Clark County to crack down on negligent dog owners
VANCOUVER, Wash. – Strict penalties await dog owners in Clark County if they don't use a leash or pick up after their pet.
Owners not following the rules could result in being slapped with new fines, penalties and even having their dog taken away.
Dog owners who don’t pick up after their dogs and keep them on their leashes are the biggest source of complaints at parks.
"There's nothing more irritating than walking down the street and stepping on dog leftovers," said Amy Chang.
The first time a dog owner doesn't pick up after their pet it will cost them $100. The second time will cost $200. The third - $400. And if dog owners keep flouting the law, their pet could be taken away.
"I think that's too strict in my opinion – unless the dog is being violent or hurting another dog," said Deanna Blevins.
"If we don't pick up after our own dogs, then they have to hire people to pick up after our dogs and it costs a lot of money," Chang said.
Dogs are allowed off-leash in some parks, but if their owners were to break the leash and scoop laws at non off-leash parks, they could get banned for a certain time. And police, not just a park ranger or animal control officer, would handle the call. That’s the additional punishment Parks and Recreation wants to tack on countywide for repeat troublemakers.
"Where are we going to get the resources for the poop patrol," asked Jan Vasquez. "We can't even control our streets now. Who's going to be assigned to looking after the doggies and the leashes? It seems to me somewhat far-fetched."
The county is working with the volunteer group Dogpaw. They alert other dog owners to the rules. If there are problems, they want people to take photos of the dog or owner, get license plates and anything to help animal control.
As far as taking away dogs, the county doesn't think it should get to that point. But if by the fourth violation and hundreds of dollars in fines, it believes maybe the negligent owner shouldn’t own a dog.