(A) Dogs running at large, abandoned, or without proper restraints or animals creating a nuisance shall be taken to the Animal Shelter by the authorized Animal Control Officer and impounded. If a law enforcement officer responds to dogs running at large or without proper restraints or animals creating a nuisance and if the animal poses a danger to the public or other animals, the officer shall notify Animal Control and if possible, keep the animal under surveillance until it can be apprehended by the Animal Control Officer.
(B) Impounded animals may be kept for at least five days for identification and reclaiming by the owner. This requirement may be waived by the Animal Control Officer or his or her agent if an impounded animal has an injury or physical condition, which causes the animal to suffer or causes other animals to suffer. In addition, any animal voluntarily surrendered by its owner does not have to be impounded for the five-day limit.
(C) After five days of impoundment, and if the owner has not reclaimed the animal, the County Animal Shelter may treat the animal as voluntarily surrendered.
(D) During the initial five-day impoundment, the County Animal Shelter shall attempt to locate and notify the impounded animal’s owner.
(E) An owner of an impounded animal so notified may reclaim the animal and shall pay to the County Animal Shelter the impoundment fee and any additional ordinary, necessary, and reasonable expenses incurred by the County Animal Shelter resulting from the impoundment including, but not limited to, veterinary expenses. Failure to pay the impoundment and other fees shall result in the animal being declared voluntarily surrendered.
(1) The Animal Shelter may charge the owner $20 to reclaim an animal impounded by the Shelter.
(2) Any animal not reclaimed by its owner within five days shall become the property of the Animal Shelter and shall be placed for adoption or humanely euthanized.
(3) The reclamation fee shall double for each additional time the owner reclaims the same animal (i.e., $40 for the second offense, $80 for the third offense).
(4) The Animal Shelter may waive or reduce the reclamation fee for an animal if the owner:
(a) Is a county resident;
(b) Agrees to insert a microchip location device chip in the animal either by the Animal Shelter or a veterinarian;
(c) Pays the cost of the chip insertion to the Animal Shelter or veterinarian; and
(d) Agrees to spay or neuter the animal before the Animal Shelter releases the animal.
(5) For any third impoundment or subsequent impoundment, the Animal Shelter shall require the owner to pay the cost of inserting a chip and shall require the owner to spay or neuter the animal before releasing the animal to the owner.
(6) If an animal has a serious physical injury creating substantial risk of death, the Animal Control Officers may euthanize the animal immediately.
(7) In addition to, or in lieu of, impounding any animal found at large in the county, or any city therein, law enforcement officer or other Animal Control Officer may proceed against the owner as provided in § 90.99.
(8) Any dog found within county without a required license and registration from the county, or any animal which violates any provision of this subchapter, may be impounded by a person or agent authorized to enforce this subchapter.
(Ord. KOC 1010.6 (2013), passed 10-24-2013)