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Animals and pets

Report animal concerns

Clark County Animal Protection and Control will limit services to the public until further notice, effective March 18, 2020. This is part of a continued effort to respond to COVID-19, and to support and reinforce social distancing recommendations from local health authorities.

Emergency field services, emergency owner surrenders, response to high priority calls and call center services will still be available. High priority calls include injured and sick stray animals, cruelty and neglect reports, bite complaints and vicious dog complaints.

Hours
Monday through Sunday
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
564.397.2488
After-hours and county holidays, call 911

Due to limited staffing on weekends you may need to leave a message. A officer will return your call promptly.

Animal noise nuisance

Any animal that howls, yelps, barks or makes other noises that disturb a person or neighborhood to an unreasonable degree. Noises must be continuous (with no pauses) for 10 or more minutes or intermittent for 30 or more minutes, except noises made by livestock on land zoned to allow livestock.

Filing an animal noise complaint

People living in urban and suburban areas of Clark County should expect to live with some level of noise. Even rural areas can be impacted by noise. Traffic, neighborhood children, lawn equipment, and barking dogs are just a few examples. As a resident, you are expected to tolerate most of these noises within reason. However, in the case of excessive noise caused by a pet, there are several things you can do.

  1. Communicate with the pet owner
    Try to talk to the pet owner about the problem. Sometimes owners are not aware of the problem, especially when they are not at home. a neighborly discussion can be helpful. Try to work out a mutually agreeable solution, and allow the pet owner a reasonable amount of time to remedy the situation. Make note of dates and times of your contacts with the pet owner and responses received.
     
  2. Send our helpful noise nuisance prevention materials to the owner
    Print out our Barking brochure and Noise Nuisance Letter and share these materials with the pet owner. They are designed to help pet owners understand the problem and offer ideas about correcting a noisy pet issue.
     
  3. Document and submit a Noise Complaint Petition
    If you have tried unsuccessfully to solve the problem by talking to the pet owner, and you have identified other neighbors who are also disturbed by the noise, we can assist you. You can download the petition form and fill it out electronically or print and fill it out by hand. Make sure to carefully follow the instructions. Document your experiences thoroughly and honestly, as you may need to testify at an appeal hearing. Please note that you must have the exact address where the nuisance pet lives, a minimum of two complainants from separate households, and the form must be signed. Send your completed petition using one of the following methods:

    Email: animal@clark.wa.gov
    Mail: Clark County Animal Control, PO Box 9810, Vancouver, WA 98666-9810

Animal Protection & Control (APC) will contact the pet owner to let them know a complaint was filed and that they must take action to correct the problem.

If the noise continues - Do not stop documenting the noise issues. If the steps above do not resolve the problem, APC can take escalating enforcement action. In order to do so, contact us with updated documentation of the continuing problem. We will continue to work on the noise disturbance as long as you and your neighbors continue to document the ongoing problems and submit information to us. As necessary, Animal Control officers will be dispatched and may issue additional notices of violation until the problem is resolved.

Nuisance and cruelty violations

  • Bees are considered agricultural, and therefore, are not currently subject to regulation. Learn more...
  • Inflicting pain or suffering - Intentionally or negligently causing or allowing animals to endure pain, suffering or injury, including not providing needed veterinarian care.
  • Loose dogs - "Running at large" means to be off the owner's property and not under the control of either the owner or a person authorized by the owner.
  • Neglect - Neglect or failure to provide minimum care sufficient to preserve the health and well-being of an animal within reasonable care, custody and control of the owner. This does not include emergencies or circumstances beyond the owner's control.
  • Too many animals - "Kennel" means either:
    • Any premises used to conduct commercial business involving buying, selling, breeding for sale, letting for hire, boarding or training of dogs.
    • Any premises where 10 or more adult dogs are kept for any purpose, including animal shelters.
  • Vicious animals - "Vicious" means showing an unprovoked tendency to endanger the safety of people, animals or property.

Horse neglect and abuse

If you observe any of the following conditions, please contact Animal Control at 564.397.2488:

  • No dry area for horse to shelter in or stand on
  • Little or no food and water
  • No regular caretaker visits
  • Visible hip bones and ribs
  • Questionable physical appearance of other animals on the property

Online reporting

If you observe any of the above conditions, complete the online form or contact Animal Protection and Control at 564.397.2488 or animal@clark.wa.gov. 

 

Information

Rabies information
Living with coyotes

Codes

Clark County Code - Title 8
CCC - Title 8: Animal cruelty
CCC - Title 8: Dangerous dogs
CCC - Title 8: Nuisances
Vancouver Municipal Code, Chapter 8.24 Animals
Yacolt Dog Ordinance #383

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