Wyoming Dangerous Dog Law

What happens right after a dog bites someone?

Two things start at once: a rabies check and a local animal-control case. The state rule is short. Any dog that bites a person, or attacks one "in a vicious manner", may be impounded by the county sheriff or an animal control officer and held in quarantine for at least ten days, or longer if the state health officer decides⁹. The officer can let the dog stay home only if you show a valid rabies vaccination certificate from a licensed veterinarian⁹. The Livestock Board says plainly that proof of vaccination is required for bite investigations²⁴. You pay for impoundment, quarantine and any testing⁹.

The State Veterinarian's rabies rules fill in the details. A vaccinated dog is quarantined for at least ten days and may not be revaccinated during that time. If it stays healthy, a veterinarian releases it in consultation with the State Veterinarian or the state health officer¹⁴. A dog that has never been vaccinated, or a stray, is assessed by the State Veterinarian with public health officials. They choose either ten days of isolation with daily checks by a veterinarian, or euthanasia within 24 hours and a brain test¹⁴. A dog whose vaccination has lapsed gets a case-by-case decision¹⁴.

The bite also gets reported. Doctors and hospitals report bites that need rabies shots to the Department of Health, and animal control sends its bite report to the state health officer^9,16. Rabies questions go to the State Public Health Veterinarian²¹.

Is there a Wyoming dangerous dog law?

Not in the sense most states use. Wyoming has no statute that creates a "dangerous dog" or "potentially dangerous dog" status with registration, insurance and a hearing. The state law is one subsection of the animals-at-large statute, W.S. 11-31-301(e). It says an animal that attacks a person in a vicious manner "may be destroyed or the owner or custodian of the animal may be fined not more than two hundred dollars ($200.00), or both"⁹. Proof that the dog bit or attacked someone "at any place where a person is legally entitled to be" is evidence that it is vicious⁹. That sentence is a rule of evidence for this section. It does not make the owner automatically liable for damages; the Supreme Court said so in 2003¹.

The rest is local. Counties may pass regulations on dogs running at large, vicious dogs and dogs that chase game or livestock, enforced by the sheriff⁹. Cities may regulate or prohibit animals running at large and run a pound¹⁸. Your case will usually be decided under the ordinance of the city or county where the bite happened.

How a city handles it: Cheyenne as an example

Cheyenne shows the kind of rules a Wyoming city adds. In the Title 6 amendment presented to the city council in January 2024, a "dangerous animal" is one that is a physical threat to people or other animals, or that bites or attacks a person unprovoked; a trained guard or police dog is excluded²⁰. Its owner must keep it secured and muzzled. A violation is a misdemeanor, and the municipal court may order the dog euthanized or banned from the city²⁰. A dog that bites may be impounded for up to ten days at the owner's expense, and the owner can apply for a municipal court hearing within ten days²⁰. Check the version in force where you live; other towns and counties use different words and deadlines.

Can the dog be put down?

Yes, in three ways. The state statute allows a dog that attacked a person viciously to be destroyed⁹. A local ordinance may let a court order it²⁰. And under the rabies rules an unvaccinated dog can be euthanized for testing instead of being observed¹⁴. State law sets no hearing or appeal for the first route, so the procedure comes from the local ordinance and general due process⁹. A separate state rule applies to livestock: an owner who knows the dog has killed sheep or other livestock must destroy it, and a dog caught injuring livestock may be killed on the spot^13,9.

Can the owner be charged with a crime?

The dog statute's fines are small: up to $50 for a first conviction when an animal at large has attacked a person ($100 after that), and up to $200 for a vicious attack⁹. The criminal code goes further when a person is badly hurt. Wyoming defines a "deadly weapon" to include "an animal" when used in a way capable of causing death or serious injury. Knowingly causing injury with a deadly weapon is aggravated assault, a felony punishable by up to ten years¹⁹. Recklessly putting someone in danger of death or serious injury is reckless endangering, a misdemeanor with up to a year in jail. A reckless killing is manslaughter, up to 20 years¹⁹. Whether charges fit depends on what the owner knew and did.

Breed rules and repeat bites

No state law bans breeds or bars local breed rules^18,9. Insurers may also ask about breed²². A first bite becomes evidence for the next one: once you know your dog has bitten, you are on notice of its dangerous propensity, and a later victim can sue under strict liability¹. Civil liability is covered on the Wyoming dog bite law page; see also my dog bit someone and the dangerous dog laws by state.

