Dealing with Rabies Like It’s 1952
- seattleanimalwatch
- May 28, 2024
- 4 min read
Modernizing the Seattle Municipal Code
Section 9.12 - Rabies
Summary: The City of Seattle must update Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) Title 9. Among the outdated sections is SMC 9.12 with antiquated language and procedures from 1952. The City should refer to more recent King County laws related to rabies and the Washington State Administrative Code’s requirement for rabies vaccinations. It can also update this Code section on its own by using the model rabies ordinance from the American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA) as guidance.
As part of our ongoing series advocating for the modernization of the Seattle Municipal Code’s (SMC) animal welfare laws, we now look at SMC 9.12 “Rabies,” an antiquated section with language and procedures unchanged since 1952. While it may seem a strange topic to cover because rabies is so rare in the United States, this disease is still a problem worldwide. In addition, there is now an increasing resistance to vaccinating pets even though vaccination is the primary reason why rabies rates are so low in the first place.
Let’s take this one step at a time.
What is rabies?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rabies is a preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system of mammals, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death. Most rabies cases occur in wild animals like bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes, although any mammal can get rabies.
Why is there a section on rabies in the Seattle Municipal Code?
The rabies section is from 1952. While rabies has been around for thousands of years, incidents of rabies had significantly decreased once Louis Pasteur invented the vaccine for dogs in 1885. However, contracting rabies was still a serious situation. In the 1950s, people who had been bitten by a rabid animal got 23 shots along the abdomen! It seems reasonable the code outlining “animal control” measures would include steps to minimize rabies spread with quarantine and treatment methods.
Among the many outdated aspects of this particular section of the code are the following:
It uses the terms Poundmaster and City Pound
It refers to the Pasteur method, developed by Louis Pasteur, as an alternative to euthanasia of a rabid animal. Today we know there is no cure for rabies and therefore the Pasteur method is irrelevant.
It refers to publication of a notice in an official “city newspaper.”
The fine for owning a rabid untreated animal is $300 and/or jail, penalties that should be revisited.
It does not state the vaccine requirement as per Washington State rule, WAC 246-100-197 which states: An owner of a dog, cat, or ferret shall have it vaccinated against rabies and revaccinated following veterinary and vaccine manufacturer instructions.
Is rabies still a threat today?
Yes, it is. While human incidence of rabies averages only one to three cases in the United States per year, the threat is still taken seriously. A feral kitten in Omaha, Nebraska, tested positive for rabies in November 2023. It died of the raccoon variant of the virus, which is typically found only in the Appalachian Mountains. Detecting this variant hundreds of miles away in the Midwest raised concerns about a potential outbreak and launched a public health task force to vaccinate all raccoons in the area.
This disease also causes tens of thousands of deaths annually around the world. The federal government has recently imposed new rules to prevent rabies (the prior rules were from 1956!!) The new rules require the following:
all dogs entering the U.S. must be at least 6 months, old enough to be vaccinated if required and for the shots to take effect;
have a microchip placed under their skin with a code that can be used to verify rabies vaccination; and
have completed a new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) import form.
There may be additional restrictions and requirements based on where the dog was the previous six months, which may include blood testing from CDC-approved labs.The update applies to dogs brought in by breeders or rescue groups as well as pets traveling with their U.S. owners.
Unfortunately, complacency is rising in the United States. There has been an increase in resistance to vaccinating animals. According to a 2023 study, an estimated 45 percent of US households own a dog; according to the survey results, nearly 40 percent of dog owners believe that canine vaccines are unsafe, more than 20 percent believe these vaccines are ineffective, and 30 percent consider them to be medically unnecessary. This could have a negative impact in the long-term.
Does the Seattle Animal Shelter follow this code language?
No, the Seattle Animal Shelter does not follow this code. Seattle Animal Watch requested written protocols for a rabies outbreak or any other infectious disease outbreak related to animals. According to the shelter’s public disclosure officer, the Seattle Animal Shelter was unable to locate any written protocols nor were we referred to the language now in the code. We assume that there are rabies protocols followed internally by the veterinary staff, but that is probably on a controlled case-by-case basis.
Does rabies belong in the code at all?
SMC 9.12 already refers to a Director of Public Health. Today, that would be the King County Department of Health. In fact, the King County Code (KCC) Title 11: Animal Care and Control addresses rabies in the following sections with updates occurring in the 2000s, most recently in 2023:
KCC 11.04.060 Hobby kennel or hobby cattery licenses - required - limitations - requirements - issuance and maintenance.
KCC 11.04.174 Assistance with enforcement and carrying out BOH chapter 8.04, Rabies.
KCC 11.04.275 Potentially dangerous animal - designation - requirements and responsibilities of owner - registration - appeal - impoundment.
KCC 11.04.285 Dangerous animal - designation - requirements and responsibilities of owner - registration - inspection - appeal - impoundment.
The City could simply refer to the King County code sections or they could also adopt a new rabies control ordinance. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Model Rabies Control Document serves as a set of guiding principles for those who are now, or will be in the future, preparing or revising pertinent language under the codes and laws of the applicable jurisdiction.
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