How and When to Contact Marion County Animal Control

services are headquartered in Ocala, Florida, and the officers serve the city and unincorporated areas of Marion County. They respond to calls ranging from animal abuse and stray pets to dog bites and animal-related noise complaints. If you witness or experience an animal attack, animal cruelty, or another , you'll need to report it to the authorities.

There are several numbers and online forms available for your use — the one you use depends upon the type of animal incident and where in Marion County the incident took place. If you experienced a dog bite or witnessed a disturbing event, you may be dealing with pain and emotional stress as you try to find the information you need. If you file the wrong form or provide the wrong information, a resolution could be delayed. Fortunately, there's an easier way. DoNotPay can help you file complaints and reports to ensure the animals get the help they need, and you get the compensation you deserve for an animal-related injury.

From Miami and Atlanta to Los Angeles, local animal control is responsible for protecting the welfare of both animals and residents. Although dog bite laws and other animal-related laws may vary from Florida to California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, and other states, DoNotPay can help you navigate local laws to successfully report an incident or sue for a dog bite, even without obtaining a costly dog bite lawyer.

About Marion County Animal Control

Marion County Animal Services is on call 24 hours per day for emergencies. They're in charge of enforcing animal-related laws and ordinances, which includes responding to the following types of calls:

Injured, sick, or stray animals
Small wildlife nuisances
Dog bites and attacks
Small- and large-scale animal cruelty cases

They maintain an animal abuser registry, which includes everyone convicted of an animal abuse crime as outlined by Chapter 4, Sec. 4-15 of the Marion County Code. These people are not allowed to own animals, and the registry allows animal sellers and shelters to ensure they're not placing an animal with a known abuser. There is also a dangerous dog list, which includes all the dogs in the county that have been declared dangerous according to Florida statutes.

The associated Marion County Animal Center has served as a no-kill shelter since 2018. They provide a variety of services for residents, as well:

Lost or abused animal rescue
Pet foster and adoption
Pet licensing and microchips
Low-cost spay and neuter services

How to Contact Marion County Animal Control and File a Report On Your Own

For incidents occurring in unincorporated Marion County or the city of Ocala, you should contact the Marion County Animal Control:

Address	5701 SE 66th Street, Ocala, FL 34480
Phone Number	352-671-8727 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday 352-732-9111 for after-hours emergencies
Website	Visit Marion County’s Animal Control site and fill out the online contact form

If the incident occurs within Belleview or Dunnellon city limits, you'll need to contact the respective police department:

Belleview Police Department: 352-245-7044
Dunnellon Police Department: 352-465-8510

There are also a variety of online forms you can fill out for specific incidents. These include:

Affidavit of Complaint: General complaint form to be used for incidents that did not result in a dog bite or another injury
Affidavit of Complaint—Attacks & Bites: Complaint form used to report dog bites and attacks experienced by you or your pet
Domestic Animal Noise Disturbance Affidavit: Marion County Code, Chapter 4, Sec. 4-12 (b) defines an animal noise disturbance as "Any animal barking, whining, howling or making objectionable noises that can be clearly heard beyond the boundaries of the owner's property and that continues for a minimum continuous period of thirty (30) minutes...".

Understanding Marion County, Florida Dog Bite Laws

Marion County Code, Chapter 4, Sections 4-23, 4-24, and 4-25 address injury and death resulting from a bite or attack from both dangerous and unclassified dogs. In some cases, the dog may be euthanized, and the owner could be fined or charged with a misdemeanor.

If you are bitten by a dog in Marion County, file the Attacks & Bites form as soon as possible. You will be asked to provide as much information as you can about the incident, including:

Your name and contact information
Where and when the incident occurred
Information about the dog that attacked you and your history with that dog, if any
Dog owner information
Witness information
Type of injuries you sustained and what type of medical treatment you received
Circumstances surrounding the bite or attack

Filling out the form will help the authorities take proper action against the dog and/or the dog's owner, but it probably will not guarantee that you get compensated for your or your pet's medical bills or emotional distress. You should request compensation directly from the animal owner. If they are willing to pay your bills, you may be able to avoid going to court.

If the owner is not willing to pay, you may be able to sue them in small claims court. This stressful process can be time-consuming and challenging, but DoNotPay can simplify it for you. In fact, we can help you with your dog bite or other animal problems from start to finish. We can file the correct reports with the appropriate authorities, issue a letter of demand to the dog owner requesting compensation, and help you sue them if needed.

How to Report a Dog Bite or Other Animal-Related Injury With the Help of DoNotPay

Instead of scouring the website looking for the proper forms and figuring out how to best approach the dog owner about being reimbursed for your medical bills, use DoNotPay to help you file your report or demand compensation. Simply answer a few questions about your incident, and we'll take care of the rest.

If you want to report an animal-related injury but don't know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in 3 easy steps:

Search "animal" on DoNotPay, find the Animal Control product, and select whether you've sustained a physical injury.
Select whether you would like to report this incident to your local government agency, or demand compensation from the pet owner.
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).

And that's it! DoNotPay will file the demand letter or government report on your behalf with your incident details! You should hear back from them directly with further questions/confirmation regarding your demands.

Why Use DoNotPay to Connect With Marion County Animal Control

Animal-related incidents are often stressful and upsetting. Whether you got injured or witnessed an injury, a case of animal cruelty, or animal distress, you probably have a lot on your mind without trying to figure out how to best approach the situation to ensure your best interests and the best interests of the animal. We can file your report quickly and easily, and you can rest assured that it's getting in on time and it's going to the right authorities.

Contacting (or anywhere else in the country) or filing demand letters on your behalf is just the beginning of what DoNotPay has to offer.

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

The robot lawyers at DoNotPay can help you manage a variety of financial and legal challenges, ensuring the best possible outcome for you while minimizing stress and confusion. Take a closer look at how we can help:

Take the next step to make sure you handle these situations correctly. Get started with DoNotPay today!