Rules for a declared dog in Wyoming

Wyoming rules in brief

Reporting. Health care providers must report "animal bites or exposures requiring rabies prophylaxis" to the Wyoming Department of Health, which lists them on its 2026 reportable-conditions list¹⁶; the duty comes from W.S. 35-4-107¹⁵. When an animal control officer handles a bite, a copy of the report goes to the state health officer⁹. Veterinarians, police and animal control use the department's online bite form¹⁷. Cities can add their own duty: Cheyenne's 2024 animal ordinance draft requires anyone who knows of a bite to report it at once²⁰.

Euthanasia. "Any animal which attacks any person in a vicious manner may be destroyed," and proof that it bit or attacked someone where they had a legal right to be is evidence that it is vicious⁹. The statute sets no hearing or appeal procedure; counties and cities supply it by ordinance^9,18. Under the Livestock Board rule, a dog showing signs of rabies during quarantine is euthanized within 24 hours and tested¹⁴.

Criminal penalties. Under the state dog statute the penalties are small: a fine of up to $50 ($100 on a repeat) for an animal that attacked a person, and up to $200 when the attack was vicious⁹. The criminal code defines a "deadly weapon" to include an animal. Knowingly using a dog to injure someone can be aggravated assault, a felony carrying up to 10 years, and reckless conduct can be reckless endangering (up to a year) or, if someone dies, manslaughter (up to 20 years)¹⁹.

Breed rules. No Wyoming statute bars or requires breed-specific laws; cities and counties regulate dogs under general powers (W.S. 15-1-103(a)(xiv) and 11-31-301(g))^18,9.

Compare states: dangerous dog laws by state, bite quarantine rules, euthanasia after a bite. If your dog bit someone, start with what happens next.

Sources

1. Borns ex rel. Gannon v. Voss, 2003 WY 74, 70 P.3d 262, Supreme Court of Wyoming (CourtListener). Checked 17 October 2026.
2. W.S. 1-3-105 (limitation periods; four years for injury), Wyoming Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
3. W.S. 1-3-114 (minors and other legal disabilities), Wyoming Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
4. W.S. 14-1-101 (age of majority), Wyoming Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
5. W.S. 1-1-109 (comparative fault), Wyoming Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
6. McCarthy v. Croker, 549 P.2d 323 (Wyo. 1976), Supreme Court of Wyoming (CourtListener). Checked 17 October 2026.
7. Endresen v. Allen, 574 P.2d 1219 (Wyo. 1978), Supreme Court of Wyoming (CourtListener). Checked 17 October 2026.
8. Roberts v. Klinkosh, 986 P.2d 153 (Wyo. 1999), Supreme Court of Wyoming (CourtListener). Checked 17 October 2026.
9. W.S. 11-31-301 (animals running at large; vicious animals; quarantine), Wyoming Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
10. W.S. 1-39-113 (Governmental Claims Act: claims procedure), Wyoming Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
11. W.S. 1-39-118 (Governmental Claims Act: maximum liability), Wyoming Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
12. Danculovich v. Brown, 593 P.2d 187 (Wyo. 1979), Supreme Court of Wyoming (CourtListener). Checked 17 October 2026.
13. W.S. 11-31-105 to 11-31-108 (dogs and livestock), Wyoming Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
14. Wyoming Livestock Board rules, Ch. 1 (Rabies Prevention and Post Exposure Management), § 7, Wyoming Livestock Board (Cornell LII). Checked 17 October 2026.
15. W.S. 35-4-107 (reports of diseases by physicians), Wyoming Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
16. 2026 Wyoming Reportable Diseases and Conditions, Wyoming Department of Health. Checked 17 October 2026.
17. Reportable Diseases and Conditions: Animal Bite Reporting, Wyoming Department of Health. Checked 17 October 2026.
18. W.S. 15-1-103 (general powers of cities and towns), Wyoming Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
19. W.S. 6-1-104, 6-2-105, 6-2-502, 6-2-504 (deadly weapon; manslaughter; aggravated assault; reckless endangering), Wyoming Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
20. Substitute ordinance amending Title 6, Animals, Cheyenne Municipal Code (council packet, January 2024), City of Cheyenne. Checked 17 October 2026.
21. Rabies, Wyoming Department of Health. Checked 17 October 2026.
22. Wyoming Statutes Title 26 (Insurance Code), Wyoming Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
23. W.S. 11-31-211 to 11-31-214 (licensing; rabies control districts), Wyoming Legislature. Checked 17 October 2026.
24. Animal Health: Rabies, Wyoming Livestock Board. Checked 17 October 2026.