Long Beach Animal Care Services

Long Beach Animal Care Services handles animal control for Long Beach and, by contract, its neighbors Signal Hill and Cerritos. Long Beach is also one of the few California cities with its own health department, so bite reporting and rabies control stay local instead of going through the county.

How dog bite reports work here

Bites are reported to Animal Care Services directly or through the City's health department when a doctor treats the wound — physician reporting is mandatory in California. An officer investigates, identifies the dog and its owner, and writes the report: owner details, vaccination status, circumstances, and any witness information.

The quarantine process

The dog is quarantined for the standard 10-day rabies observation period, either at the owner's property or at the Long Beach shelter. The agency documents the outcome — the record that confirms whether rabies is a concern and, just as important for your case, who owns the dog.

How to request your records

Request the bite report and quarantine records through the City of Long Beach's public records process. If the dog has a history — prior bite reports, prior investigations — that history is requestable too. Our tool identifies exactly what to ask for based on your answers.

Service areas change as cities update their animal control contracts — we confirm the right agency for your specific bite as part of helping you. This site provides general information about California processes. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.