What Happens When Animal Control Is Called on You?

No one ever wants animal control to visit them, but it can happen to anyone. Whether you’re being unfairly targeted or are struggling and in need of help with your pet, knowing what happens if someone calls animal control on your dog can help make a bad situation more manageable.

TL;DR: Animal control officers may visit your property for reasons ranging from noise violations to allegations of neglect or abuse. They cannot enter your home without a warrant or your permission, and you have the right to remain silent rather than answer their questions. Most investigations will focus on education and connecting pet parents with resources to improve conditions rather than immediately removing animals or filing criminal charges.

What happens if someone calls animal control on your dog? 

After someone calls animal control, the agency will typically document the complaint and follow up in several ways. Although specific protocols can vary from agency to agency, animal control might:

• Call you on the phone

• Send you a letter or citation in the mail

• Visit your home to speak with you or leave a citation

• Do nothing (especially for a minor issue or first complaint)

In-person visits may or may not happen, depending on the nature of the complaint. If it’s a minor complaint, a first-time complaint, or if the complaint was made anonymously, animal control might elect to call or send a letter in the mail. 

If the complaint is about animal neglect or abuse, or if the agency has received calls from multiple people about the same issue, an officer might stop by your home. If no one answers, they might leave a letter, citation, or other animal control notice on the door.

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Reasons people call animal control 

People call animal control for many reasons, including noise complaints from excessive barking, as well as suspected animal neglect or abuse. Anyone can make a report to animal control, whether or not they have any evidence (such as photos, videos, or witnesses) to support the complaint. 

The most common reasons people call animal control are:

• Aggression or biting humans

• Aggression or biting other dogs

• Animal neglect

• Animal abuse

• Animal hoarding

• Excessive barking

• Dogs running loose off-leash

• Dogs left in hot cars

• Unlicensed animals

• Not picking up your dog’s waste

• Keeping exotic or illegal animals

Jennifer Bogle / Stocksy/

What is animal control allowed to do? 

After a complaint is made, animal control is legally allowed to investigate the complaint through one or more actions. Animal control might visit your home and inspect your property and animals from the driveway or street. They might also knock on your door, ask you questions, and request permission to inspect your pets and backyard (if they don’t have a warrant, you must give consent). 

Animal control can also interview your neighbors or other witnesses to get more information. If the situation involves alleged animal abuse or another serious complaint, animal control might bring a police officer with them.

After conducting an investigation and speaking with you, animal control might choose to issue a verbal or written warning. If they choose to issue a citation, you might be required to pay a fine or correct the violation. 

Some examples of corrective actions include:

• Licensing your unlicensed dog

• Obtaining veterinary care for your dog

• Providing a shelter or shade structure for your outdoor dog

• Making repairs to your fence or yard to prevent your dog from escaping

• Taking action to keep your dog from barking excessively 

In the most serious cases, animal control can take possession of an animal. This is generally reserved for animals who are being neglected or abused, dogs who pose a danger to people or other dogs (including dog-bite cases), dogs who repeatedly escape and roam loose, or in cases where the pet parent does not resolve a previous citation. 

Unless the situation is deemed an emergency, animal control cannot seize someone’s pet without due process. “Due process” refers to your legal right to fair treatment before your pet is taken from you. These rights include being notified what you’re being accused of, having the opportunity to explain or defend yourself inside or outside of court, having a neutral party (such as a judge or board) decide the outcome of an investigation, and being able to appeal that decision.

Even if a complaint is unfounded, animal control is obligated to follow up to ensure the well-being of the pets involved. Specific animal protection laws and processes can vary depending on local laws. 

Will animal control take my dog for biting?

Yes, animal control can take a dog for biting a person or animal. In the most serious cases, dogs can be declared dangerous or vicious, and ordered to be euthanized. But this won’t happen right away. If animal control deems the dog a public-safety threat due to biting, they can impound and quarantine the dog immediately without following due process — but only temporarily. During the investigation, due process must be followed, which includes allowing you to defend your dog and appeal any orders regarding your dog. 

If your dog bites a human or animal and is seized by animal control, you might want to consult an attorney who can advise you of your legal rights and help you navigate the case. If you can’t afford an attorney, check for local animal-law clinics or legal-aid services in your area.

DoraZett / Adobe Stock/

What can I do to avoid animal control visits? 

Even the best, most well-intentioned pet parent might experience an animal-control complaint. In many cases, animal control is called for non-emergency nuisance violations, such as excessive barking, leash-law violations, and repeated instances of a loose dog roaming. 

If you’re facing a nuisance complaint, you can take some steps to stop the behavior and prevent future complaints.

• Follow your local leash laws

• Always pick up after your pet

• Seek out training for problem barking

• Exercise your dog more to tire them out

• Change where you keep your dog

• Consider hiring a dog sitter or dog walker

• Repair or reinforce fences to keep your dog on your property

Many cases of reported animal neglect are due to financial constraints, and not the pet parent’s lack of care for the pet. In such cases, animal control can connect you with community resources, such as pet food banks, low-cost veterinary care, and low-cost training classes through your local humane society or animal shelter. 

Commonly asked questions

Can animal control take my dog without a warrant? 

Yes, animal control can take your dog without a warrant. These cases include severe neglect or animal abuse due to life-threatening conditions (like being locked in a hot car), if the dog is deemed a risk to public safety, if they are roaming without identification, or if the pet parent is in jail, hospitalized, or deceased.

Will animal control take my dog for biting me? 

No, animal control usually will not take your dog because they bit you. But there are some cases where animal control might take your dog: if the bite was severe and you required emergency medical care, if the dog has a history of biting, if the dog is not vaccinated for rabies, or if animal control suspects neglect or abuse.  

Will animal control take my dog for biting another dog?

Animal control might take your dog for biting another dog, depending on the severity of the incident. Animal control might take your dog if the other dog was severely injured or killed, if the attack was unprovoked, if your dog was off leash, if your dog has a history of biting, or if your dog is not vaccinated for rabies. 

References

“Animal Control.” Mesaaz.gov, 2025, www.mesaaz.gov/Resident-Resources/Animal-Control.

“Animal Control - Animal Shelter | Seattle.gov.” www.seattle.gov, www.seattle.gov/animal-shelter/animal-control.

“Animal Control - San Mateo County Health.” San Mateo County Health, SMC Health, 27 Apr. 2016, wayback.stanford.edu/was/20230508193333oe_/www.smchealth.org/animalcontrol.

“Animal Control | City of Palm Springs.” Palmspringsca.gov, 2021, www.palmspringsca.gov/government/departments/police/divisions/animal-control. 

“Animal Laws - Animal Care.” Animal Care, 2025, animalcare.sbcounty.gov/animallaws.

Cotton, Julia F. “Forensics Training for Animal Control Officers.” Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, 25 Nov. 2019, vgl.ucdavis.edu/forensics-news/forensics-training-animal-control-officers. 

“Excessive Barking | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.” www.vet.cornell.edu, www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/riney-canine-health-center/canine-health-information/excessive-barking.‌

“Welcome to Clark County, NV.” Clarkcountynv.gov, 2025, www.clarkcountynv.gov/government/departments/administrative_services/animal_protection_services.