Animal Services

Each day, Animal Control Officers respond to calls throughout unincorporated Pierce County and the contract Towns of Wilkeson, South Prairie and Carbonado. Officers assist the public from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with emergency services provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week by on-call officers.

For service, please call 253-798-PETS (7387).

Animal Control Officers respond to the following requests:

vicious animal complaints
cruelty investigations
animal bites
domestic animals running at large
barking dog complaints
injured animal rescues
police department calls for assistance
loose livestock on roadways
patrol requests

PETS line phone hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Animal Control Officers check messages on the weekends for non-emergency calls to the PETS line. IF IT IS AN EMERGENCY ***CALL 911***

Once you have obtained a case number from the dispatcher or an officer, you can download the Animal Control Complaint Statement Form.

Wildlife Nuisance

Pierce County Animal Control has jurisdiction over domestic animals such as cats, dogs and livestock. Wildlife falls into the jurisdiction of the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. This includes wildlife such as deer, raccoon, coyote, cougar, and bear. Contact the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife at 360-902-2200 for wildlife related issues or visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/ on the internet.

New! Animal Services Advisory Panel

Purpose

To provide the Pierce County Auditor with comprehensive plans and specific recommendations directed toward improving the overall quality and control of animals. The Advisory Panel makes recommendations to the Pierce County Auditor on animal control codes, policies and programs on a monthly basis.

Citizens are encouraged to volunteer. Click here for more details.

To access the application online, please click here. Note:Adobe Acrobat Reader version 8 or 9 is required to save completed form to submit via email. Older versions will only allow you to print the completed form to submit by mail.

Meetings are open to the public and will begin in March 2010, every third Tuesday at 6pm in the public hearing room at the Pierce County Annex.

January is National Unchain a Dog Month

What Are the Effects of Long-Term Tethering on Dogs?

Tethering for short time periods with appropriate equipment in an animal-friendly environment (access to water & shelter, for example) is generally harmless. However, keeping a dog on a tether for the majority of his waking hours, as many people do, is inhumane and often leads to unanticipated, negative behavioral changes. Tethered dogs run a high risk of becoming 'stir crazy' due to the inability to release their energy and socialize with others. With dogs, boredom often leads to aggression.

An additional contributor to aggression is that given only a small area in which to dwell, tethered dogs are known to become irrationally protective of that area because it is, essentially, their whole world. A 1991 study by the City of Denver revealed that a chained or tethered dog is 2.8 times more likely to bite than a dog that is not chained or tethered.

For additional information on animal tethering click here.

Upcoming Events

Click here for information on FREE* or LOW-COST SPAY/NEUTER SURGERY FOR YOUR PETS