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Subjects › Public Safety › Animal Control › Animal Control Administration
Updated 05/2011

Animal Control Administration

Contents

Administrative Organization and Procedures

  • Public Records Disclosure - Contracted Services - Clarke v. Tri-Cities Animal Care & Control Shelter, 144 Wn. App. 185 (4/24/2008)  Three cities by interlocal agreement formed an animal control agency. That agency then contracted with a private business for the furnishing of animal control services. A citizen, citing the public records act, sought euthanasia records from the private business and from one of the cities. The business denied the request, indicating that it was not a public agency; the city denied the request, indicating that it did not possess the records sought. A lawsuit followed, and the trial court agreed with the business/city. On appeal, the court reversed.  Applying and balancing factors from a four-part test ((1) whether the entity performs a governmental function; (2) the level of government funding; (3) the extent of government involvement or regulation; and (4) whether the entity was created by the government), the court reversed. Some of the employees of the business took oaths as animal control officers, and they performed police poser duties, such as euthanizing animals. The funding was primarily governmental, and the business had to follow some procedures set out by the interlocal member agencies. While the business was not established by government, balancing the four criteria led the court to conclude that the business/agency was covered by the public records act.
  • Clark County-Vancouver
  • Lakewood Animal Control Policy and Procedure (Adobe Acrobat Document), 2-06
  • Seattle
    • Seattle Department of Executive Administration - Seattle Municipal Code  Section 3.04.010
    • Authority of Director - Seattle Municipal Code  Section 9.25.030

Planning and Policy

    Complaint Handling

    Licensing

    See General Animal Licensing Requirements (Ordinance Provisions) - MRSC Web Page

    Contracts for Animal Control and Animal  Shelters

    Job Descriptions for Animal Control Personnel

    Shelters

    Volunteer Programs

    Disaster Planning

    Animal Abandonment - Economic Downturn

    Return to Animal Control Main Page