Being bitten by a dog can be a traumatic event. In the moment, you may be so shocked that you don't know what to do. However, you should try to stay calm and follow these steps that can protect you, and help you later if you decide to seek compensation for your injuries from the dog's owner. Read on to learn about key steps to take after you've become a dog bite victim. What to Do After a Dog Bite:
- Obtain Immediate Medical Assistance: You should immediately get medical assistance right after the bite occurs. There are a lot of medical risks that are tied to animal bites. If you delay being treated right away, it could lead to a serious infection.
- Get Information about the Dog and the Owner: Get the name, address, and the contact information of the owner of the dog. It is crucial that you have all of this information available because the dog's owner may be liable for the injuries you've sustained, and other losses that you've suffered.
- Take Pictures of your Injuries and Track your Recovery: Begin documenting your injuries immediately after (or soon after) the attack by taking photos. Continue tracking your recovery by taking more pictures and taking notes about what the doctor says about your progression. Take special care to record your pain levels and mention whether or not you had to miss any work because of the attack.
- Identify Any Witnesses: Witnesses can help describe what happened and can help with the identification of the dog, describe the scene and the exact details of the incident.
- Report the Dog Bite to the Authorities: You should report the dog bite immediately to the local authorities. In theory, California law mandates that a person must only report dog bites in counties that have been identified as "rabies areas." If a county is located outside of these designated areas, only animals suspected of actually having rabies need to be reported to a local health officer. In practice, however, the Director of the State Department of Health Services makes the decision about what counties are "rabies areas" and the director has decided that all of California's counties have been at risk for rabies for many decades. This is important so they will have a record of the dog bite, and also because it informs other people that the dog is dangerous.