An attack by a dangerous dog is a terrifying and traumatic experience. Beyond the immediate physical pain and the risk of infection, a dog attack often leaves victims with deep emotional scars. If the attack happens while you are visiting someone else’s home, a commercial property, or a rental unit, you may feel conflicted about what to do next-especially if the dog belongs to a neighbor, friend, or acquaintance.
However, California law is very clear. Under California Civil Code Section 3342, the state enforces a rule of strict liability for dog bites. This means a dog owner is financially responsible from the moment their animal bites someone who is lawfully on private property, regardless of whether the dog has ever shown aggressive behavior before.
To protect your health, preserve your legal rights, and secure the compensation needed for your recovery, you must take these six critical steps following an attack.
1. Seek Immediate Medical Treatment and Wash the Wound
Your absolute first priority must be your physical safety. Dog mouths harbor dangerous bacteria, and puncture wounds from an attack carry an exceptionally high risk of severe infection, including pasteurella, MRISA, and tetanus.
Immediately flush the wound with warm water and soap for at least five minutes to clear out as much bacteria as possible. Then, proceed straight to an urgent care facility or emergency room. Seeking medical care right away does two things: it protects you from life-threatening complications, and it creates an immediate, objective medical record that legally links your injuries directly to the dog attack.
2. Identify the Dog Owner and the Landlord
You need to identify exactly who owns the animal and who owns the property where the attack took place. Exchange names, phone numbers, and addresses.
Crucially, ask for the owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance information, as these are the policies that typically pay out dog bite settlements. If the attack occurred at a rental property or apartment complex, gather the landlord or property manager’s information as well. In California, a landlord can sometimes be held liable alongside the dog owner if it can be proven they knew a dangerous animal was living on the premises and failed to take steps to protect visitors.
3. File an Official Report with Local Animal Control
Never let a dog owner talk you into keeping the incident quiet to protect their pet. You must report the attack to your local city or county animal control agency and the public health department.
Animal control officers will investigate the incident, verify the dog’s rabies vaccination status, and place the animal under a mandatory quarantine period to ensure it is healthy. Filing an official report establishes a state-documented paper trail of the event, which prevents the dog owner from later denying that the attack ever happened.
4. Photograph Your Injuries and the Scene
Visual evidence is incredibly powerful in an injury claim. Use your smartphone to document the immediate aftermath of the attack before conditions change.
Be sure to photograph:
- Your physical injuries, including bite marks, tears, bruising, and bloody wounds (continue to take photos over the coming weeks to document the healing process or permanent scarring).
- Torn, bloodied clothing or damaged personal property.
- The location of the attack, specifically noting a lack of warning signs, broken latches on gates, or structural defects in a fence that allowed the dog to escape its enclosure.
5. Collect Independent Eyewitness Contact Details
If anyone else was present on the property, witnessed the attack, or rushed to your aid, make sure to collect their full names and phone numbers.
Statements from unbiased third parties are invaluable. Insurance companies routinely try to shift the blame onto the victim by claiming you provoked the animal or were trespassing. An independent witness can confirm that you were acting lawfully and that the dog attacked unprovoked.
6. Consult an Experienced Legal Advocate Before Providing Statements
Within days of the attack, you will likely receive a phone call from an insurance adjuster representing the property owner. They may sound empathetic, but their ultimate goal is to settle your case as cheaply as possible. They might ask you to provide a recorded statement or offer a fast, lowball cash settlement to close the file.
Do not sign anything, and do not downplay your injuries. Instead, protect yourself by speaking with a qualified LA premises accident attorney before interacting with the insurance company. A dedicated attorney will shield you from aggressive adjusters, calculate the true cost of your current medical bills, future scar-revision surgeries, and emotional therapy, and aggressively fight to ensure you receive full financial justice.
