win your dog bite case.