What to Do After a Dog Bite in CO

A dog just attacked. Maybe it happened at a neighbor's house, a park, or right on the sidewalk. The heart is hammering, adrenaline is flooding the system, and the focus is on torn skin and uncertainty about severity. Colorado law gives bite victims real protections. Under C.R.S. § 13-21-124, a dog owner is strictly liable for economic damages, such as medical bills and lost wages, when a dog bite causes serious bodily injury or death to someone lawfully on public or private property, regardless of the dog's prior behavior. Beyond medical expenses, victims may face ongoing treatment, scarring, and psychological trauma, and those harms may be recoverable through a fault-based claim such as negligence.

If the bite happened in Denver, start with the emergency steps below and then review our Denver dog bite lawyer guide for how Conduit Law builds the injury, insurance, and liability record.

Take a breath. Then take these steps, in this order. What happens in the next 24 to 48 hours shapes both the medical outcome and the strength of any legal claim. Documenting injuries, getting witness information, seeking medical care, and reporting the bite to animal control create the record that protects your recovery and your rights.

Step 1: Get Safe and Stop the Bleeding

When a dog attack occurs, the immediate priority is separation. Move away from the animal without trying to physically restrain it; that is animal control's job. Get to a safe location first. Once secure, carefully look at the wound to judge how severe it is and whether you need immediate medical attention.

For immediate first aid:

• Apply firm pressure with a clean cloth to stop bleeding
• If the wound is deep, gaping, or won’t stop bleeding after 10 minutes of pressure—go to the ER
• If the bite is on the face, neck, or hands—go to the ER (these areas have critical structures close to the surface)
• If a child was bitten—go to the ER

Even if the wound looks manageable, professional medical evaluation is essential. Dog bites push bacteria deep into tissue, infections are common, and they can escalate quickly. Many people delay care because the bite looks minor, and that delay can be costly both medically and legally. Puncture wounds from canine teeth are ideal environments for bacteria such as Pasteurella and Staphylococcus. Even small-looking bites may need antibiotics, a tetanus update, or rabies prophylaxis. Prompt medical attention protects both your health and your claim.

Step 2: Identify the Dog and Its Owner

This is critical for both your medical care and your legal rights. You need to know:

• The owner’s name and contact information
• The dog’s vaccination history—specifically rabies vaccination status
• The dog’s breed and description
• Where the dog lives

If the owner is present, ask directly for their information. Most people are shaken enough by the incident that they'll cooperate. If they refuse to identify themselves or try to leave, photograph the owner, the dog, their vehicle, and the license plate. Gathering identifying information at the scene keeps the responsible party from later disputing their involvement.

If the dog was a stray or the owner is unknown, document every physical detail: breed, color, size, collar type, and the exact location of the bite. Animal control uses these descriptions to locate the dog for rabies observation or testing, which directly affects decisions about post-exposure prophylaxis. Photographs of the dog and your injuries, combined with detailed descriptions, also support any later claim.

Step 3: Call Animal Control

Reporting the bite to local animal control is a crucial step after any dog attack. In Denver, contact Denver Animal Protection at (720) 913-1311 to file an official report. In other Colorado jurisdictions, call the local non-emergency police line, and dispatchers will route the call to the right animal control agency. An official report protects both you and the community.

An animal control report creates an official government record of the attack. It captures what happened while details are fresh, can prompt an investigation, and may lead to a rabies quarantine for the dog. Animal control officers typically document the dog's behavior, your injuries, witness statements, and the circumstances of the attack, all of which matter in an injury claim.

Without an official report, questions can come up later about how serious the bite was, whether the dog was provoked, or whether things happened the way you describe. An animal control report is an independent, contemporaneous record that corroborates your account, establishes the dog's involvement, and documents the severity of the injuries.

Step 4: Document Everything

Your phone is your best friend right now. Before cleaning up, bandaging the wound, or letting swelling obscure the injury, photograph everything: multiple angles of the bite wounds, surrounding bruising, and any torn clothing. Document the scene, including where the dog was and any visible conditions. Time-stamped photographs create an objective record that memory cannot provide once the initial shock fades.

Photograph the Injury

• Close-ups of every wound from multiple angles
• Wide shots showing the location on your body
• Include something for scale (your hand, a coin)
• Make sure the timestamp is on

Take photos every day as the wound progresses: healing, bruising, swelling, and scarring. A visual timeline of the injury is some of the most compelling evidence in a dog bite case. Clear, dated images showing how the injury changed over time are objective proof of severity, pain, and scarring.

Photograph the Scene

• Where the attack happened
• The dog (if safe to do so)
• Any “Beware of Dog” signs (or lack thereof)
• Fencing, gates, leashes (or lack thereof)
• Torn clothing, blood on the ground

Get Witness Information

If anyone witnessed the attack, get their name and phone number right away. Witness accounts are especially valuable if the owner later claims the dog was provoked or that you were not lawfully on the property, since those facts can affect liability. Independent witnesses carry real weight in settlement discussions and litigation, so collect contact information from everyone present.

Step 5: Get Medical Treatment (And Don’t Downplay It)

Go to the ER or urgent care that day. Not tomorrow. Not “if it gets worse.” Today.

Here’s why this matters beyond the obvious health reasons:

• Infection risk is real. Dog mouths carry pasteurella, staphylococcus, streptococcus, and capnocytophaga bacteria. An untreated dog bite can develop into cellulitis, abscess, sepsis, or MRSA within 24–48 hours.
• Delayed treatment can weaken a claim. A gap before medical care can be read as a sign the injury wasn’t serious. A same-day medical record establishes the baseline severity.
• Rabies evaluation. If the dog’s vaccination status is unknown, you may need post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). This is time-sensitive—rabies is nearly 100% fatal once symptoms appear.

