(a) Whenever any person is bitten by a dog or other animal, report of such bite shall be made to the Health Commissioner within twenty-four hours. Whenever it is reported to the Health Commissioner that any dog or cat has bitten a person, that dog or cat shall be quarantined under an order issued by the Health Commissioner. The dog or cat shall be quarantined by its owner or by a harborer, or shall be quarantined in a pound or kennel. In all cases, such quarantine shall be under the supervision of the Health Commissioner and shall be at the expense of the owner or harborer. Quarantine shall continue until the Health Commissioner determines that the dog or cat is not afflicted with rabies. The quarantine period hereby required shall not be less than ten days from the date on which the person was bitten. If at any time during the quarantine, the Health Commissioner requires the dog or cat to be examined for symptoms of rabies, then the examination shall be by a licensed doctor of veterinary medicine. The veterinarian shall report to the Health Commissioner the conclusions reached as a result of the examinations. The examination by a veterinarian shall be at the expense of the owner or harborer. No dog or cat shall be released from the required quarantine unless and until it has been properly vaccinated against rabies.
No person shall fail to comply with the requirements of this section or with any order of the Health Commissioner made pursuant thereto, nor fail to immediately report to the Health Commissioner any symptoms or behavior suggestive of rabies.
(b) This section does not apply to a police dog that has bitten a person while the police dog is under the care of a licensed veterinarian or has bitten a person while the police dog is being used for law enforcement, corrections, prison or jail security, or investigative purposes. If, after biting a person, a police dog exhibits abnormal behavior, the law enforcement agency and the law enforcement officer the police dog assists, within a reasonable time after the person is bitten, shall make the police dog available for the Board of Health for the district in which the bite occurred to perform tests for rabies. “Police dog” shall have the same meaning as set forth in Section 505.16.
(c) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(Ord. 13-06. Passed 2-13-06.)