Your Happy Dog Coach
Report An Incident

Report An Incident

IMPORTANT: We do not report incidents.
This form is meant to be a tool for collecting pertinent information to report an incident yourself.
It is important for you to take the information you’ve collected here and directly report it to the proper authorities, yourself.

Even a minor dog bite can have serious consequences.

Whether it’s a nip or a deep wound, reporting the incident to local authorities and seeking medical attention is crucial. 

Here’s why:
🐾 Medical Concerns: Even small bites can lead to infections like tetanus or, in rare cases, rabies. Getting it checked ensures your health and safety.
🐾 Prevent Future Incidents: Reporting a bite helps authorities monitor the dog’s behavior. This could prevent future, possibly more serious incidents, especially if the dog shows signs of aggression.
🐾 Legal Documentation: Having an official report on file protects both the victim and the dog owner in case further legal or medical actions are needed down the road.
🐾 Owner Awareness: It’s important for dog owners to be aware if their pet poses a risk. Reporting a bite can lead to better training, vet checks, or safety measures.

Whether it’s a family pet or a stray, never ignore a dog bite!!

By reporting it, you’re protecting yourself, the community, and even the dog.

How can it protect the dog?

Reporting a dog bite can actually protect the dog in several ways:
🐕 Prevents Escalation: When a bite is reported, it can trigger interventions that may stop future, more severe incidents. This could include behavior training or medical evaluations that help address underlying issues. Without intervention, the dog might become more aggressive, increasing the risk of being classified as “dangerous” or, in extreme cases, being euthanized.
🐕 Ensures Proper Evaluation: Sometimes, dogs bite because they are in pain or unwell. Reporting the bite can lead to the dog being checked by a vet to rule out medical conditions, like infections or injuries, that could be causing discomfort or aggression.
🐕 Helps Owners with Responsibility: Reporting gives owners the chance to take corrective action, like better training or adjusting the environment, to prevent further incidents. This helps protect the dog from being labeled a continuous threat, which could put its future at risk.
🐕 Legal Protections: Having a formal record of the bite creates transparency and can ensure the dog is not unfairly blamed if it was provoked or reacting out of fear. This documentation helps balance fairness for both the dog and the bite victim.

By reporting, you’re allowing for potential solutions that keep both people and the dog safer in the long run

Within the Town of Yarmouth:

To register a complaint regarding a violation of the Dog Bylaw, contact the Animal Control Line at 902-307-0475. Here’s what you need to know about filing a complaint:

  • You may have to provide a witness statement for Animal Control to proceed with an investigation. If you’re not willing to provide a statement and appear in court, Animal Control may not be able to act on your concern.
  • You should be aware that all information provided to Animal Control is subject to Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy legislation (FOIPOP) and legal disclosure. During the investigation, complainant and witness information is kept confidential. However, if the matter proceeds to prosecution, all information relating to the investigation, including the identity of complainants and witnesses must be shared with the defence.
  • Details are important. The more detail you can provide, the easier it will be to act on your complaint. Depending upon the nature of your complaint, you may be required to provide specific information about the pet, its owner, and the incident.
The Dog Bylaws for the Town of Yarmouth can be found HERE.
Within the Municipality of Yarmouth:

All dog complaints should be referred to Nova Scotia SPCA Dog By-law Services at 902-307-0475

The Municipality of Yarmouth has it’s own Dog By-Law as found HERE.

Within the Municipality of Digby:

The Dog Control Officer can be reached 24 hours a day by phoning the Municipal Airport at 245-5885 for complaints/concerns. Emergency situations will be handled immediately while all other calls will be responded to within 24 hours. All calls have to be placed at the Airport through the dispatcher at the above number. The dispatcher will determine the significance of the call and relay it to the Dog Control Officer after gathering all pertinent information. ALL calls are strictly confidential and no names shall be released.

The Dog By-Law for the Municipality of Digby can be found HERE.

How Bad Does a Bite Need to Be?

Dr. Ian Dunbar’s Dog Bite Scale is the industry standard for assessing the severity of a bite from dog to human.
Broken down into six levels, it’s important to know the level of your bite when reporting your incident to the proper authorities:

Please heed the warning signs.

There are times bites cannot be avoided, but most often, a dog has shown several warning signs before even getting the chance to bite. You will find a simplified ladder of aggression below for your reference.

If you’d like more information about what to look for, please contact me and we can set up an information session about dog body language, warning signs, proper ways to greet a strange dog, and what to do if a strange dog approaches you and your family.