"Dogs on the Run" Do County and City Animal Control Codes, Policies, and Procedures Adequately Protect Our Residents?

Published: July 05, 2018 16 pages

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Findings and Recommendations 9 findings

There is little communication across animal control jurisdictions regarding bite histories for dogs, which puts the public at increased risk for dog attacks upon people and pets.

Related Recommendations (2)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office establish a database accessible by all Humboldt County law enforcement agencies which shall contain identification, location, and type of incident for all dog attacks within Humboldt County. This database should be established and operational by March 31, 2019. (F1)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends the Humboldt County Animal Shelter, the City of Eureka Animal Control, and the City of Fortuna Animal Control microchip at owner’s expense for identification purposes all un-microchipped animals that pass through the Humboldt County Animal Shelter or have engaged in an unprovoked attack upon a person or pet. The microchip information shall be maintained within a 13 database accessible to all local law enforcement. This program should be in effect by December 31, 2018. (F1)

Humboldt County animal codes need to be updated to reflect current medical practices to prevent owners of potentially dangerous and vicious dogs from avoiding serious consequences resulting from attacks. This puts the public at increased risk for attacks by dogs with known bite histories.

Related Recommendations (2)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends Humboldt County, the City of Eureka, and the City of Fortuna form a collaborative task force to review and update their Animal Codes, and present them for consideration to their governing bodies by December 31, 2018. (F2, F3, F4)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends Humboldt County, the City of Eureka, and the City of Fortuna approve the amended Animal Codes recommended by the collaborative task force in Recommendation 1 by March 31, 2019. (F2, F3, F4)

The City of Eureka animal codes need to be updated to reflect current medical practices to prevent owners of potentially dangerous and vicious dogs from avoiding serious consequences resulting from attacks. This puts the public at increased risk for attacks by dogs with known bite histories.

Related Recommendations (2)

The City of Fortuna animal codes need to be updated to reflect current medical practices to prevent owners of potentially dangerous and vicious dogs from avoiding serious consequences resulting from attacks. This puts the public at increased risk for attacks by dogs with known bite histories.

Related Recommendations (2)

The ability of a single Animal Control Officer to cover the animal control needs of the City of Eureka is severely compromised by the sheer number of calls, placing citizens at serious risk of dog attacks upon people and pets.

Related Recommendations (1)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends the City of Eureka hire a second Animal Control Officer by December 31, 2018. (F5)

Due to inconsistent follow-through by Humboldt County Animal Control, the City of Eureka Animal Control, and the City of Fortuna Animal Control to ensure proper quarantine of dogs which have bitten people and pets, and verification of rabies vaccinations for them, Humboldt County residents are at risk of contracting rabies.

Related Recommendations (1)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Eureka Police Department, and the City of Fortuna Police Department establish a checklist, similar to the one found in Appendix A, to be embedded within Animal Control Report forms. The checklist should function as a reminder to Animal Control Officers of all follow-up information needed for a complete report, and ensure no report is closed until all follow-up has been documented within the report. This checklist should be in use by December 31, 2018. (F6)

Lack of cross-reporting dog bites to the Humboldt County Public Health Department Local Health Officer by county and city animal control agencies places the county citizens at risk of a rabies outbreak.

Related Recommendations (1)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends Humboldt County Animal Control, the City of Eureka Animal Control, and the City of Fortuna Animal Control comply with the State of California Animal Code and provide monthly reports to the Public Health Department of all animal bites that occurred within their jurisdiction for said month. This reporting system should be use by December 31, 2018. (F7)

The Division of Environmental Health is tasked with handling all cases of possible rabies exposure, but receives no funds to carry out those duties, placing an undue burden on already busy employees and possibly hampering their effectiveness in a rabies outbreak.

Related Recommendations (1)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends the Humboldt County Public Health Department revise its budget for the Division of Environmental Health to cover costs associated with monitoring animal bites and responding to possible rabies cases. This revision should be complete by December 31, 2018. (F8)

Residents of Humboldt County are unaware if a potentially dangerous dog or vicious dog resides within their neighborhood, placing them or their pets at risk of being attacked or bitten. 12

Related Recommendations (1)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends the Humboldt County Animal Shelter establish an information page on its website notifying the public of the location, description of the dog, and name of the owner of all dogs in the county identified as Potentially Dangerous or Vicious. This page should be accessible to the public by December 31, 2018. (F9)

Conclusions 2

CL1 Page 11

The HCCGJ found local residents have become increasingly affected by dog attacks over the past two years. They have reported being afraid to walk their leashed dogs in public places. Some feel it is not safe for children to ride bicycles and scooters or play in their own yards. One interviewee stated he felt no one really cares about the victims of dog attacks. Contrary to some public comments on news blogs, the HCCGJ found the majority of dog attacks come from dogs owned by housed people, not the homeless. The HCCGJ also learned it is not uncommon for a single dog to have been involved in multiple incidents across jurisdictions 11
CL2 Page 12

without consequence. Only about 45% of the dogs involved in the incident reports reviewed by the HCCGJ were vaccinated for rabies and even fewer were licensed. Many were not spayed or neutered. In a county where rabies is endemic, free-roaming and unvaccinated dogs put all county residents at risk of exposure to the fatal disease. Animal control departments are understaffed for the job that needs to be done, putting residents at further risk. Steps need to be taken to minimize our risk. The HCCGJ hopes the recommendations developed from this report are taken seriously and acted upon in consideration of public safety.

Agency Responses 4

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.

Dogs on the Run - Response - Eureka

June 26, 2018 • 6 pages • 10 responses • Score: +10 (+10, 0, 0) View Details ▾

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10 responses to findings and recommendations

Response: Agree Score: +1