Yakima City Council To Talk About Dog Ordinance Tuesday

The Yakima City Council on Tuesday will be talking about the city dangerous dogs ordinance. The Yakima city legal department has been working on a tougher version of the ordinance the city council members will be taking about on Tuesday during the regular business meeting. Yakima City Council member Carmen Mendez is hoping the ordinance will eventually replace the city pitbull ban.
The city council will review the proposed changes on Tuesday.
The proposed changes include;

1.  Incorporating the comprehensive approach taken by the City of Tacoma’s animal control ordinance on dangerous and potentially dangerous dogs;

2.  A prohibition on the possession of dangerous dogs, unless boarded in an animal shelter or temporarily brought into the city with the permission of animal control;

3.  Expanding the definition of what a potentially dangerous dog is to include, in addition to a dog inflicting an actual bite, a dog that chases someone in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack.

4.  A requirement that a potentially dangerous dog be neutered;

5.  Specifying the circumstances under which an animal control officer may declare a dog dangerous or potentially dangerous, and the procedure for doing so;

6.  Clarifying the procedure for requesting and conducting hearings after a dangerous or potentially dangerous dog declaration;

7.  Maintaining the requirements in the current ordinance that the owner of a potentially dangerous dog have liability insurance, and that potentially dangerous dogs be microchipped.

In response to the City Council’s additional request made on April 17, 2018 that the previously proposed revisions to the Animal Control ordinance be further revised to also strengthen the ordinance’s approach to stray dogs, the proposed revisions now include:

8. The requirement that all dogs be microchipped. For Council’s information, Mr. Vaugh Merry-the former Executive Director of the Humane Society-has indicated that the cost for microchip implant and registration is $15 through the Humane Society. Currently, the Humane Society offers five microchip clinics per year.

9. An increase in the price differential for licensing a spayed or neutered dog versus a dog which has not been spayed or neutered.

10.  A new section addressing “problem pet owners,” i.e. pet owners who incur multiple civil or criminal violations related to animals.

11.  The requirement that animals that have been impounded more than once in a 12-month period be spayed or neutered. It should be noted that-related to this specific consideration-staff spoke with Mr. Vaughn Merry in order to solicit his input as to whether, if this provision were enacted, the Humane Society would be able to implement the proposed spay/neuter provision. Mr. Merry indicated that the Humane Society could likely implement the new provision.

The Yakima City Council meets at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday at Yakima City Hall.