Animal Control FAQ's

 QUESTION: Why do I have to buy a dog license?
ANSWER: The State requires that all Counties and the jurisdictions within them, maintain rabies control programs. Since San Bernardino County is considered "Rabies endemic" (rabies is present in our wildlife population) the city is required by law to ensure that all dogs over the age of four months be currently licensed. Since a current rabies vaccination is required prior to the issuance of a dog license, maintaining a licensing program and following up yearly with license renewals ensures that these animals remain current on their vaccinations.

 

 QUESTION: Why must I leash my dog?
 ANSWER: Loose dogs are a public safety hazard. Since it is impossible to determine how well trained each individual dog is, we simply require that all dogs be leashed and under the care and control of a competent person. If you wish to exercise your dog off leash, you may do so only in any of the designated dog parks. City parks specifically prohibit dogs off leash. Please remember that when walking your dog you are required to remove and dispose of any feces.

 

  QUESTION: What can I do about barking dogs?
 ANSWER: Barking dogs can be very annoying. They are also considered a public nuisance. The City has in place a procedure to handle noisy animal complaints. If you have already contacted the owner of the dog and there has been no improvement, or if you do not feel comfortable approaching the owner we will need the following information from you: The exact address of the complaint. The times/duration's of the barking, and how long the problem has been occurring for. Once the complaint is received we will make contact with the owner and advise them that there has been a complaint (we do not disclose your identity). We follow up with a first letter of complaint. We ask that the complaining party log incidents of barking for a period of two weeks (this is needed in the event of future court action). After two weeks we ask that you call us and advise if there has been any improvement. If there has been no significant improvement, we will mail a second letter of complaint which gives the pet owner one more week to correct the problem. Once the second letter is mailed the file stays open for a period of 90 days. At any time during that period the complaining party can request a "complaint package" This package consists of three statements. One needs to be completed by the complaining party, the other two statements need to be completed by neighbors at addresses other than that of the complaining party. These statements detail the nature of the complaint and that the person signing the statement is willing to go to court to testify. Once the package is returned to us (within 7 days) a court citation will be issued to the owner of the noisy animal.

 

  QUESTION: Why is it cheaper to license a spayed/neutered dog?
 ANSWER: State law requires that the cost of a dog license for an altered animal be at least 50% less than the cost of a license for an intact animal. The reason for the difference is that intact animals are generally more of a burden on local agencies. Most of the stray animals that we apprehend are intact. In an effort to encourage pet owners to spay/neuter their pets, the license fee for an altered pet is much lower than that of an intact pet.

 

QUESTION: Why should I spay/neuter my pet?
 ANSWER: State law requires that the cost of a dog license for an altered animal be at least 50% less than the cost of a license for an intact animal. The reason for the difference is that intact animals are generally more of a burden on local agencies. Most of the stray animals that we apprehend are intact. In an effort to encourage pet owners to spay/neuter their pets, the license fee for an altered pet is much lower than that of an intact pet.

 

QUESTION: What can I do about stray cats?
 ANSWER: Cats are not required by law to be leashed, therefore we do not pick up stray cats in the same manner that we do dogs. We do recognize that stray cats can be a nuisance and if you are having a problem with them trespassing onto your property we do offer our residents the use of humane traps. We do not charge for the use of the trap other than a fully refundable deposit. We will deliver the trap to your home and instruct you on how to set it. You are responsible for setting the trap and for checking it. Once an animal is caught and you notify us, we will respond and remove the trapped animal. Trapped animals will be picked up during our regular business hours.

 

 QUESTION: What happens if you pick up my pet?
 ANSWER: When we pick up an animal the first thing we check for is a license or i.d tag. If your pet is wearing a current license we will try to reach you using whatever information you provided us with when you purchased the license. If this is the first time that we have picked up your pet and we are able to reach you, we will try to give you the opportunity to redeem your pet before taking it to the shelter. If your pet has been picked up before, it will be taken directly to the shelter and you will be notified either by phone, mail or both. Apprehension and impound fees are charged for all animals being redeemed from the shelter. Animals that are picked up and are not wearing identification are taken directly to the shelter.

 

QUESTION: Should I worry about Rabies?
 ANSWER: Rabies is a deadly virus that warm blooded animals are susceptible to. While San Bernardino County is considered "Rabies Endemic", the virus is at present limited to bats. Other species are considered a high risk for rabies (such as skunks, raccoons and coyotes). Contact with non domestic animals is not recommended. You are asked to immediately report any incidents involving wild animals where either a human or companion animal received injury. The best protection from rabies is to ensure that all pets are vaccinated against rabies and all bite incidents are reported.