Any animal or fowl found running at large or otherwise being kept in violation of this chapter may be seized by the codes officer, any police officer or animal control officer and confined in a facility provided or designated by the city manager. If the owner is known he shall be given notice in person, by telephone, or by a postcard addressed to his last known mailing address. If the owner is not known or cannot be located, a notice describing the impounded animal or fowl and the location from which it was seized shall be made available at the animal holding facility. In either case the notice shall state that the impounded animal or fowl must be claimed within the time prescribed by Tennessee Code Annotated, § 39-14-210 by paying the facility costs or the animal or fowl shall be adopted or humanely destroyed.
The facility keeper shall be entitled to collect from each person claiming an impounded animal or fowl a reasonable fee to cover the costs of impoundment and maintenance of the animal or fowl.
Any animal or fowl that cannot be safely impounded because of a reasonable belief of imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury to him/her, another animal or the general public may be humanely destroyed by the animal control officer or any police officer.
(1970 Code, § 3-107, as amended by Ord. #001-11-16, Feb. 2002)