Moses Lake resident seeks help with dog law

Jerry Ford asked the Moses Lake City Council for assistance with regard to the hazardous dog ordinance. He advised he was working to be in compliance with the ordinance. Photo by Candice Boutilier/Columbia Basin Herald

by Candice Boutilier<br
| January 15, 2009 8:00 PM

MOSES LAKE — One Moses Lake man is working to be in compliance with the hazardous dog ordinance and asked the Moses Lake City Council for help concerning the requirements.

Jerry Ford has a rottweiler. He is in the process of registering his dog with the city. Ever since the rottweiler was declared one of three hazardous dogs, several new requirements were put in place, including requiring the dog be in a fully enclosed structure with signs posted on the property indicating there is a hazardous dog at the residence. There is also a $250,000 insurance policy requirement.

Ford said he built an enclosed structure, which includes walls, a roof and a floor. He had an inspection of the structure planned for Thursday. The inspection is done by city personnel.

He said he was unhappy about building the structure because he did not think it was rewarding to his dog who has never shown aggression. He said two six-foot tall locked privacy gates must be passed through before entering his backyard where the new structure is located. Previously, the rottweiler was able to roam the entire fenced backyard, but now must be kept in the small structure.

Ford said he was concerned about posting signs on the fence indicating there was a hazardous dog on the premises because he had trouble finding an appropriate sign. He was advised by his insurance carrier that one sign he found would lead to his dog not being covered by insurance due to the language, he said. Another sign he found advised people to be aware of a dog but it featured a picture of a German shepherd, which could be misleading to others, he said.

Instead he created his own sign featuring a picture of his dog with “rottweiler” written on either side of the picture. He said he wanted to know if it was an acceptable sign.

Ford asked the council to consider a letter or certificate of accomplishment for dogs who pass temperance tests and obedience school.

Deputy Mayor Richard Pearce said city council does not have the capacity to approve a sign and advised city staff to help him create an acceptable sign.

Council previously discussed issuing a certificate for dogs who are not hazardous but did not take any action, he said. The council plans to see how the ordinance works before making any changes. The law came into effect Jan. 1.

Councilmember Brent Reese said he expects many more people to come to council with concerns about the ordinance. He said he is against breed specific requirements and hopes to have some or all dog breeds removed from the ordinance in the future.

Mayor Ron Covey was absent from the meeting.