(A) An animal control officer or enforcement agent may serve notice upon the owner or person in charge of a dog or other animal which has attacked or bitten a person, to confine the animal at the expense of the owner or person in charge of it upon the premises of the owner or person in charge or at some other place designated in the notice, for at least ten days after the animal has attacked or bitten the person.
(B) The owner or person in charge of an animal which has attacked or bitten a person shall permit the animal control officer or enforcement agent to examine the animal at any reasonable time, and daily if desired, within a period of ten days after the animal has attacked or bitten a person, to determine whether the animal shows symptoms of rabies.
(C) Whenever a dog or other animal is affected by rabies or suspected of being affected by rabies, or has been bitten by an animal known or suspected to be affected with rabies, the owner or person in charge of the dog or animal or any person having knowledge thereof, shall immediately notify either an animal control officer, or the city police.
(D) Every physician shall immediately after his or her first professional attendance upon any person bitten by a dog or other animal, report to an animal control officer, or the city police, the name, age, sex, race, and precise location of the person so bitten. When a physician is not in attendance of a person bitten by an animal, then any person in charge of or in control of or responsible for the person bitten shall report the incident to the police or an animal control officer and provide the same information as set out herein.
(E) An animal control officer or the city police shall serve a notice, in writing, upon the owner of a dog or other animal known or suspected to have been bitten by an animal known or suspected of being affected by rabies, requiring the owner or person in charge of the animal to confine it for a period of not less than six months.
(F) Whenever the police or an animal control officer has reason to believe that a danger exists that rabies may spread within the city, the officials shall serve a notice in writing upon all persons owning or having charge of any animal requiring the person to confine the animal or, the authorities, in lieu of serving a notice in writing, may cause a notice to be published in the official newspaper of the city. Other animals may be included in the order whenever, in the opinion of the officials, this is necessary.
(G) Whenever the state or local health department has knowledge that any case of rabies exists among dogs or other domestic animals within the state, and in its judgment the disease is liable to spread, the state or local health department may issue an order requiring either the police, the animal shelter, or an animal control officer to order animals confined as provided in this section, and to cause the enforcement of these provisions by appropriate proceedings either in law or equity.
(H) An animal confined under the order of either the police or an animal control officer shall not be released until a certificate of release has been issued by the official who ordered the confinement.
(Ord. 2006-06, passed 10-9-06)