Dog Bite FAQs

The City of Alexandria addresses dog bites within its municipal code. If your dog is determined by the City Magistrate to meet the definition of a dangerous or vicious dog, you will receive a summons with a court date to testify about whether your animal should be deemed dangerous. You have the right to hire your own attorney to speak on your behalf in all court proceedings if you choose. In the City of Alexandria, most dogs who are investigated in such cases are NOT deemed to be dangerous.

If you believe your dog did not bite anyone, then you can provide any evidence that you have to Animal Services. They will be reviewing evidence provided by the dog owner through an investigation and review the investigation facts with the City Attorney.

There are two parts of a dog bite investigation: (i) rabies prevention and (ii) determining if the dog should be considered dangerous/vicious. All dogs and cats that cause a puncture or scratch that breaks a person’s skin must be confined per the health code, no matter how serious the injury. To determine if the dog should be legally considered dangerous or vicious, the City Magistrate will review the evidence, including an opinion on the seriousness of the bite from the veterinarian who treated the victim dog or the medical records/photos from the human victim. Charges can be dropped or not pursued in some cases and the case will be closed out after this review process.

Your dog will need to be confined and observed at home for a 10-day period, or at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria if Animal Services determines that it cannot be confined at home. If this happens, in most cases you can pick up your dog after this confinement period unless Animal Services determines it must proceed with a dangerous dog case. Animal Services has the authority to seize your dog if you fail to comply with guidelines set forth by the court order for the guilty conviction. You will also be charged with the violation of the dangerous dog code.

When a dog attacks or bites a companion dog or cat, the biting dog shall not be deemed dangerous (i) if no serious physical injury has occurred as determined by a licensed veterinarian; (ii) if both animals are owned by the same person; (iii) if such attack occurs on the property of the attacking or biting dog’s owner or custodian; or (iv) for other good cause as determined by the court. No dog shall be found to be a dangerous dog as a result of biting, attacking or inflicting injury on a dog or cat while engaged with an owner or custodian as part of lawful hunting or participating in an organized, lawful dog handling event. In the City of Alexandria, most dogs who are investigated for biting are not deemed dangerous or vicious.

The City of Alexandria’s Animal Services will provide the owner of the suspect dog with a Quarantine Form within 10 days of the bite. The confinement period will last for 10 days from the date of incident. The City of Alexandria and Animal Services have 365 days from the date of the bite to bring charges. In most cases, Animal Services will make a determination whether or not to place charges within the 10-day confinement period.

Per City of Alexandria Sec. 5-7-40, the owner of any animal which bites a person in the City must inform an Animal Services officer, the Health Department or the police department of the incident.

Any changes in behavior or physical condition must be reported to the Health Department (703-746-4910) immediately.

Alexandria City Code 5-7-35 requires all dogs to be under physical restraint, unless in one of the designated off-leash dog parks. If you wish to know where those parks are Animal Services can provide you with a map that indicates where those off-leash dog parks are.

This is up to the individual; however, dog bites are considered civil matters and a civil lawsuit could be brought forward for expenses incurred by the victim(s).

The primary concern is the health and safety around the bite from your dog, so your dog will still need to undergo the 10-day confinement period and investigation as to whether he should be considered a dangerous/vicious dog. Regarding legal responsibility for the bite, dog bites are considered a civil matter and any suits will need to be brought to civil court.

• I had my dog on a leash when a person came up to pet him without asking.
• Someone allowed their dog to come up to my dog without asking and my dog bit.
• My dog was at a dog park when he bit another dog, but they were just playing.
• Another dog was rude to my dog when they were playing.
• My dog is a puppy and was just mouthing.
• My dog is elderly and has no teeth.

This type of incident will be addressed with an investigation and follow-up.

Not necessarily. If your dog was confined before for biting but was not determined to be dangerous/vicious, then another confinement will not affect his status; however, if your dog was already determined to be dangerous and he bites again, then you could face criminal charges.

State code 3.2-6522 requires the confinement of an animal for a determined observation period when an exposure has taken place to ensure that rabies is not present in the attacking animal.

Being charged with owning a dangerous dog is considered a criminal offense. The Animal Services Officer will petition for the summons for Dangerous Dog, and if awarded, Animal Services will attempt to serve the owner of the animal with a summons. If the Animal Services Officer is unable to serve the owner of the dog with the summons, they will turn the summons over to the Alexandria Police Department for them to attempt to make service.

If you are the owner of the dog but are unable to keep him, you are able to surrender your dog to Animal Services or the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. Animal Services will hold the dog for the remainder of the confinement period and advise the City Attorney that the dog is in our custody. When the confinement is over, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria will make a determination on the status of the animal involved.