A. Every animal that bites or scratches a person shall be reported within four (4) hours from the time of the incident to a peace officer, a member of the board of trustees of Dickson, or an animal control officer, and said animal shall thereupon be securely quarantined at an approved animal control shelter or veterinary clinic within Carter County, Oklahoma, at the owner's expense, for a period of ten (10) days. The animal shall not be released from quarantine except by permission and approval of a licensed veterinarian or an animal control officer familiar with the incident, along with at least one member of the board of trustees. Failure of the owner to promptly quarantine the affected animal shall cause said owner to be deemed guilty of an offense.
B. In the case of stray animals, or in the case of animals whose ownership is not known, such quarantine shall be at an animal shelter or veterinary facility, at the town's expense.
C. The owner, upon demand by an employee empowered to enforce this chapter, shall forthwith surrender any animal that has bitten or scratched a human being, or which if suspected of having been exposed to rabies, for supervised quarantine, the expense for which shall be borne by the owner and the animal may be reclaimed by the owner if adjudged free of rabies.
D. 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 officer or veterinarian shall immediately send the head of such animal to the state health department for pathological examination, and shall notify the proper public health officer of reports of human contacts and diagnosis made of the suspected animal.
E. When one or both reports give a positive diagnosis of rabies, a health officer for the town may recommend a townside quarantine for a period of up to six (6) months, and upon the invoking of such quarantine, no animal shall be taken into the streets or town proper of Dickson during such period of quarantine. During such quarantine period, no animal shall be taken or shipped from the town of Dickson without written permission of quarantine invoking health officer for the town.
F. During such period of rabies quarantine as herein designated, every animal bitten by an animal adjudged to be rabid shall be treated for such rabies infection by a licensed veterinarian or held under six (6) months quarantine by the owner in the same manner as other animals are quarantined.
G. In event there are additional positive cases of rabies occurring during the period of the quarantine, such period of quarantine may be extended for an additional six (6) month period.
H. While in quarantine, no person shall kill or cause to be killed any rabid animal, any animal suspected of having been exposed to rabies, or any animal biting or scratching a human being, except as herein provided, nor to remove same from the town limits of Dickson without written permission from the health officer of the town or an animal control officer, or a member of the board of trustees.
I. The carcass of any dead animal exposed to rabies shall upon demand be surrendered to the animal control officer, or a demanding peace officer.
J. The animal control officer or veterinarian shall direct the disposition of any animal found to be infected with rabies.
K. No person shall fail or refuse to surrender any animal for quarantine as required herein when demand is made therefor by an employee empowered to enforce this chapter. Such refusal shall be deemed to be an offense.
L. It is the duty of every physician, veterinarian or other practitioner to report to the animal control officer of Dickson, or the board of trustees of said municipality, the names and addresses of persons treated for bites inflicted by animals, together with such other information as will be helpful in rabies control.
M. It is the duty of every licensed veterinarian to report to the Dickson animal control officer, a peace officer, and/or a member of the board of trustees of Dickson, his diagnosis of any animal observed by him to be a rabid suspect from the Dickson town limits and a surrounding area of five (5) miles.
(Ord. 48, 3-19-1998)