When seeing a doctor after a dog bite, describe every symptom fully and honestly. Don't minimize physical or emotional effects. If you are experiencing shaking, anxiety, insomnia, or intrusive thoughts, make sure they are documented. Psychological harm from a dog attack is a real injury, and contemporaneous medical records are what adjusters and courts rely on to understand its severity. Note that emotional distress and other non-economic damages generally require a fault-based claim, such as negligence, rather than the strict liability statute.

Step 6: Don’t Talk to the Owner’s Insurance Company

At some point—usually within a few days—the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance company will call you. They’ll sound friendly, sympathetic, helpful. They’ll ask for a “recorded statement.”

Do not give one.

Statements to the owner's insurance company are reviewed closely, and offhand remarks can be read differently than you intended. "The dog seemed friendly at first" can become "she approached a dog she knew was unpredictable." "I'm feeling a little better today" can become "she admitted her injuries resolved quickly." It is safer to let early conversations about the claim go through a lawyer.

Politely decline any requests for a statement or recorded conversation. The owner's insurance company represents the owner, not you. Tell them your focus right now is on medical treatment and recovery, and that future communication will go through an attorney.

Step 7: Talk to a Dog Bite Attorney

Dog bite cases in Colorado involve specific statutes, insurance coverage questions, and potentially multiple defendants, including the owner, landlord, property manager, or dog walker. Strict liability under C.R.S. § 13-21-124 covers economic damages for serious bodily injury, and it has exceptions, such as when the victim was unlawfully on the property, the property was posted with "no trespassing" or "beware of dog" signs, or the dog was knowingly provoked. A dog bite attorney can sort out which theories apply, identify the insurance policies involved, and handle communication with the carriers.

• Determine whether strict liability or negligence applies to your case
• Identify all liable parties and their insurance coverage
• Handle all communication with the insurance company
• Ensure your claim accounts for future medical needs and scarring
• Deal with animal control and any dangerous dog proceedings

At Conduit Law, dog bite consultations are free, and we work on a contingency basis, which means no fee unless we win. We can evaluate your claim, explain your rights under Colorado law, and pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

What NOT to Do After a Dog Bite

A few mistakes can seriously damage your case:

• Don’t apologize or say it was your fault. Adrenaline makes people say weird things. “I shouldn’t have tried to pet him” sounds like an admission of provocation.
• Don’t accept a cash offer from the owner. Homeowners sometimes panic and offer to pay your medical bills directly to avoid an insurance claim. This almost always ends badly—they underestimate the costs, stop paying, and you’ve lost leverage.
• Don’t post about it on social media. Insurers can review public posts. A photo of you smiling at dinner the night after the attack becomes evidence that you “weren’t that hurt.”
• Don’t wait to get medical treatment. Every day you delay weakens both your health and your claim.
• Don’t sign anything from the insurance company without attorney review. Especially a medical release, which can open your entire medical history to review for pre-existing conditions.

Special Considerations for Children

Children are especially vulnerable to serious dog bite injuries, and they are often bitten on the face and head. Their size and limited ability to read a dog's warning signs put them at greater risk. Facial and head injuries in children can lead to permanent scarring, disfigurement, and psychological trauma that require extensive treatment and therapy.

• ER visit is non-negotiable—always
• Document the emotional impact—nightmares, fear of dogs, behavioral changes
• Consider therapy early—childhood dog attack trauma can be long-lasting
• Keep every medical record and school absence report
• Take photos of scarring over time—children’s scars change as they grow

Children's cases often involve larger damages because of future medical needs. Facial injuries can require reconstructive procedures and more than one surgery over childhood and adolescence. The long-term psychological impact, including fear of animals, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, can affect a child's development and social life, and it should be documented and accounted for in any claim.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I go to the ER for a dog bite even if it doesn’t look bad?

Yes. Dog bites introduce bacteria deep into tissue through puncture wounds, even when the injury looks minor on the surface. Infections can develop quickly and become serious within 24 to 48 hours, leading to complications like cellulitis or sepsis. Same-day medical records also establish an official timeline and a professional assessment of the injury, which matters for any claim.

What if the dog owner is my neighbor or friend?

Their homeowner's or renter's insurance is often designed to handle exactly this situation. Filing a claim doesn't necessarily mean suing your neighbor or friend personally; it usually means their insurance company pays for the harm their dog caused. That is what the coverage is for.

How long do I have to file a dog bite claim in Colorado?

Colorado sets specific filing deadlines for injury claims, and for most dog bite claims the general tort deadline is two years from the date of the bite (C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(a)). We confirm the deadline for your situation. Waiting can weaken a case even before the deadline, because evidence deteriorates, witness memories fade, and records become harder to obtain.

What if I was bitten by a stray or unknown dog?

Report the bite to animal control right away; they can help find the dog for rabies observation or testing and prevent further incidents. If the owner can't be identified, your own health insurance may cover initial medical expenses. An attorney can help identify any other available insurance coverage and guide you through the claims process.

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Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult with an attorney for advice regarding your specific situation.

A dog bite is scary, painful, and overwhelming, but the steps you take right afterward can make a real difference in your recovery and your claim. Photograph your injuries, gather witness information, and get medical care. Before speaking with any insurance company or accepting a settlement offer, talk with a lawyer who can evaluate the case and explain your rights under Colorado law.