What Catawba County Animal Control Offers

Catawba County Animal Services (CCAS) is an animal shelter in Newton, North Carolina. It offers animal control services as well as oversees the daily operations of the shelter.

Just like other animal control services in cities and states such as Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, Pennsylvania, California, Ohio, and Texas, CCAS achieves its goals through the North Carolina Dog Bite Laws, which we will discuss in this guide.

About Catawba County Animal Services

The goal of Catawba County Animal Services is to educate the public on animal laws and to raise awareness of the welfare issues of animals. They also offer housing and care to sick, injured, neglected, unwanted, and stray animals.

For animals that have been nursed back to full health, they offer foster care, adoption, and volunteer programs.

Catawba County Animal Services Location, Hours, and Contact Details

If you would like to drop by their office either to foster, adopt, volunteer, or any other reason including reporting a dog bite, here is how you can reach them. They are available Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am – 6 pm.

Catawba County Dog Bite Laws

Under North Carolina law, if a dog bites a human, it is held for 10 days to be observed if it is rabid. It will be confined either at its owner's property or with animal control officers. If it's a stray, animal control officers will look for it till they catch it. If it is not found or it is found to be rabid, the victim is started on rabies vaccination.

North Carolina is known as a "one-bite-free" state. That means if this was the first time the dog bit someone, the owner gets a free pass and won't be liable for any damages.

However, if the owner was negligent, or the dog is considered "potentially dangerous,” you have a high chance of suing the owner successfully and being compensated.

Catawba County revised its animal control ordinance to require the owner of a dangerous or potentially dangerous dog to have at least $500,000 liability insurance.

Can You Sue Someone for Dog Bites?

Yes, you can. If you want to recover damages after you have been bitten, you need to ascertain the owner of the dog and collect evidence to prove the attack occurred. You have three years from the date of the attack to file your lawsuit. After three years, it is not possible.

If it is the first time for the dog to bite someone, you can only sue under negligence. If you sue successfully, you will be able to recover:

1. Your medical bills
2. Past, current, and future lost income arising from the injuries caused by the incident.
3. Pain and suffering, including a new fear of dogs.
4. Property damage
5. Loss of consortium, which means the incident damaged your relationship with your family.

You will want to consult with a lawyer to know how likely it is to sue successfully.

Who Is Liable If a Dog Bites Someone?

If a dog bites someone in Catawba county, the owner of the dog could be liable or not depending on a couple of factors as broken down below.

• If the dog had never bitten before, the owner gets a free pass and no one is held liable. The dog will be labeled "potentially dangerous" and the owner will be required by the Catawba County animal control ordinance to have at least $500,000 liability insurance in case of another attack.
• If the dog had never bitten anyone before, but the dog is more than 6 months old and had been left to run "at-large" at night, the owner is strictly liable.
• If the dog was already labeled "potentially dangerous," the owner is strictly liable for all the damages suffered by the victim.
• The owner will also be liable if they were negligent and their negligence caused their dog to bite the victim.

What Do I Do if I Have Been Bitten by an Animal in Catawba?

In case of an animal bite in Catawba county, you need to take the following steps in order

1. Seek Medical Attention

The first step after you have been bitten by a dog is to seek medical attention. If you are no longer in danger, rinse the wound with warm water and take pictures before or after being attended to.

2. Report to Catawba County Animal Services

Call animal services on 828-465-8228 or 828-466-6812 to notify them and give them the details of the dog and the attack. If it's after hours, call 911 and ask for animal control.

Once they identify the animal, it will be checked for rabies so they can know whether to vaccinate you or not. If they don't find it or its owner, you will be started on rabies vaccination.

3. Collect Evidence

On top of the picture evidence, you can go back to the area and take pictures of the scene. If there were any security cameras or witnesses, find them and ask whether they have any video or photo evidence.

4. File a Lawsuit

If you have grounds, you can sue the owner using the procedure discussed below.

How to Sue for a Dog Bite in Catawba

Filing a lawsuit to hold the dog owner responsible for damages caused by their dog is pretty straightforward in Catawba County. You only need to collect evidence of the attack, and then contact a lawyer. They will advise you on what to do next.

Having to look for a lawyer to file a lawsuit is a bit too hectic. Especially if you are still recuperating from the injuries. If you would like to take the dog owner to a small claims court, there is a way to do it without leaving the comfort of your home.

DoNotPay app and website have a Sue Now function to help with this. You don't have to leave the comfort of your sickbed. Here is what you need to do to sue the dog owner using DoNotPay:

1. Login to the DoNotPay app
2. Select the Sue Now product
3. Enter the amount you are owed
4. Select whether you want a demand letter or court filing forms
5. Describe the reason for the lawsuit
6. Submit any applicable details, including photo proof

How to Report an Animal-Related Injury on Your Own

As mentioned above, to report an animal-related injury, you need to call animal services on 828-465-8228 or 828-466-6812. After notifying them, they will advise you on what to do next.

While this is pretty straightforward, it is not so reliable. There are some cases where you might have to rely on an alternative way to reach Catawba County Animal Services.

One such situation is during after-hours. Although there is a solution if they cannot be reached, this only shows that you need an alternative more reliable than that. Additionally, if you don't have their contact details handy, you might not be able to report.

If you can't report an animal-related injury due to one reason or the other, there is a better and more reliable alternative, which is discussed below.

Next Steps for Reporting an Animal-Related Injury if You Can't Do It Yourself

Emergencies require reliability. The fact that when you try to reach Catawba County Animal Services you may not reach them due to them being out of office proves it is not a reliable way to make your report.

Additionally, you have to have their number handy, which is something most people only remember they don't have when they really need it. And if there is no one around you who has it, the incident could go unreported. The longer you take to report, the more the danger posed by the animal to others.

The most reliable way to make your report is using the DoNotPay website or app.

How to Report an Animal-Related Incident On DoNotPay

DoNotPay is always online so it will never let you down when you need to make a report. To report the animal-related incident using DoNotPay takes only three steps as highlighted below.

1. Search "animal" on DoNotPay, find the Animal Control product, and select whether you've sustained a physical injury.

    

2. Select whether you would like to report this incident to your local government agency, or demand compensation from the pet owner.

    

3. Tell us more about the incident, including when and where you were injured, a description of the animal that caused the injury, and the contact information for the pet owner (if known).

    

Why Use DoNotPay To Report an Animal Related Incident

Apart from being the most reliable way to make a report, you should use DoNotPay to report the incident because it is:

• Fast – It takes only a couple of minutes to make the report. Instead of having to follow a long process, you only take three steps to complete it.
• Easy – With DoNotPay, you don't have to memorize any complicated procedures or fill out any tedious forms. We ask only for the necessary details to make a successful report.
• Successful – DoNotPay guarantees you that no matter how little effort you put in, your report or lawsuit will go through successfully.

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

Reporting and taking the animal owner to a small claims court is just one of the problems DoNotPay can solve for you. It can also help you with:

1. Contacting embassies and consulates
2. Creating a power of attorney
3. Fighting email spam
4. Filing complaints against any company
5. Getting free trials without getting charged

Reporting animal bites is very important. It ensures that the dangerous or potentially dangerous is marked and labeled appropriately or taken off the street, and the owner is held liable. This reduces the chances that another person will be injured by the same animal.

The only way you can be able to report, and claim damages if the owner is liable, is to have a reliable way to report and sue. As seen above, the normal way of reporting in Catawba isn't very reliable or convenient. That is why we have introduced a more reliable and convenient alternative, DoNotPay.

If you or a loved one has suffered any animal-related injury and you need to make a report of claim damages, you can do so through DoNotPay.