PORT ANGELES — Animal advocates are urging North Olympic Peninsula police to enforce laws that prohibit carrying animals unsafely in motor vehicles.
Their main target is unrestrained dogs riding in the beds of pickup trucks.
The practice poses two hazards, says Paula Creasey, president of the Clallam County Humane Society:
* The dog is at risk if the driver must stop or swerve suddenly.
* If the animal jumps or is thrown into traffic, other drivers will try to avoid it, perhaps causing a collision or a chain-reaction accident.
Likewise, the practice breaks two laws — a county ordinance and state statute.
The Clallam County code forbids drivers from carrying animals in a way that jeopardizes their safety or the public.
It also says that any animal carried outside a vehicle must be caged or harnessed to keep it from falling or being thrown from the truck or car.
State law says much the same thing, Creasey says.
Both laws are misdemeanors that carry a $250 fine per animal.
Society can’t stop vehicles
Although the Humane Society holds the Clallam County contract for animal control, its officers cannot stop moving vehicles, Creasey says.
However, Washington State Patrol said “they’d be happy” to enforce the state law, Creasey says.
As for Clallam County, Undersheriff Steve Snover serves on the Animal Issues Advisory Committee that made the request to law enforcement agencies.
And Port Angeles Police Chief Tom Riepe says, “We’re willing to enforce the law, especially if the dog is in danger.”
No law in Jefferson
In Jefferson County, animal control is provided by the Sheriff’s Office.
Alex Mintz, animal control deputy sheriff, does not have authority to pull over drivers, and the county does not have an ordinance similar to Clallam County’s.
But Mintz says he’d follow drivers and inform them of the state law or even summon another deputy to issue a citation.
Mintz says he’s seen dogs riding atop piles of firewood in the beds of pickups, sometimes sharing space with chain saws.
“[Dogs] have to have some restraint in the back of the truck,” he says.