(a) The Animal Control Officer may receive, take up and impound any dog, cat or other animal at large in violation of this Chapter or any other law; any dog, cat or other animal which is molesting any person or other animal; any sick, injured or stray dog, cat or other animal; or may release the cat to its owner.
(b) Any dog or cat four months of age or older which has been impounded shall not be released from impoundment unless it is licensed, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and micro-chipped in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter.
(c) Any Animal Control Officer impounding a licensed dog or micro-chipped cat shall give written notice by first class mail, postage prepaid, to the last known address of the owner, of the impounding of such dog or cat and shall give the owner telephone notice where possible. If such dog or cat is not redeemed within five business days or as otherwise provided by law from the date of impound, the officer having custody of the dog or cat shall either place it for adoption or destroy it as set out herein.
(d) Upon impounding an unlicensed dog or unidentified cat, the officer shall give notice to the owner, if the owner and his whereabouts are known, of the impounding of such dog or cat. If such dog or cat has not been redeemed within five business days of the date of impound, the officer shall dispose of such dog or cat in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter or shall destroy such dog or cat. For the purpose of this Section, the notice specified herein shall be given in the manner determined by the officer as expedient under the circumstances.
(e) The Animal Control Officer having custody of any trapped or impounded dog or cat may, by humane methods, summarily destroy such dog or cat if the dog or cat is feral or is suffering from any incurable, dangerous or contagious disease, providing a veterinarian first shall certify, in writing, that such dog or cat is so suffering.
(f) Any Animal Control Officer having in his/her custody any unredeemed, impounded dog or cat may release such dog or cat to any adult individual upon payment by that individual of the adoption fees and the spay/neuter deposit and micro-chipping cost. The dog or cat also may be released to a nonprofit corporation formed under the provisions of the California Corporations Code for the prevention of cruelty to animals for such sale or placement as such nonprofit corporation or nonprofit organization may choose, except that such animals shall not be sold or released or given to labs. Releases of dogs or cats to such nonprofit corporations or nonprofit organizations pursuant to this Subsection shall not be subject to the payment of the impound/adoption fees but shall be subject to the spay/neuter deposit and micro-chipping cost.
(j) It shall be unlawful for any person to remove an impounded animal from an Animal Control Center without the permission of the officer in charge thereof.
(32-12/92 § 10.05.030) (Am. Ord. 181, passed 5-1-2019)