(A) Every animal which bites a person shall promptly be reported to the animal control designee and shall thereupon be securely quarantined at the direction of the animal control designee for a period of not less than 15 days and shall not be released from such quarantine, except by written permission of the animal control designee. Such quarantine may be on the premises of the owner, at the shelter designated as the city animal shelter, or at the owner’s option if vaccinated for rabies as set forth in § 8.02.030(A) thereof, in the veterinary hospital of his or her choice, all at the expense of the owner. In the case of stray animals, or in the cases of animals whose ownership is not known, such quarantine shall be at the shelter designated as the city animal shelter.
(B) The owner upon demand made by the animal control designee or police officer or either of them, shall forthwith surrender any unvaccinated animal that has bitten a human, or which is suspected of having been exposed to rabies, for supervised quarantine which expense shall be borne by the owner, and may be reclaimed by the owner if adjudged free of rabies, as set forth in § 8.02.080 thereof, and upon compliance of licensing provisions set forth in § 8.02.030 thereof.
(C) When an animal under quarantine has been diagnosed as being rabid, or suspected by a licensed veterinarian as being rabid, and dies while under such observation, the animal control designee shall immediately send the head of such animal to a competent laboratory for pathological examination and shall notify the proper public health officer of reports of human contacts and the diagnosis made of the suspected animal.
(D) When one or both reports give a positive diagnosis of rabies, the animal control designee shall recommend a city-wide quarantine of a period of 30 days and upon the invocation of such quarantine, no animals shall be taken into the streets or prelisted to be in the streets during such period of quarantine.
(E) Every unvaccinated animal bitten by an animal showing positive symptoms of rabies shall be forthwith destroyed, or shall at the owner’s option and expense, be held not less than 15 days in quarantine, and thereafter in the discretion of the veterinarian said animal may be quarantined to a period not exceeding 90 days.
(F) In the event there are additional positive cases of rabies occurring during the period of quarantine, such period of quarantine may be extended, in the interest of the public safety, for additional periods of 30 days, at the discretion of the animal control designee.
(G) No person shall kill, or cause to be killed, any rabid animal, any animal suspected of having been exposed to rabies, or animal biting a human, except as herein provided, nor remove the same from the city limits without written permission from the animal control designee. The animal control designee shall direct the disposition of any animal found to be infected with rabies. No person shall fail or refuse to surrender any animal for quarantine or destruction as required herein when demand is made therefore by the animal control designee.
(Prior Code, § 8.02.110) (Ord. 1, passed 1-17-1980; Ord. 2019-8, passed 8-19-2019)