What to do in case of a dog bite?
Verified 06 February 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)
The owner of a dog that bites a person must accomplish several steps : declare the bite in town hall and submit his dog to health surveillance and behavioral evaluation by a veterinarian. The bitten person is entitled to repair of sound injury by the insurer of the dog owner. We present you the information to know.
Owner of the dog
1Declaration of the bite at the town hall
As the owner of the dog, you must declare the bite at the town hall of your municipality of residence.
If your dog is under the care and supervision of another person, this person holding the animal must make the declaration to the town hall of his commune of residence.
Any professional who has knowledge of the event in the course of his duties (doctor, veterinarian, insurer, etc.) must also make this declaration.
2Sanitary surveillance of the dog
You must have monitored your dog will be checked by a veterinary surgeon to ensure that it does not carry the rabies virus.
The list of veterinarians with health authorization in your department is available on the site of your prefecture or on request from the departmental directorate and protection of populations.
You must submit your dog to this health surveillance whether vaccinated against rabies or not.
Such monitoring shall consist of 3 visits to the same veterinarian over a period of 15 days:
- The 1re visit must be carried out within 24 hours of the bite
- The 2e visit must be made no later than 7 days after the bite
- The 3e must be done on the 15the day after the bite.
In the absence of symptoms leading to a suspicion of rabies, the veterinarian establishes, after each of the first 2 visits, a provisional certificate certifying that your dog shows no suspicious signs of rabies.
After the 3e visit, the veterinarian writes a definitive certificate certifying that your dog has not at any time presented any symptoms that could evoke rabies.
The veterinarian draws up each certificate in 5 copies. 3 copies are given to you. You must transmit 1 to the bitten person and 1 to the town hall of your place of residence or you have declared the bite.
During the monitoring period, you may not sell or give away your dog, have it vaccinated against rabies, slaughter it or have it slaughtered without the authorization of the veterinarian.
During the monitoring period, if any signs of disease appear or if your dog dies, you must immediately take your dog or his corpse to the veterinarian.
If your dog escapes and disappears during the monitoring period, you must also immediately inform the veterinarian.
In case of suspected rabies, your animal is kept under observation and strictly isolated, unless it is impossible that would justify its immediate slaughter.
If it is proven that your dog is a carrier of the rabies virus, it is euthanized.
FYI
If your dog does not show up for one of the 3 visits, the veterinarian informs the police and the director of veterinary services of the department. You incur a fine of €135.
The fresh of this health surveillance are at your expense.
3Behavioral evaluation of the dog
You, or the keeper in whose custody your dog is, must submit the animal to a behavioral assessment by a veterinarian selected from a departmental list established by the National Council of Veterinarians.
The fresh of this evaluation are at your expense, as the owner of the dog.
Behavioral assessment must be done during the period of health surveillance.
The list of competent veterinarians is available on the website of the National Council of the Order of Veterinarians:
Who shall I contact
The purpose of the behavioral assessment is to assess the potential danger that your dog may represent.
It exists 4 levels of dangerousness. The veterinarian classifies your dog at one of these 4 levels. And, depending on the level of danger your dog is classified in, you must renew or not the behavioral assessment within a certain time:
Danger level of the dog | Evaluation | Renewal of the evaluation |
|---|---|---|
Level 1 | No particular risk apart from those inherent to the canine species | No |
Level 2 | Risk of low dangerousness for certain people or in certain situations | Within a maximum of 3 years |
Level 3 | Risk of critical dangerousness for certain people or in certain situations | Within a maximum period of 2 years |
Level 4 | Risk of high dangerousness for certain people or in certain situations | Within a maximum period of one year |
Depending on the classification level of your dog, the veterinarian offers preventive measures with the aim of reducing its danger.
The veterinarian also formulates recommendations to limit contact with certain people and situations at risk.
The veterinarian communicates the results of the behavioral evaluation to your town hall.
Following this evaluation, the mayor may order you to receive training on dog education and behavior and accident prevention.
This training leads to obtaining a certificate of suitability for the detention of a dog.
The duration of this training is one day.
It includes a theoretical part on the knowledge of dogs, the relationship between the owner and the dog, aggressive behaviors and their prevention.
This training also includes a practical part consisting of demonstrations and scenarios.
The training costs are at your expense.
If you do not comply with these obligations, the mayor may order that your dog be impounded.
It may, in the event of serious and immediate danger and after consulting a veterinarian, have him euthanized.
As the owner or keeper of the dog at the event, you are civilly responsible for the damage caused by the animal, i.e. you must compensate the victim for the damage that she suffered.
If you have taken out insurance multi-risk housing or a car insurance contract, you have a civil liability guarantee included in your home or auto insurance policy.
