HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/17/1998 Work Session
I.
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
MONDAY, AUGUST 17,1998
The city of Springfield council met in work session in the Jesse Maine Room, 225 Fifth Street,
Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, August 17, 1998, at 6:30 p.m., with Mayor Morrisette
presiding.
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Morrisette, Councilors Beyer, Dahlquist, Maine and Shaver. Councilor
Ballew was absent (excused). Also present were City Manager Michael Kelly, City Attorney Joe
Leahy, Senior Management Analyst Rosie Pryor, City Recorder Julie Wilson and members of the
staff.
1. An Ordinance Amending Chapter 5 "Public Protection" and Sections 5.400 Et. Seq. "Control
of Dogs and Other Animals."
Captain Swenson presented the staff report on this issue. By the end of 1998, the Oregon
Department of Agriculture will discontinue regulation of wolf-dog hybrids as exotic animals.
Regulation of these animals will be returned to local jurisdictions. The proposed ordinance is
necessary to provide for local regulation.
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These are presently two concerns in licensing of wolf-dog hybrids under local dog control
authority, identification and rabies vaccination. Identification of a canine as a wolf-dog
hybrid is by declaration of the owner. There is no scientific method to differentiate between
dogs and a wolf-dog hybrid. There is no rabies vaccine licensed for use in wolf-dog hybrids.
Any rabies vaccination of these animals is extra-label use of the vaccine and the animal
cannot be considered a legal vaccinate. Public health officials may require euthanasia of
wolf-dog hybrids after they bite a person or are exposed to a rabid animal, regardless of their
vaccination status. For these reasons, public safety is best served by ordinances that
encourages owners to declare wolf-dog hybrid breeds by exempting them from rabies
vaccination but regulates how the animal and the owner behave.
Captain Swenson said a hybrid wolf dog is identified by the owner's declaration of such
information. He said since 1992 hybrid wolf dogs have been regulated by the Oregon
Department of Agriculture. The Department of Agriculture will no longer regulate hybrid
wolf dogs. The Department of Agriculture is moving out of that realm of service and wants
to turn responsibility over to local jurisdictions.
Captain Swenson discussed the rabies vaccination. He said the vaccination was used under
an "extra label" use. A guarantee can not be made that the vaccination will actually work. If
a wolf dog bites someone, even if they have been vaccinated, the animal will need to be
destroyed in order to be examined.
Councilor Maine expressed concern that the ordinance does not clearly state the fact that the
animal may be destroyed if it bites someone, even if it has been vaccinated.
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City Attorney Joe Leahy said he could further research statutes to see if other regulations may
address this issue. Animal Control Clerk Cheryl Peterson also discussed quarantine periods.
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Work Session Meeting Minutes
August 17,1998
Page 4
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ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7: 10 p.m.
Minutes Recorder - Julie Wilson
Attest:
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City Recorder
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Bill Morrisette
Mayor
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