Frequently Asked Questions

How many dog bites do you expect in Los Angeles County yearly?
Answer: We expect between 20,000 and 25,000 bites to occur yearly. Precise numbers are not yet available, as we have just begun a new Animal Bite Reporting System.

What should I do if someone is bitten by a dog?
Answer: Immediately after caring for the wound, contact the County Health Department Rabies Control Section. The victim may call the Environmental Division of City Hall and request a Hearing to determine if the dog is vicious. If the biting dog is a stray and the owner is not known, the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care & Control should also be called.

What should I do if I see an injured animal?
Answer: Call the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care & Control immediately or the Police, who will call the County. For your safety and to prevent further injury to the animal, do not attempt to move it.

What should do if I see a wild animal on my property?
Answer: If a wild animal comes onto your property or if you see one that is injured, contact the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care & Control immediately. Do not approach the animal.

What should I do If I find a lost pet?
Answer: If the dog or cat has a license or an ID tag, you can call the phone number listed on the tag to make contact with the owner. If you cannot contact the owner or if the animal is not wearing a tag, the law requires that you turn in the animal to the animal control agency that serves the area where you found the animal, so that the owner will have a better chance of finding his or her lost pet. many well-meaning people keep lost pets at their homes, not realizing the animal's owner is looking for the stray pet at the animal shelter.

When and how should I look for my lost pet?
Answer: If your pet is wearing a current license of ID tag, animal control will make every effort to notify you and reunite you with your pet. Be sure to visit the Carson Animal Care Center to look for your lost pet. Animals picked up in the City of Torrance will be taken to this shelter and cared for while the owner has a chance to look for his/her lost pet. Be sure to check all areas of the shelter and ask about any injured animals that may have been taken to a veterinarian or that were picked up dead off the street. Be sure to leave information about your lost pet on the shelter's lost/found bulletin board...bring a current photo, if you have one.

Animal Licensing Information Phone (562) 940-8881
Answer: This department enforces all state and local laws relating to the control, licensing, humane investigations, or rescuing of all animals within the unincorporated areas of the County or within cities contracting for County service. It also operates low-cost spay or neuter clinics at each shelter and provides low-cost vaccination clinics.

What are red imported fire ants?
Answer: Red imported fire ants are medium-sized ants that build mounds of soft soil rarely larger than 18" in diameter. When disturbed, the ants become very aggressive and bite your skin while stinging you with their abdominal stinger.

When were fire ants discovered in Los Angeles County?
Answer: In November of 1998 they were detected in a nursery. Investigation indicates the fire ants have been here and in Orange County for over a year.

Where are they from?
Answer: Fire ants are from South America. They entered the U.S. through Mobile, Alabama, probably in soil used for ships' ballast. They were accidentally introduced around the 1930s and have been spreading ever since

How many states have been infested with fire ants?
Answer: Eleven southern states are now fighting the ant with limited success.

Why do fire ants appear to sting at the same time?
Answer: Fire ants are sensitive to vibration or movement and tend to sting when the object they are on moves. The ants swarm up a person's leg and when one ant stings that person jerks or moves. This triggers many of the other ants to sting in response. Thus, it appears they all sting at the same time, and most do.

Is their sting lethal?
Answer: Only to a very small portion of the population who experience severe allergic reactions.

What should I do if I get stung?
Answer: Treat stings as you would stings of other insects and keep stings clean and in tact to avoid getting secondary infections. Watch the area for excessive swelling, itching or redness or other symptoms like shortness of breath, thickening of the tongue, sweating, etc. that could indicate a systemic allergic reaction. If you are allergic to insect bites contact your physician or take your prescribed medicine.

What if I have an allergic reaction?
Answer: Seek medical help immediately.

Are they as lethal as killer bees?
Answer: Both killer bees and fire ants attack en masse when disturbed. They can both cause fatal allergic reactions, in susceptible individuals. Africanized bees can overwhelm and kill even healthy, non-allergic people, but encounters are rather rare. Fire ants can't overwhelm a healthy, mobile person and even hundreds of stings are rarely fatal.

What is the safest product for my children and pets?
Answer: Do not put a toxic pesticide where kids and animals can get at it. Always follow carefully the directions provided on the product's label. Baits, when broadcast, not only have very low toxicity, but are scattered very thinly and fall down in the grass where few things but ants can get at them. Granular and dust products will remain on the soil surface where potential contact can occur unless the material is watered in after application.