San Bernardino County Animal Care

San Bernardino County Animal Care — a program under the county's Department of Public Health — covers the unincorporated county plus Big Bear Lake, Highland, and Yucaipa. Most cities in the county run their own animal control; if yours does, we'll aim your request at the right department.

How dog bite reports work here

Because Animal Care sits inside the public health department, bite reporting and rabies control are unusually integrated here. Report the bite to the county or your city program; doctors' bite reports flow to the county health officer. The investigation documents the dog, the owner, vaccination status, and the circumstances of the attack.

The quarantine process

The standard 10-day rabies observation quarantine applies, at the owner's home or a county shelter. San Bernardino County's desert communities see more unvaccinated and stray-dog incidents than most of Southern California, which makes the quarantine record — and whether the dog was located at all — especially important for your medical decisions.

How to request your records

Request the bite report, quarantine record, and any prior complaints about the same dog or property through the county's public records process (or your city's, for city programs). Our tool figures out which one applies to your bite.

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.