(A) Animals shall be taken by the animal control officer and impounded in the P.A.W.S. animal shelter or other appropriate facility and there confined in a humane manner. In lieu of impoundment, the animal control officer may issue to the known owner(s) of such animal a Notice of Ordinance Violation.
(B) Upon impounding a vicious and dangerous dog for any reason, an animal control officer or law enforcement officer may, for reasons of public safety, retain the dog at the P.A.W.S. animal shelter until disposition by the appropriate court.
(C) If, by means of a license tag or other means, the owner(s) of an impounded animal can be identified, the animal control officer shall immediately upon impoundment notify the owner by telephone or certified mail.
(D) An owner reclaiming an impounded animal shall pay any fines, expenses and/or fees due and owing to Dearborn County Animal Control, P.A.W.S., and/or any facility sheltering and caring for the impounded animal. Impound fees and fines may be waived, in lieu of a return to the owner, for services that include sterilization, rabies, booster vaccinations, and microchip.
(E) Any stray animal or owned animal not reclaimed by its owner within five days after being notified of the impoundment shall become the property of P.A.W.S. or other animal shelter facility and shall be placed for adoption in a suitable home, transferred to a rescue partner, or humanely euthanized.
(F) Community cats and litters of puppies are not subject to the stray hold period.
(G) Any person adopting an animal from P.A.W.S. shall pay a fee as established by P.A.W.S.
(H) In the event that an ordinance violation involves a dog that has bitten a person or another animal:
(1) The dog may be quarantined on the owner’s or harborer’s property, at the discretion of Dearborn County Animal Control, if leaving the dog on the property does not create a safety hazard and the owner or harborer can provide records showing that the dog is up to date with all vaccinations.
(2) If the dog is not up to date with its vaccinations, or if Dearborn County Animal Control does not believe it to be safe to leave the dog on the property of the owner or harborer, the dog shall be impounded until such time as Dearborn County Animal Control believes it is safe to return the dog or until court proceedings have concluded and the dog has been authorized to return to the owner or harborer.
(BC Ord. 2014-006, passed 6-3-14; Am. BC Ord. 2015-001, passed 1-6-15; Am. BC Ord. 2017-014, passed 11-7-17)