Dog rules in Des Moines

The Des Moines animal licensing page says any dog or cat over six months old needs a license and that off the owner's property a dog must be on a leash, cord or chain of no more than six feet under a competent handler. On the owner's property the dog must be fenced, restrained, or within six feet of and obedient to the owner.

The Des Moines Ordinance 15,348 defines a high-risk dog to include any dog that has bitten or attacked without provocation, any dog with a tendency to attack, any dog trained for dog fighting, and others. The Des Moines Ordinance 15,001 shows the older version of the list also naming any dog trained to attack human beings upon command or spontaneously, followed by listed exceptions that the excerpt does not show in full. Read the current text and ask Des Moines Animal Control how it applies to a trained protection dog.

The Des Moines Ordinance 15,348 requires a high-risk dog to be confined inside an occupied residence or a locked pen, kept on a leash no longer than six feet outside the pen, and licensed with a certificate of insurance. The Animal Rescue League of Iowa Des Moines ordinance sheet summarizes the same leash rules and says the person holding the leash must be 18 or older.