Field Services FAQs

• What are your hours and contact information?

  Animal Care of Davis County has a dedicated Dispatch Team to answer questions regarding Field Services as well as document complaints and dispatch Officers to investigate. Call 801-444-2200 (Press 3 for Dispatch) for help. After hours calls will be transferred to Davis Dispatch, or you can call 801-451-4150 to reach them directly after 5:00 PM on weekdays or anytime on weekends.

  • Dispatch Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Monday - Friday)
  • Field Services Summer Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:30 PM (everyday)
  • Field Services Winter Hours: 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM (everyday)
  • On-Call Emergency Services: 24/7

   

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• What services do you provide?

  Animal Care of Davis County Field Services provides assistance to residents of Davis County for the following complaints:

  • Dog bites/attacks
    
  • Animals attacking livestock
  • Animals interfering with a business
  • Aggressive dogs (If reporting, please keep dogs in sight)
  • Injured animals (If reporting, please stay on scene until police/animal care arrives)
  • Animal cruelty or any immediate threat of injury to an animal (Including pets left in hot cars)
  • Loose livestock

   

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• Where do you provide services?

  Our Officers respond to calls in every city in Davis County:

  • South Weber
  • West Point
  • Clinton
  • Sunset
  • Clearfield
  • Syracuse
  • Layton
  • Kaysville
  • Fruit Heights
  • Farmington
  • Centerville
  • West Bountiful
  • Bountiful
  • Woods Cross
  • North Salt Lake

   

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• How do I report animal abuse?

  If you witness animal cruelty or believe an animal is being neglected, immediately contact Animal Care of Davis County at 801-444-2200. Documentation and/or photographic/video evidence will greatly assist our Officers as abuse and cruelty is not always apparent. To determine if an animal is being neglected, please look for the following signs:

  • No access to food
  • No access to water
  • No shelter from the elements, including direct sun
  • No apparent access to reasonable light, space, or air
  • No apparent access to proper medical care from a licensed veterinarian

   

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• Does my dog need a license?

  Per Davis County Code, Section 6.12.010, any dog over the age of 4 months that resides in Davis County for a period longer than 30 days must be licensed. Dogs that do not require a license are:

  • Dogs that temporarily reside in Davis County for a period of 30 days or less
  • Individual dogs within a properly licensed kennel (Requires a kennel license)
  • Dogs that qualify as a Service Animal must be licensed, but license fees can be waived (This does not include emotional support animals)

   

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• Does my cat need a license?

  Per Davis County Code, Section 6.12.010, any cat over the age of 4 months that resides in Davis County for a period longer than 30 days must be licensed.

   

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• Ok, my pet needs a license. Where do I get one?

  For your convenience, Animal Care of Davis County offers three ways to license your pet:

  • Online
  • Mail-In
  • In-Person

   

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• Does my dog have to be on a leash?

  In a word, yes! Davis County Code Chapter 6.16 outlines Running at Large (Leash Laws), and incorporates this into ordinances to keep you, your pet, and the entire community safe. Even if your pup is the friendliest dog in the world, in the State of Utah you can (and usually will!) be held liable if something bad happens, like a dog fight or personal injury, and your pet isn't leashed and under your control. This can (and usually will!) result in violations and criminal citations issued to you and expensive litigation imposed on you from the other party. Leashes are mandatory for your dog in all public areas, including:

  • Parks
  • Trails (Including all bench and shoreline trails)
  • School and church properties
  • Apartment/Condo/Townhome properties
  • Sidewalks, roadways, and any other public areas

   

  The only place your dog may be off leash in Davis County is within your fenced property.

  Davis County does not recognize electronic leashes as effective control, and your dog will be considered "Off Leash" if such a device is used without a physically tethered leash.

   

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• I just received a ticket. What now?

  Although Animal Care Officers try to find all possible solutions before ticketing, the severity of the violation may require them to issue either a Notice of Violation and/or a criminal citation.

  Notice of Violation: NOVs are typically what our Officers issue for offenses such as running at large (stray animal), failure to license, no proof of rabies vaccination, and nuisance violations. This type of violation is not shared with police departments and does not affect your public record. However, there may be a monetary fine associated with the violation, and if left unpaid, it will escalate to a criminal citation if no action is taken to resolve it. Come to the shelter with proof of having fixed the violation and we'll help resolve your NOV so you won't have to go to court.

  Criminal Citation: Citations, similar to speeding tickets, are issued through the Justice Court of the jurisdiction in which the offense occurred or the offender resides, depending on the situation. Once a citation is submitted to the Justice Court, the offender will be given a court date to resolve the issue. If so determined by the court, an offender may receive a misdemeanor if found guilty.

   

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• What can I do about my neighbor's barking dog?

  Most dogs bark occasionally, but when does barking actually become a nuisance and therefore, a potential violation? Per Davis County Code, Section 6.16.010, barking is considered to be a nuisance when it occurs for an extended period of time. If the dog barks constantly for 15 minutes or longer per hour, it is considered a nuisance. The best steps to take in this case are:

  • Talk with your neighbor: Oftentimes, a dog's owner doesn't even realize the barking is occurring because they aren't home, they aren't paying attention, or they simply don't know that it's become a disturbance to others. The vast majority of the owners we speak with tend to resolve the issue as soon as they realize it has become a problem. We strongly encourage you to first reach out to your neighbor because they're most likely innocently unaware of the issue.
  • If after speaking with your neighbor and the problem persists, contact us for assistance. We'll send you a Bark Log so that you can record the times the dog is barking and if those periods exceed 15 minutes of constant noise, we can provide your written proof to the dog's owner that the barking has indeed become a nuisance, and our Officer can write a citation. Please note that as the complainant, you'll be required to sign the citation as well.

