Animal Care and Control

The City should institute a trial program under which ACC would take over dog licensing duties from the Tax Collector's office and receive appropriate funding. At the end of the trial period, the Controller should evaluate the cost-effectiveness of this endeavor and make appropriate recommendations.

ACC should evaluate the costs and benefits of requiring veterinarians to submit copies of all rabies vaccination certificates and using that information to notify owners of unlicensed dogs of the licensing requirement.

ACC should request an increase in license fees at least equal to those charged in Oakland. Vicious Animals Findings  The Grand Jury agreed with the widely expressed admiration for the skills of the SFPD officer currently charged with hearing vicious animal complaints and also agreed with the consensus of the various parties involved that this function more properly belongs under the aegis of the Municipal Court.  Vicious animal hearings resemble trials and often elicit strong emotions from participants, which, on occasion, have led to actual physical violence.

A Municipal Court Commissioner should be trained to take over this part-time, but sensitive, position.

Armed bailiffs should be present at all vicious animal hearings, and participants should pass through metal detectors en route to such hearings. Holding Animals As Evidence in Court Cases Finding  Dogs confined as evidence in court cases where the charge is harboring a vicious or fighting animal or otherwise abusing an animal can be held in cages at ACC for up to a year and a half awaiting the trial. Nevertheless, the Grand Jury found no instance where a dog was actually brought into court. This is both inhumane and expensive. Furthermore, all experts the Grand Jury consulted agree that an animal confined to a cage for many months would not exhibit the same characteristics it had when first incarcerated. The "evidence" would change over time.

In those cases where the District Attorney has requested that ACC house animals, all parties involved , ACC and the District, City, and defense attorneys , should cooperate in developing a plan that will preserve the necessary evidence yet avoid the need to house those animals for up to a year and a half.

In cases of abused animals that ACC has determined to be no danger to the community and eligible for either release to owners or adoption, the Grand Jury recommends that ACC seek methods to expedite hearings to avoid the hardship of long-term caging on both caretakers and animals. REQUESTED RESPONSES Mayor Board of Supervisors Department of Animal Care & Control City Attorney REQUESTED RESPONSES CONTINUED District Attorney Public Defender APPENDIX A License Fees License Fees in Selected SF Bay Area Jurisdictions Intact dog/altered dog: . Year 2 Years 3 Years San Francisco $16/8 $30/14 $44/20 Oakland $40/10 $70/18 $100/26 San Mateo County $21/11 None None Contra Costa County $22/11 $41/19 $60/27 All jurisdictions offer substantially reduced fees for senior citizens. Footnotes 1. It has been decades since confirmed case of rabies has occurred in a companion animal in San Francisco.