618.07 PEACE DISTURBANCES; DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.

     (a)     No owner or person in charge or control of a dog, or owner or person in charge of a premises on which a dog is located, shall permit a dog nuisance to occur or continue within the City.

   (b)   For the purposes of this section, each of the following constitutes a dog nuisance:

            (1)   Permitting any dog unreasonably to cause annoyance, alarm or noise disturbance to any person or neighborhood by barking, whining, screeching, howling, or other like sounds which may be heard beyond the boundary of the owner, keeper or harborer's property under conditions where the animal sounds are shown to have occurred either as an episode of continuous noise lasting for a minimum period of fifteen (15) minutes, or repeated episodes of intermittent noise lasting for a minimum period of thirty (30) minutes. It shall be an affirmative defense under this division that the animal was intentionally provoked by a party other than the owner to make such noise. 
(Ord. 2017-95.  Passed 7-10-17.)

618.08 REGISTRATION OF DOGS REQUIRED.

   Except for guide, leader or listener dogs, or dogs in training to become guide, leader or listener dogs, registered under Ohio R.C. 955.011, and dogs kept by an institution or organization for teaching and research purposes under Ohio R.C. 955.16, no owner, keeper or harborer of a dog more than three months of age, nor owner of a dog kennel, shall fail to file an application for registration required by Ohio R.C. 955.01, nor shall he or she fail to pay the legal fee therefor. (ORC 955.21)

618.09 HINDERING CAPTURE OF UNREGISTERED DOG.

   No person shall obstruct or interfere with anyone lawfully engaged in capturing an unregistered dog or making an examination of a dog wearing a tag.

(ORC 955.24)

618.10 UNLAWFUL TAGS.

   No person shall own, keep or harbor a dog wearing a fictitious, altered or invalid registration tag or a registration tag not issued by the County Auditor in connection with the registration of such animal. (ORC 955.25)

618.11 RABIES QUARANTINE; INSPECTION.

   (a)   Whenever any animal has bitten any person, the Chief of Police or any member of the Police Department may order such animal quarantined in the County Dog Kennels or in a veterinarian's kennels for a period not longer than ten days, or may order the examination and inspection of such animal at the County Dog Kennels or by a qualified veterinarian immediately after such biting and ten days thereafter for the purpose of determining the presence of rabies or other communicable disease and preventing the spread of the same.

   (b)   If the owner or person in possession of such an animal fails or refuses to comply with such an order, any member of the Police Department may seize such animal and have it impounded in the County Dog Kennels for such time as may be necessary to examine or quarantine such animal for rabies or other communicable disease. Any expense or cost incurred by the City in connection with such examination or quarantine shall be charged to and collected from the owner of such animal.

(1964 Code §52.04)

   (c)   No person shall fail to cause an animal to be quarantined or inspected in conformity with the order referred to in subsection (a) hereof or obstruct or hinder any police officer of the City in the enforcement of any of the provisions of this section.

(Ord. 1970-135. Passed 11-16-70.)

618.12 NUISANCE CONDITIONS PROHIBITED.

   (a)   No person shall keep or harbor any animal or fowl in the Municipality so as to create offensive odors, excessive noise or unsanitary conditions which are a menace to the health, comfort or safety of the public, or otherwise permit the commission or existence of a nuisance as hereinafter defined.

     (b)     Any animal which by biting or frequent or habitual barking, howling or yelping which constitutes a violation(s) of Section 618.07, or which in any way or manner injures or disturbs the quiet of any person or the community, or which disturbs or endangers the comfort, repose or health of persons, is hereby declared to be committing a nuisance.  It shall be unlawful for any owner, keeper or harborer of such animal to harbor or permit it to commit such nuisance.

   (c)   Any animal which scratches, digs, urinates or defecates upon any lawn, tree, shrub, plant, building or other public or private property, other than the property of the owner, keeper or harborer of such animal, is hereby declared to be a nuisance.

   (d)   No person, being the owner, keeper or harborer of any animal shall allow or permit such animal to commit a nuisance upon any school grounds, City park or other public property, or upon any private property other than that of the owner, keeper or harborer of such animal, without the permission of the owner of such property.  Where the owner, keeper or harborer of such animal immediately removes all feces deposited by such animal and disposes of same in a sanitary manner, such nuisance shall be considered abated.

   (e)   No person, being an owner, tenant, agent, occupant, or person in control of any property, shall cause or knowingly permit a nuisance by providing food for or feeding any stray dog, cat or other wildlife, including but not limited to, birds, water fowl, raccoons, opossums, skunks, rabbits, deer, and coyotes whether or not it creates an unsanitary condition; cause inconvenience, discomfort, or damage to another; or endanger the comfort, repose, health or safety of others; or in any way render other persons insecure in life or in the use of their property.

      (1)   This section does not apply to song birds fed from a stationary and off-ground/hanging bird feeder;

      (2)   This section shall not apply to a law enforcement officer, game officer or conservation officer enforcing the laws of the State of Ohio, or any local ordinances, nor to anyone officially authorized by the City to engage in an animal control program, including, without limitation, a feral cap Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return Program or similar program.

      (3)   The City may also initiate a civil action in an appropriate court for injunctive and other relief for a violation of this section.

         (Ord. 2019-93.  Passed 8-5-19.)

618.121 ABATEMENT OF NUISANCE.

   No person being the owner, keeper or harborer of any animal shall continue to keep or harbor within this City any animal which is or creates a nuisance as defined by Section 618.12, unless such animal is confined or otherwise kept under strict control as to abate the nuisance, and in the case of a dangerous or vicious dog, is restrained and confined in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.  (Ord.  1999-17.  Passed 1-19-99.)