PORT ANGELES — Clallam County has declared a state of emergency related to the impoundment of dangerous animals.
Undersheriff Lorraine Shore told the three commissioners during their Monday work session that, during the past week and a half, the sheriff’s office has received five vicious animal calls.
“We’ve been able to address it, but just by the skin of our teeth,” Shore said.
By declaring a state of emergency on Tuesday, the county authorized the approval of any contracts necessary to address the situation. Contracts can be signed by board chair Mike French, a board majority or the county administrator and do not have to be brought to an open public meeting.
County administrator Todd Mielke said state law and county code require the county to confiscate and impound dangerous animals or animals that may be infected with rabies. Any animals they seize must be quarantined for 10 days.
The county also provides shelter for “just the general community circumstances where we encounter stray or lost animals,” Mielke said.
Previously, the sheriff’s office took dangerous dogs to the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society’s Bark House. The Bark House provided at least 20 dog kennels and an isolation room for dangerous dogs or those that might have rabies.
With the Bark House’s impending closure, there is no longer a place to take these dogs.
For the vicious animal calls they’ve received so far, the sheriff’s office has been able to find temporary locations or alternative solutions that typically involve the owners. However, they are quickly running out of nearby places where they can house these dogs.
“If we had one more, I don’t know what we’d do,” Commissioner Randy Johnson said during the commissioners’ regular meeting on Tuesday.
“We find ourselves in a situation where I think we need to act rapidly,” Mielke said.
Chief Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dee Boughton said the county could go through the regular bidding process to find a contractor to deal with these animals. However, that process would be lengthy.
“Time is of the essence,” Boughton said.
To address these circumstances, the county passed a resolution establishing the state of emergency.
“For circumstances beyond the control of Clallam County, the county currently has no kennel facilities available to hold confiscated and impounded animals, and therefore cannot fulfill its responsibilities under state statute and county code,” the county resolution read.
“Failure to act immediately to resolve this issue will likely result in bodily injury or loss of life to either people or animals,” it stated.
This state of emergency is allowing the county greater flexibility to find a short-term solution.
“This should allow us the ability to explore options quickly,” Mielke said.
Representatives from the sheriff’s office said they are exploring solutions and a lengthy contracting period “gets in the way of exploring those solutions most exponentially.”
“We look forward to solutions as they come,” French said.
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
