(A) An Anti-Rabies Vaccination shall be administered as often as required according to state law. The duty to provide an Anti-Rabies Vaccination does not discharge the Owner from the duty to provide other Vaccinations and reasonable medical treatment for Companion Animals.
(B) Anti-Rabies Vaccination. All Owners of Companion Animals or ferrets over the age of three months shall have Companion Animals and ferrets Vaccinated against rabies no less frequently than required under New Mexico State law. The Anti-Rabies Vaccination shall be administered by a Veterinarian who also shall issue an Anti-Rabies Vaccination certificate and tag. The Mayor’s designee may require Animals other than Companion Animals or ferrets to receive annual Anti-Rabies Vaccinations. The Veterinarian administering the Anti-Rabies Vaccine to an Animal shall issue the Owner an Anti-Rabies Vaccination certificate and tag, each bearing the same number. The Veterinarian shall legibly record, on the approved certificate, in the appropriate areas the name and address of the Owner of the Animal, a description of the Animal, the date of Vaccination and the expiration date of the period of immunity, sterilization status, and Veterinary practice name. This information shall be delivered by the Veterinarian to the Mayor’s designee in accordance with this article. The Owner of a Companion Animal or a ferret shall produce its certificate of Anti-Rabies Vaccination upon demand by the Mayor’s designee.
(C) Potentially Rabid Animals. The Owner of an Animal having rabies or showing signs of rabies, an Animal bitten by a rabid Animal or an Animal that has been exposed to rabies shall immediately isolate the Animal in a Secure Facility or within a Secure Fence where it cannot possibly come into contact with any other Animals or humans other than the Owner. Any Person who has knowledge of an Animal infected by or exposed to rabies shall immediately notify the Mayor’s designee of the location of the affected Animal. The Animal shall be surrendered by its Owner to the Mayor’s designee upon demand. The Animal shall be dealt with in accordance with state law.
It is the duty of the Owner of an Animal that Bites a Person and of the Person bitten by an Animal to report the Bite to the Mayor’s designee within 24 hours after the Bite occurs. If deemed necessary by the Mayor’s designee, the Owner shall surrender the Animal to the Mayor’s designee for Impoundment, Quarantine, observation or destruction and rabies testing at the Mayor's designee’s discretion. A physician who renders medical treatment to a Person bitten by an Animal shall report the Bite to the Mayor’s designee within 24 hours of such treatment. Such medical treatment shall be paid for by the Owner of the Animal. The physician shall report the name, sex, and address of the Person bitten, as well as the type and location of the Bite on the Person’s body. The physician shall give the name and address of the Owner of the Animal to the Mayor’s designee and, if known, any other facts that may assist the Mayor’s designee in locating the biting Animal and in ascertaining the immunization status of the Animal.
(D) Quarantine. An Animal that has bitten or is suspected of biting a Person shall be confined securely at a location for a period of time deemed necessary by the Mayor’s designee. The Owner of the Animal shall be responsible for and bear the cost of confinement. If the Owner does not confine the Animal as required by the Mayor’s designee, the Mayor’s designee may Seize and Impound the Animal and will keep it under Protective Custody at AACC for no longer than 15 days and the Owner shall pay all related costs before Reclaiming the Animal. After 15 days of Protective Custody under this subsection, the Animal will become the property of the City and may be routed or disposed of under the terms of this article. The Mayor’s designee may consent to confinement on the Owner's premises only if the Owner can prove to the Mayor’s designee’s satisfaction that the Animal cannot escape. Before the Owner's premises can be used for Animal confinement, the premises shall be inspected and must be approved for such purpose by the Mayor’s designee. A Person who has custody of an Animal that has bitten a Person shall immediately notify the Mayor’s designee if the Animal shows any signs of sickness, abnormal behavior or if the Animal escapes confinement. If the Animal dies while in confinement, the Person having custody of the Animal shall notify the Mayor’s designee immediately and surrender the deceased Animal to the Mayor’s designee. Any Animal Quarantined for rabies will, on completion of the Quarantine period, be Microchipped for positive and Permanent Identification as a condition of Quarantine release or Reclaim. An Animal being Quarantined by AACC will receive the Microchip prior to being released. The Owners of any Animal Quarantined by the Owner will immediately make arrangements for Microchipping their Quarantined Animal with a Veterinarian of their choice or AACC, with the cost for such services being borne by the Owner. Microchipping a Quarantined Animal must be completed within 10 days of the Quarantine and failure to do so is a violation of this article.
(E) Veterinarians.
(1) Each Veterinarian that Vaccinates shall deliver to the city information regarding all Anti-Rabies Vaccinations administered during the preceding month by the fifteenth day of the following month by either hard copy or in an electronic format approved by the city.
(2) Approved Veterinarians shall receive a credit of fifty cents for each Vaccination certificate submitted as a hard copy and one dollar for each submitted electronically. The credits will only be granted if the information is received by the fifteenth day of the month immediately following the month in which the Vaccination certificate was issued and if the information is complete and accurate as determined by the Mayor’s designee.
(3) Veterinarians shall post and maintain a sign clearly visible to the public stating that dogs and cats must be spayed, neutered or permitted in accordance with the ordinance including the proper citation and have anti-rabies vaccinations as mandated by the State of New Mexico and the City of Albuquerque. AACC will provide one sign free to each Veterinarian.
(Ord. 18-2006; Am. Ord. 2019-032; Am. Ord. 2023-016)