Owners, who lack these, can be issued citations, fines, sued, and even jailed. Once a bite is seen by medical personal, it is required by most states that the case be reported to the local authorities. Rules of care do vary from state to state and even between counties. The two most common actions taken by local officials are to quarantine or destroy the dog. This can be required even if a dog is current on all vaccinations.
Death often comes into play when the bite is by an unknown animal.
The head is taken off, then, laboratory tests are preformed on the brain to see if there are any signs of rabies. There are also cities, which require an animal to be put down if this is their second or third bite. If the dog is owned, there are many laws, which can come into play. These can vary according to specifics in each individual case. A dog that was sleeping in his own back yard when a stranger sneaks in and tries to break into the door will not be as harshly regarded as a dog running loose who attacks a child riding a bike.