According to California’s dog bite law, dog owners are strictly liable for the damages and injuries caused by their dogs. What about California Dog bite Quarantine law? Why quarantining is needed? In this article, we are going to have a discussion about the same.
What is the Need for Quarantine?
After a dog bite, a rabies assessment to determine the risk of rabies transmission is performed by the animal control officer to ensure that there is no rabies transmission from the dog to the victim. The main purpose of quarantine is to keep the dog under observation.
Dog Quarantine after Bite
According to California Dog Bite Quarantine law, once a dog bite case was reported, then the dog needs to be quarantined. This law does not apply when the victim of the dog bite was another dog. The dog that bit the person must be quarantined for 10 days to observe whether it is rabid or not. Dogs who are vaccinated periodically are considered low risk, but still, they have to be quarantined for dog bites reported at the animal control.
This law ensures the safety of public, dog owner and the victim from the risk of rabies transmission. After 10 days quarantine, if the dog displays no signs of rabies it will be removed from the quarantine. People who hide an offending dog or violate rules and conditions of quarantine may be fined or imprisoned.
Quarantine at Home or Away
After a dog bite, quarantine is done at the local shelters or veterinarian’s office depending on the choice of animal control officer. Quarantining a dog away from home is always preferred as it can isolate the dog from people and other animals. Staffs at quarantining locations are trained to look for the symptoms of rabies.
If the dog possesses a low risk of rabies, quarantine at dog owner’s home is allowed. And if the dog owner can prove his dog’s rabies vaccinations are up to date and have no previous threatening history, home quarantine will be permitted.
Dogs at home quarantine must be kept isolated from other animals and people with the owner’s supervision. There will be unannounced visits of animal control officers to examine the dog and to ensure the conditions of home quarantine. If the home quarantine does not follow rules and conditions, then the dog may be moved to an external quarantine location.
Releasing the Dog from Quarantine
After 10 days quarantine period, animal control officer will examine the dog and release it if there are no symptoms of rabies. Before releasing, the dog will be vaccinated against rabies and the victim must be informed about the quarantine release of the dog.
