WASCO CO. — If you own more than five dogs in Wasco County, you may be required to register as a kennel according to a new county animal services ordinance county commissioners expect to vote on in October.
Following the approval of the ordinance, all dog owners will be required to register their dogs with the county through the Columbia Gorge Humane Society, unless the dogs are already registered with the city of The Dalles.
At a regular meeting Sept. 4 the board discussed the ordinance in its first public hearing presented by special counsel Alan Rappleyea who created the draft with help from County Attorney Kristen Campbell along with feedback from Sheriff Lane Magill and County Administrator Tyler Stone.
With the county’s most recent update to the animal services ordinance in 1978, the new ordinance brings the county’s animal enforcement into compliance with updated state laws and accounts for the recent agreement with the Columbia Gorge Humane Society to operate an animal shelter and licensing program.
Rappleyea characterized animal enforcement as a service that protects the public.
“I’ve been to the Court of Appeals on a dog bite case, so people take these things very seriously,” he said.
New ordinance focuses on clarifying definitions
To create the updated ordinance, Rappleyea and Campbell drew from code language across the state, finding the provisions to be very similar. The draft ordinance mainly provides clarity to the rules around dog ownership: the definition of a dangerous dog, who is responsible for dog misbehavior and outlining procedures for various situations involving dogs.
For example, the “Clouseau Clause” comes from a scene in Pink Panther where Inspector Clouseau enters a hotel and, while speaking with its owner, reaches down to pet a dog lying nearby.
“Does your dog bite?” Clouseau asks, and the owner shakes his head, no. The dog attacks Clouseau, who asks in indignation why the hotel owner would say his dog didn’t bite.
“That is not my dog,” the hotel owner replies.
The Clouseau Clause broadens the definition of a dog’s owner to include anyone who has been caring for the dog for 31 days or more, aiming to establish greater accountability for a dog’s behavior. Another change includes language which allows an officer to rescue a dog trapped in a car without a warrant if the dog appears to be in imminent danger.
Rappleyea said the kennel definition comes from issues with rescue entities which may have good intentions in housing many dogs but, prior to the ordinance, have not been required to follow the standards outlined for a registered kennel. Exceptions exist in each of these clauses. Dogs used in agricultural work won’t be considered in the kennel registration requirement, and a dog in a field training exercise, for example, won’t be considered an “at large” animal.
The animal control program will apply to everywhere in the county except for municipalities with their own dog licensing ordinances, which is currently only The Dalles.
Commissioners discussed policies
Included in the clarifying language were opportunities for the commissioners to make policy decisions about the ordinance’s requirements.
The commissioners discussed the number of dogs someone can own before they have to register as a kennel. The most common number across the state for this requirement is four, but the commissioners wondered if this was too few.
“I think the queen had four corgis,” noted Commissioner Phil Brady.
Community Development Director Kelly Howsley Glover said the county’s land use code defines a kennel as five or more dogs, which includes both commercial and non-commercial kennels.
“Five or more is where we tend to see a lot of nuisance behaviors happening: smells, noises, unruly behavior — those types of things,” she said.
Tanya Williams, a board member of the Columbia Gorge Humane Society, noted that Deschutes County charges $5 per dog up to 10 dogs and then $1 for every additional dog.
“We are 100% supportive of these fees, because it 100% goes towards the operation of keeping the shelter alive,” Williams said. “Right now, we primarily live on donations, and it’s really hard to keep people.”
The commissioners also discussed the 31-day policy for the Clouseau Clause, considering how this may impact those fostering dogs.
To read the full draft ordinance, which will be changed slightly per the Sept. 4 meeting, visit the Wasco County Board of Commissioners meeting agenda and minutes page and select the 9.4.2024 Board Packet.
The second hearing for this ordinance will occur in October, during which there will be opportunity for public testimony before the commissioners vote to adopt it into the county code. Keep an eye on the Public Notice section of Columbia Gorge News for more information about when this meeting will occur.
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