The California state stipulates that a dog, which bit someone, must be quarantined. Under the dog bite law of California, the dog owner would be held strictly responsible for the injuries suffered by the victim. The dog bite must occur when that individual was lawfully on a private place, or on a public property. The dog owner and the victim have to report the matter to the health official in their area. This initial report on the dog bite triggers the responsible government agency to look into the incident, and it will also prove responsibility and damages.
Dog attack attorneys discuss the state’s quarantine law below.
What Happens after Either the Owner or Victim Files a Report?
California is not one of the US states that have a “one bite rule”. Thus, it does not really matter if that dog’s owner did not have prior notice of his or her dog’s dangerous tendencies. That means the dog bite incident should be reported whether or not the animal had a biting history.
Once either of the parties files a report, the California county agency will start investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. The investigation’s purpose is to:
- Check the initial dog bite report’s accuracy, and collect more details about the alleged dog bite incident;
- Find out the seriousness of possible consequences of the dog bite, especially the risk of the rabies virus’s transmission;
- Bring together the details to help guide the right medical attention for the dog bite victim; and,
- Identify steps to either reduce or do away with the potential for further dog bite incidents.
Why Is the Dog Quarantined, and for How Long?
As said earlier, California requires that the dog in question be quarantined. The quarantine process’s purpose is to assess whether the animal has been exposed to the said virus. The animal would be quarantined and be kept under observation for at least 10 days, in a place and manner decided by the health official. Usually, the quarantine would occur at the dog owner’s property, or at the Animal Care Center of the concerned county.
The Animal Care Center then assesses the dog’s health right through the quarantine period, to make sure it is not showing rabies’s symptoms. If the dog stays healthy for the ten-day period, then it will be released from quarantine.