Don't let your
dog bark
excessively......... or
let your pal run off-lead
(unless
in designated area)
Laws You Should
Know
The following information and
summarized provisions of the San Diego County Code (SDCC) reflect
the basic responsibilities of animal ownership. Please take a few
moments to become more familiar with these regulations that promote
animal and public health, safety and welfare.
Disturbing
the Peace
It is a public offense for any
person to own or harbor an animal in such a manner that the peace
and quiet of the public is unreasonably disturbed (SDCC Section
62.672).
Modest changes in animal housing and care can often prevent or
reduce noise disturbances. The following suggestions may be
helpful:
Oftentimes dogs bark out of
boredom. Owners should ensure that their dogs are made a "part of
the family" and are provided with adequate companionship and
exercise.
Owners should ensure that
their dogs are kept within an enclosure, rather than tied, and
provided adequate covered shelter. It's often helpful to maintain
dogs indoors (house or garage) at night. Dogs should also be
provided adequate food and water in secure
containers.
Owners who plan on being away
from home overnight should make arrangements for the care and
companionship of their pets.
In some cases, professional
training or consultation with a veterinarian or canine behaviorist
may be helpful.
Humane
Care
Humane treatment of an animal
includes providing it with adequate shelter, food, water, and
exercise, as well as any necessary veterinary care. To ensure
proper animal health, it is recommended that owners have their pets
examined by a veterinarian at least once a year. A number of state
and local laws prohibit animal cruelty, a crime punishable as a
felony or misdemeanor. In general, “cruelty” includes every act,
omission, or neglect whereby unnecessary or unjustifiable physical
pain or suffering is caused or permitted (Penal Code Section
599b).
Public Protection from
Dogs
Each year thousands of area
residents are bitten or attacked by dogs. Many bite victims are
substantially injured and children sustain the majority of
injuries. As a result of these incidents, owners are often subject
to administrative action and may also incur criminal responsibility
and/or civil liability.
Dog owners are responsible for
ensuring that their animals do not harm or endanger the health or
safety of people or other animals. Since most biting or attacking
incidents occur on or near the owner's premises, they are normally
preventable if reasonable and common sense precautions are
taken.
Owners should not assume that
their dogs would always act predictably in unusual circumstances or
with unfamiliar people. In such situations, there is a greater risk
of dogs biting or attacking people and therefore additional
precautions are recommended. These situations include any dog that
has previously demonstrated defensive or protective tendencies or
that is roaming in a pack, protecting its pups, tied or chained,
left in a vehicle, or kept in an area frequented by
children.
Any person owning or having
custody or control of a dog must at all times prevent the dog from
attacking, biting, or injuring any person engaged in a lawful act,
and from damaging or interfering with the lawful use of property
(SDCC Section 62.669.1).
Rabies Vaccinations and Dog
Licensing
The
owner of every dog over the age of four months is required by law
to ensure that his or her pet is currently vaccinated against
rabies (SDCC Section 62.610) and licensed (SDCC Section 62.620[a]).
(Dog owners who fail to comply with rabies vaccination or licensing
requirements are subject to costly penalties.)
Rabies vaccination of dogs (a prerequisite for licensing) has
been highly effective as an animal and public health measure, and
is especially important in areas like ours where the potential
threat of exposure to rabies from wildlife is a significant
concern. The primary or first rabies vaccination is good for one
year, and the second vaccination given one-year later, and
subsequent (or booster) vaccinations are valid for three
years.
A
dog’s license tag, which must be securely fastened to the dog’s
collar or harness and worn by the dog at all times (SDCC Section
62.620[e]), provides a uniform system of identification, as well as
a visible means of ensuring that the animal has been vaccinated
against rabies.
Finders of licensed dogs can access owner information 24 hours
per day, 365 days per year by telephone and website. Lost dogs that
are found wearing license tags can be quickly reunited with their
owners, while dogs lost without external identification may be kept
by their finder or brought to an animal shelter long after the
owner may have given up searching for it.
If
you’ve recently moved to San Diego County and your dog is currently
licensed elsewhere, you may be able to transfer that license for a
nominal fee for the duration of the rabies vaccine, if the vaccine
has been approved for use in California.
For
your convenience, the Department of Animal Services and local
veterinarians provide numerous rabies vaccination and dog licensing
clinics throughout the county. For recorded information about
upcoming clinics, please call (619) 236-4646. For more information
about dog licensing, please visit your local county animal shelter
or call (619) 236-4250.
Owners of dogs that are spayed or neutered are eligible for a
one-time one-year free dog license, and renewal licenses for
altered dogs are less than 50% of the regular
price.
Restraint of Dogs
Proper restraint of dogs will
prevent them from harming or interfering with other animals,
people, or property, and will also prevent them from becoming lost
or from being injured by vehicles or other
animals.
At Home: At home, dog owners must effectively control their dogs
by voice or electronic pet containment system, or must physically
and humanely restrain them by a leash, fence, or other enclosure
(SDCC Section 62.669[b]; Penal Code Section
597t).
Away from
Home: If you walk or otherwise bring a
dog to public or other private property (where dogs are permitted),
you must restrain the dog by a hand held leash (not longer than 6
feet in length) (SDCC Sections 62.669[a], 62.601[d], and
62.601[y]).
In a Motor
Vehicle: If you transport an animal in a
motor vehicle you must safely enclose or protect the animal by a
harness or other device that will prevent the animal from falling,
being thrown, or jumping from the vehicle (SDCC Section
62.700)
Warm weather:
On a warm day, vehicle interior temperatures can
reach extreme levels and endanger the health and/or life of your
pet in a matter of minutes, even with partially open windows.
During warm weather -- leave your pet
at home! Shaded parking areas, open windows, or an
air-conditioned vehicle with the engine off won't save your pet's
life.
It is a public offense for any
person to leave an animal in an unattended vehicle without adequate
ventilation or in a manner as to subject the animal to extreme
temperatures that adversely affect the animal’s health or welfare
(SDCC Section 62.701).
Reporting of
Bites
All persons bitten and the
parents or guardians of minor children bitten, as well as any
person owning or having custody or control of a dog (or other
animal of a species subject to rabies) that bites a person, must
promptly report the incident to the Department of Animal Services
(SDCC Section 62.615[b]). This is necessary so that such animals
can be temporarily isolated (as required by law) in an approved
place and manner (oftentimes at the owner’s residence) and observed
for at least 10 days for any symptoms of rabies. This requirement
applies whether or not the biting animal has been vaccinated
against rabies.)
Sanitation
Animal owners are required to
keep their animal premises sanitary and free from any fly breeding
reservoir, offensive odors, and human or animal disease (SDCC
Section 62.668[d]). It is a public offense for any person to allow
a dog in his or her custody to defecate or to urinate on any
property other than that of the owner or person having control of
the dog. Persons having control of a dog are required to restrain
or control the animal so that it urinates or defecates only in the
street gutters, and to immediately remove any feces to a proper
receptacle (SDCC Section 62.670).
