(a) When any unmuzzled dog, cat, or domestic animal is found at large in violation of Section 603.02, or abandoned in violation of Section 603.06, or when any dog's owner or the person in charge of control of any dog, or owner or person in charge of the premises upon which a dog is located, has violated the provisions of Section 603.04 more than three (3) times within a four (4) month period, a police officer or animal control officer shall take up and impound the dog, cat, or domestic animal in a City pound. No dog, cat, or domestic animal shall be returned from the pound until a fee of forty dollars ($40.00) is paid to the City, and the dog has both a valid County registration tag as prescribed by Section 603.05 and a microchip embedded for identification purposes. If a dog did not already have an embedded microchip at the time that it was impounded, then the animal control officer shall cause a microchip to be embedded in the dog before its return, and shall assess the person claiming the dog an additional fee of ten dollars ($10.00) for that cost.
(b) If a police officer or animal control officer impounds a domestic animal, cat, or dog which is wearing a valid County license registration tag, the police officer or animal control officer shall immediately give the owner notice that the dog, cat or domestic animal has been impounded and that unless the dog, cat, or domestic animal is redeemed within fourteen (14) days of the date of the notice it may thereafter be euthanized, transferred, sold, or adopted according to law.
(c) If a police officer or animal control officer impounds a dog that is not wearing a valid County license registration tag or cat or other domestic animal, and the owner is unknown, the animal control officer shall list the animal in a record management system for purpose of assistance in identification of the dog, cat, or domestic animal by a person that can prove ownership. Any impounded domestic animal, cat, or dog that is not wearing a valid registration tag and is unredeemed after three (3) days from the later of date of impoundment or the date on which notice was given may be euthanized, transferred, made available for fostering or adoption, on order of the Director of Public Safety or the Chief Animal Control Officer.
(d) The owner, upon redeeming a dog, cat, or other domestic animal being held at the kennel and cared for under this section shall pay a fee of twenty dollars ($20.00) per day for each day the animal was boarded at the kennel. This charge shall be in addition to any other repayments that may be owed under this chapter.
(f) Any fee established under this section may be waived by the Director of Public Safety or the Chief Animal Control Officer if the owner of the impounded animal is determined by the Director or Chief Animal Control Officer to be indigent using the federal poverty guidelines, and the owner has never before received the waiver.
(Ord. No. 1572-14. Passed 12-8-14, eff. 12-10-14)