(A) Generally.
(1) It shall be unlawful for an owner to fail to provide current inoculation against rabies (hydrophobia) for his or her dog.
(2) Should it be deemed necessary by the Dare County Health Director, Dare County Board of Commissioners or the state public health veterinarian that other pet animals be vaccinated in order to prevent a threatened epidemic or to control an existing epidemic, it shall be unlawful for an owner to fail to provide current inoculation against rabies for that pet animal.
(B) Bite cases; duty of owner. Every dog or cat which has bitten anyone or which shows symptoms of rabies shall be confined immediately by its owner and shall be promptly reported to the Dare County Health Department by its owners or persons having the animal in charge, and thereupon shall be securely quarantined at the direction of the Health Department for a period of 10 days and shall not be released from the quarantine except by written permission from the Health Department.
(C) Inspection. The biting animal and its records of vaccination and registration shall be inspected by the Dare County Health Director, who will then observe the following policy:
(1) A properly vaccinated and registered dog or cat may be confined on the owner's premises; provided, however, that the Health Director determines that the owner has an adequate means of confinement upon his or her own premises and the animal is subject to observation by the officer at any time during the 10-day period;
(2) A dog or cat not properly vaccinated or registered, belonging to an owner, shall immediately be confined in a veterinary hospital or the county animal shelter, in which case the expense shall be borne by the owner for the 10-day confinement; and
(3) A stray dog or cat shall immediately be confined in the county animal shelter for a 10-day period.
(D) Surrender for quarantine required on demand.
(1) It shall be unlawful for the owner to refuse an examination or investigation by the Dare County Health Director, upon demand, of any dog or cat which has bitten a human.
(2) If the dog or cat is confined in the county animal shelter and if rabies does not develop within 10 days, the animal may be reclaimed, upon payment not to exceed $3 per day for feeding and upon compliance with other provisions of this chapter.
(E) Rabies diagnosed. If an animal dies while under observation for rabies, then the head of the animal may be submitted to the Dare County Health Department for shipment to the state laboratory of hygiene for diagnosis.
(F) Emergency quarantine and procedures.
(1) When reports indicate a positive diagnosis of rabies, the Dare County Health Director shall order an area-wide quarantine for a period as the Health Director deems necessary; and upon the invocation of the emergency quarantine by the Health Director, no pet animal shall be taken into the streets or permitted to be in the streets during the period.
(2) During the quarantine, no animal may be taken or shipped from the county without written permission of the Health Director and each member of the Animal Control Department, the Police and Sheriff's Department is hereby fully authorized during the emergency to impound any dog found running at large in the town.
(3) During the quarantine period, the local health authorities shall be empowered to provide for a program of mass immunization by the establishment of temporary emergency rabies vaccination clinics strategically located throughout the town.
(4) No dog which has been impounded by reason of its being a stray, unclaimed by its owner, is allowed to be adopted from the animal shelter during the period of emergency rabies quarantine, except by special authorization of the Health Director.
(G) Destruction or confinement of animals bitten by known rabid animal. Animals bitten by a known rabid animal shall be immediately destroyed unless the owner agrees to strict isolation of the animal in the animal shelter in the case of dogs or cats, or at a veterinary hospital in the case of other animals, for a period of 6 months, or if the animal has a current rabies inoculation, revaccination and confinement for a period of 6 months.
(H) Extension of quarantine. In the event there are additional positive cases of rabies occurring during the period of quarantine, the period of quarantine may be extended at the discretion of the Dare County Health Director.
(I) Release or removal of animals under observation and the like. It shall be unlawful for any person to kill or release any animal under observation for rabies, any animal suspected of having been exposed to rabies or any animal biting a human, or to remove the animal from the county without written permission from the Health Director.
(J) Disposition of carcass of animal exposed to rabies. The carcass of any dead animal exposed to rabies shall be surrendered to the Health Department. The head of the animal may be submitted to the state laboratory of hygiene for diagnosis.
(K) Failure to surrender animal to Health Director. It shall be unlawful for any person to fail or refuse to surrender any animal for quarantine or destruction as required herein when demand is made therefore by the Dare County Health Director.
(Ord. 04-18, passed 7-7-2004) Penalty, see § 10.99