The purpose of this liability insurance is to cover the financial consequences of any damage you may cause to third parties (including as a result of a pet).
If you have such insurance, you must make an immediate declaration of loss with your insurance company.
When you declare your claim, you must specify the circumstances of the event: date, place, contact details of the victim and witnesses.
If it is established that the victim committed a misconduct that caused the attack of the animal, your responsibility is not questioned.
If you are not insured, you must compensate the victim yourself.
In case of disagreement, the victim can refer the matter to the court competent for the compensation of personal injury.
If the accident is due to your negligence, the victim can lodge a complaint.
If the victim dies as a result of the bite, you can be prosecuted. This aggression may constitute a manslaughter.
The public prosecutor may decide to sue you. If he decides that a trial must take place, it takes place before the criminal court.
You risk up to 5 years in prison and €75,000 of fine.
Sentences are increased to 7 years' imprisonment and €100,000 a fine in the following cases:
- Ownership or possession of the dog was prohibited by law or a court order
- You were clearly intoxicated or under the influence of narcotic drugs
- The dog is a dog of 1st or 2nd category and you are not complying with the various regulatory obligations that are imposed on owners of dogs of this type
- The dog was mistreated by you.
Penalties may be increased to 10 years' imprisonment and €150,000 a fine in case of aggravating circumstances.
Bitten person
A dog bite can lead to infections and cosmetic sequelae.
Disinfect the wound and monitor for hours and days after the wound appears.
Consult a doctor or go to the emergency room in particular in the following cases:
- Your tetanus vaccine is out of date
- The wounds are large or accompanied by other symptoms (pain, edema, lymph nodes, infection, etc.)
- You are immunocompromised (due to treatment, HIV, etc.) or have diabetes
- You have been bitten by a dog from a foreigner country that may have been contaminated by rage.
Remember to inform your doctor and other health professionals (pharmacist, physiotherapist, nurse, etc.) that you consult following a dog bite. They'll tick the box Accident caused by a third party on your treatment sheet and will indicate the date of the event.
1Notification of the bite to the Health Insurance
You must report the bite to your CPAM: titleContent if this bite gives rise to medical care and consequently to health costs, even if you have a share of responsibility for the occurrence of the accident.
The health insurance can then turn to the owner or holder of the dog or his insurer to obtain reimbursement of the costs incurred for your care.
This recourse is called appeal against third parties.
You can file your return in a number of ways:
- From your ameli account
- On the website demarche.numerique.gouv.fr
- By phone
- By mail.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
Ameli account
You can make your declaration from your email account (section My steps) :
Website demarche.numerique.gouv.fr
You can make your declaration directly on the website onmablesse.fr:
Site onmabless.fr: declaration of an accident by a third party
Telephone
You can file your return by telephone.
Who shall I contact
To obtain information about your rights and procedures, ask a question about your file, report a change in situation, consult your refunds or obtain a certificate of rights.
By phone
3646
Open Monday to Friday.
Be careful : hours may vary depending on your department.
As a rule, opening hours are at least from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.
Free service + price call, from a landline or mobile phone.
From Mayotte, call 02 69 61 91 91:
- Monday to Thursday from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm
- Friday from 7:30am to 12pm
From the foreigner +33 1 84 90 36 46 (free service + price of a call).
To facilitate the answers and to identify you, remember to bring yourVitale card before contacting Health Insurance.
By video interpretation (you are deaf or hard of hearing)
If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can contact a advisor by video-interpretation.
You can make your declaration by post using the form next:
2Notification of the bite to the liability insurance
You must declare the bite to your insurer for him to make a possible compensation.
You must indicate the place and date of the event, the contact details of the dog's owner, the name of his insurance company and the number of his insurance contract.
Your liability insurance can be turned against the insurance of the dog owner or the dog owner himself, if he is not insured.
You are entitled tofull compensation of your harm, except in case of misconduct on your part.
The amount of the compensation is set according to the medical expertise established by the expert doctor mandated by the insurance of the owner of the dog.
If the owner of the dog refuses to file the claim with his insurance, to be identified or is not insured, you can refer the matter to the court competent for the compensation of personal injury.
The assistance of a lawyer is mandatory. If your income does not allow you to pay for a lawyer, you can apply to benefit from thelegal aid.
If the bite is due to negligence on the part of the owner or keeper of the animal, you can lodge a complaint.
FYI
In the event of death of the bitten person, the owner or keeper of the dog may be prosecuted for manslaughter.
Articles L223-9 and L223-10
Article 221-6-2
Service Public
National Health Insurance Fund (Cnam)
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Justice