A Guide to Reporting a Dog Bite in New Jersey 

New Jersey state law requires reporting all dog bites to the local County’s New Jersey Health Officer. Reporting the dog bite helps support effective rabies control and ensurs officials can track animal bite data to make recommendations on public safety guidelines. 

If you or a loved one are a recent victim of a dog bite in New Jersey, knowing the process for reporting a dog bite can help you play an active role in protecting others in your community and can also lay the groundwork for a potential future dog bite settlement case, should you choose to pursue the dog owner for damages. 

The Dog Bite Reporting Process in NJ

• Call the local health department or report the attack online and provide details of the incident.
• You may also call your local police department to report a dog bite, particularly if you feel the dog or the owner poses a danger to others.
• Consult with a local New Jersey dog bite lawyer to confirm your reports and identify evidence from the reporting you may later need for a potential case against the dog’s owner.

Coordinating Dog Bite Reports with a Physician

In addition to the dog owner or the bite victim reporting a dog bite, New Jersey law requires physicians to report all dog bites within 12 hours of the bite victim arriving for treatment. When you arrive at the emergency room or doctor’s office for dog bite treatment, the doctor will ask for a description of the incident, including the time and location of the dog attack and a description of the dog that bit you. 

These details will be crucial for reporting the dog bite and confirming the identity of the animal involved.

Reported Animals Confined Under NJRS 26:4-82

Under the New Jersey Revised Statutes 26:4:82, animals reported to the authorities after a dog bite can be confined within the owner’s home or at an approved animal care facility if it’s found the owner cannot care for the animal within the home. This process ensures that if the dog is diagnosed with rabies, the dog cannot then spread the condition to other people or animals. 

At the end of the ten days, an Animal Control office will determine whether the animal is healthy. However, the officer may require the owner to display warning signs on their property if the dog is deemed dangerous and keep a muzzle on the dog during walks and any other time the animal is outside the home.

How Can Bite Reporting Help with My Dog Bite Settlement Case?

Reporting your dog bite is an instrumental first step in your dog bite case. It’s this initial first step that begins the evidence collection process and helps bring together the medical evidence and government documentation to link the dog attack with your injuries.

Reporting the dog bite helps support your dog bite settlement process by:

• Ensuring there’s a copy of the police and animal control reports

By reporting the dog bite incident to the police and the county’s animal control office, you will have access to their completed reports. The details within this report will include the time and date of the attack, the nature of your injuries, a description of the animal, and the owner’s details if you have them.

• Immediately informing the owner of the attack.

In New Jersey, the dog owner is ultimately responsible for paying for your dog bite injury treatment. If they’re unaware of the attack, either due to the animal escaping their home or another party having control over the animal at the time, the reporting process informs the owner and begins the process of holding them accountable.

• Providing a basis for beginning insurance communications

The documentation from the initial reports of the dog attack provides a basis for initial communications with the dog owner’s insurance company. Alongside a qualified dog bite lawyer, you can file the reports alongside the dog bite settlement claim as evidence of the attack taking place. 

Turn to New Jersey Dog Bite Lawyer David Cowhey for Four Decades of Dog Bite Settlement Success

Bringing over 40 years of experience to the dog bite reporting and case settlement process, David Cowhey helps victims navigate the complex documentation process to support their legal claims against dog owners. 

If you have any questions about how to report your dog bite incident and how to collect copies of the reports for your claim, David Cowhey and his office team can help guide you. He offers contingency-based services for which you only pay if he wins you a settlement for your injuries. Call the New Jersey Dog Bite Lawyer’s offices at  1 (866) 791-1251 for your free, no-obligation case review.