   

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• What can I do about stray cats on my property?

  Animal Care of Davis County employs a Community Cat Officer who dedicates 100% of their time to the feral and community cat population of Davis County, which actively participates in the TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) program. TNR is the process of humanely trapping community cats and taking them to local veterinary clinics to sterilize and vaccinate them (indicated by "tipping" their left ear), and then returning them to the original location where they were found. This helps control the population and is the most effective way to reduce the number of cats within the community. If you'd like to participate in this program, please fill out a TNR Request Form and our Officer will respond as soon as possible to offer assistance with the cats in your neighborhood.

   

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• Can I trap feral cats on my property?

  Our Community Cat Officer can help you trap feral cats for our TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) program, and can even lend you a humane feral cat trap, if available. Please call 801-444-2200 or read our Community Cat page for more information.

   

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• I found a friendly stray dog. What now?

  By law, dogs must be confined to their owner's property, but as we know, dogs can be exceptionally creative escape artists! If you find a friendly stray dog, please help us keep pets out of the shelter by trying to locate the owner with the following tips. Most animals won't roam more than a mile from their house, with the vast majority of strays found within 400 feet of their homes! Look for a collar with a tag or take the animal to the nearest vet, or even swing by the shelter, to get the pet scanned for a microchip.

  • Check the tags: If the dog is friendly and has tags, check for a phone number and give the owner a call. They'll be thrilled you found their fur-baby! If you find a County license tag, call us at 801-444-2200 with the license number and we'll contact the registered owner for you.
  • Knock on doors: Stray dogs are typically found very close to where they live. By knocking on nearby doors, you may find the owner right away or at the very least find someone who knows the family the dog belongs to.
    
  • Take the dog to a vet (or us!): Many of the pets in our community have a registered microchip. Vet clinics and shelters have scanners and are happy to check the pet for a microchip to help reunite them with their family.
  • Social Media: Facebook has a large and caring community that works hard to reunite families with their lost pets. Just search for lost animal groups in your local community pages. Here in Davis County, we typically post to Lost and Found Pets in Utah, Utah Lost and Found Pets, and Utah Pets: Lost and Found, which are very active sites.
  • Finder to Foster Program (Friendly Finders): We have a program that allows you to foster stray pets during their statutory five-business-day stray-wait period. This benefits the animal as they'll experience much less stress being in a comfortable home rather than a loud, scary shelter, and it benefits you and the owner as the possibility of reuniting the pet with their family is greatly increased by keeping them in the neighborhood where they were found.
    
  • Come to the shelter: Finally, you can always bring the lost pet to the shelter. We'll scan the animal for a microchip and look for owners who may have already filled out a lost animal report. We'll keep the animal for five business days while looking for the owner and evaluating the pet for our adoption program if one isn't found.
  • Contact our team: If the animal appears to be a threat to the public or to itself, or you believe this is a recurring issue, call our Dispatch Team at 801-444-2200 (Option 3) and an Officer will respond as soon as possible.

   

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• I found an aggressive stray dog. What now?

  The safety and welfare of citizens and animals alike in Davis County is our highest priority. Please report aggressive stray dogs to Animal Care of Davis County immediately by calling 801-444-2200. If you see that someone was bitten, per Davis County Code, Section 6.24.060, you must report any bite that breaks skin. Officers will then investigate the bite and place the dog in quarantine to ensure they aren't exhibiting any signs of rabies.

   

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• Do you respond to wild animal issues?

  No, Animal Care of Davis County does not handle any wildlife, and our Officers are unable to be dispatched to issues involving bats, raccoons, skunks, or possums unless a domestic animal has come into physical contact with them, which is required for rabies and quarantine purposes only. Please read our Raccoon Resources page for more information.

   

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• I found an injured or orphaned wild animal. What now?

  If you've found an injured or orphaned baby bird, bunny, waterfowl, or fawn, please contact the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah. Reference their Resources for Wildlife page prior to taking any action to determine whether or not the animal actually needs help. Please don't take a healthy animal away from it's parents, who may be nearby but out of your sight. WRCNU provides the following resources and more:

  • I Found a Baby Bird
  • I Found a Baby Bunny
  • I Found a Baby Duck
  • I Found a Baby Fawn

   

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• I found a rattlesnake. What now?

  Animal Care of Davis County cannot respond to calls about rattlesnakes. For help, contact the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources at 801-476-2740.

   

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• I found a deceased animal. What now?

  • Deceased wildlife: Contact the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources at 801-476-2740.
  • Deceased domestic animal/livestock: Contact Animal Care of Davis County at 801-444-2200 and an Officer will be dispatched to pick up the animal. We will look for identification tags or scan the animal for a microchip and notify the owner if located. In these cases, disposal services are provided free of charge.

   

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