Bitten by a Dog in Las Vegas?

Your first priority is putting distance between yourself and the animal. If the dog is still loose or aggressive, move behind a door, a fence, a car — anything that creates a barrier. Don't run. Back away slowly and avoid direct eye contact if the dog hasn't been secured.

If someone else is being attacked, don't try to physically separate a biting dog with your hands. Use a barrier — a bag, a jacket, a trash can lid. Call 911 if the attack is serious or ongoing. LVMPD and Clark County Animal Control both respond to dangerous dog situations.

Once you're safe, take a breath. Dog bites are traumatic — even a bite that seems minor. What you do in the next few hours matters for both your health and any future claim.

Dog bites are puncture wounds. They drive bacteria deep into tissue and carry a high infection rate — much higher than cuts or scrapes. Even a bite that looks small on the surface can cause torn muscle, damaged tendons, nerve injury, and crushed tissue underneath.

Go to an emergency room or urgent care within hours of the bite. University Medical Center (UMC) at 1800 W. Charleston Blvd. is Nevada's only Level I trauma center, treating over 12,000 trauma patients annually. Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center at 3186 S. Maryland Pkwy is a Level II trauma center and the largest acute care facility in Nevada. For children, Sunrise Children's Hospital on the same campus provides specialized pediatric care.

The doctor will clean the wound, assess for deep tissue damage, and decide whether you need stitches, antibiotics, or a tetanus booster. They'll also evaluate rabies risk — if the dog's vaccination status is unknown, the Southern Nevada Health District may require post-exposure rabies prophylaxis, a series of shots given over two weeks.

Get the medical visit documented. The records linking your injuries to the bite on a specific date are the backbone of any claim you file.

Clark County Ordinance 10.28.020 requires all dog bites to be reported to animal control or a public health official within 24 hours. Contact Clark County Animal Protection Services at (702) 455-7710. The office is located at 4701 W. Russell Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89118. You can also report bites through the Southern Nevada Health District at (702) 759-1000.

When you call, provide the address where the bite happened, the dog owner's name and contact information if you have it, a description of the dog (breed, size, color), and what happened. Animal Control will investigate and place the dog under a mandatory 10-day quarantine to monitor for rabies per NAC 441A.425 — regardless of whether the dog has been vaccinated. The owner is responsible for all quarantine and veterinary costs.

The quarantine can take place at the owner's home, a veterinary facility, or the county animal shelter. This report creates an official government record of the bite — critical evidence if the dog has bitten before or if you pursue a legal claim.

For bites that happen in Henderson, contact Henderson Animal Control at (702) 267-4970. For North Las Vegas, contact North Las Vegas Animal Control at (702) 633-1750.

Pull out your phone and photograph your injuries before they're cleaned or bandaged. Take photos from multiple angles, including close-ups that show the depth and extent of the wounds. Photograph torn or bloody clothing. If you can safely do so, photograph the dog and the location where the attack happened.

Write down what happened while it's fresh. Where were you? What were you doing? Was the dog on a leash? Was it in its own yard or running loose? Did the owner say anything after the bite? Were there witnesses? Get their names and phone numbers.

Keep photographing your injuries as they heal — or as they get worse. Infections, scarring, and surgical outcomes all unfold over days and weeks. A photo timeline of your wound from day one through recovery is powerful evidence.

Save every medical bill, prescription receipt, and record of time missed from work. If you need help at home because you can't use a hand or arm, document those costs too.

Nevada dog bite claims are governed by negligence principles, as established by the Nevada Supreme Court in Glass v. Eighth Judicial District Court. You must show the dog owner was negligent — failed to exercise reasonable care to prevent the bite. The good news: in many Las Vegas dog bite cases, negligence is straightforward to establish.

The strongest path is negligence per se. Clark County Code 10.36.040 makes it a misdemeanor to have an unleashed dog in public. If the dog was off-leash when it bit you, the owner violated the law — and that violation is automatic negligence. You don't need to prove the dog had a prior history of aggression or that the owner knew the dog was dangerous. The leash law violation does the work for you.

If the dog was previously declared "dangerous" or "vicious" under NRS 202.500, the owner's liability is even clearer. A dangerous dog designation means the dog exhibited menacing behavior on two separate occasions within 18 months. A vicious dog designation means the dog caused substantial bodily harm without provocation. Owning a known vicious dog that causes substantial bodily harm is a category D felony — 1 to 4 years in prison.

Nevada's 2-year statute of limitations (NRS 11.190(4)(e)) runs from the date of the bite. Miss that deadline and your claim is permanently barred.

Dog bite injuries often go well beyond the initial wound. Nevada law allows you to recover compensation for the full range of damages caused by the bite.

Medical expenses are typically the largest component — emergency room visits, wound care, antibiotics, surgery, reconstructive procedures, physical therapy, and any future treatment related to the bite. The average dog bite insurance claim nationally reached $69,272 in 2024, but serious bites involving surgery, infection, or facial scarring can exceed that significantly.

Lost wages cover time missed from work while recovering, and any reduction in your ability to earn income going forward. Nevada does not cap non-economic damages in most personal injury cases, meaning you can also recover for pain and suffering, emotional distress, and scarring/disfigurement without an arbitrary dollar limit.

Scarring and disfigurement are significant factors in dog bite cases. Bites frequently leave permanent scars, especially on the face, hands, and arms. Courts take facial scarring in children particularly seriously because scars stretch as a child grows, potentially requiring multiple corrective surgeries through adolescence.

Even when negligence is clear, the dog owner (or their homeowner's insurance company) can raise defenses to reduce or eliminate what they owe.

Provocation is the most common defense. If the owner can show you were teasing, hitting, or otherwise provoking the dog before the bite, your recovery may be reduced or eliminated. This comes up often with children — pulling a dog's tail or ears may be considered provocation, though courts presume young children cannot fully appreciate the danger and apply a higher standard of care.

Trespassing is another key defense. Homeowners generally owe less duty of care to trespassers. If you were on the owner's property without permission when bitten, your claim is significantly weaker — though not necessarily barred.

Nevada's modified comparative negligence rule (NRS 41.141) applies to dog bite cases. If you're found partially at fault — ignoring clear warnings, approaching a chained dog that was clearly agitated — your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault. If you're 51% or more at fault, you recover nothing.

Most dog bite claims are paid through the owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance policy. Homeowner's and renter's policies typically cover dog bite liability up to policy limits of $100,000 to $300,000. Insurance companies will push for a fast settlement before you understand the full extent of your injuries. Don't accept an early offer before you know your total medical costs and whether scarring will be permanent.

An attorney can evaluate the strength of your negligence claim, determine whether the leash law was violated (triggering negligence per se), handle all communication with the insurance company, and make sure you're not settling for less than the claim is worth. Las Vegas has unique dynamics — bites to tourists on the Strip, bites at rental properties, bites at dog-friendly hotels and parks — that require an attorney familiar with Clark County cases.

If a government entity's negligence contributed to your bite — for example, a dangerous stray dog in a Clark County park that animal control failed to capture — you must file written notice within 2 years under NRS 41.036.

Most dog bite attorneys in Las Vegas work on contingency — no upfront cost, and they only get paid if you recover. A free consultation gives you a clear picture of what your claim may be worth.